I wouldn’t link to this WSJ story about people who blog everything in their lives, like births of children, let’s say, if it didn’t shout-out rexblog friend, Josh Bancroft. It could have included another rexblog friend, Jackson Miller. Both Josh and Jackson live-blogged the births of babies recently.

When everybody launches their own little “social network” in their own backyard garden, it’s a feature, not a product. That’s what you need to start reminding yourself when you see a headline like “Reuters to start Financial MySpace” that includes a quote like:

“‘You will see us, later in the year, launch a version of MySpace for the financial services community,’ said (Reuters CEO) Tom Glocer. ‘It won’t have the latest hot videos and the ‘why I am into Metallica and the Arctic Monkeys’ blogs. Instead we are going to give our financial services users the ability to post their research or if they are traders, their trading models.’”

By the way, such a quote (with the required “Artic Monkey” reference) is the standard-view of Media executives who see the online world as a place for “initiatives.”

Allowing website users to meet one another — to bring forth the “live” part of a website — is quickly becoming a feature of any website that wants to be viewed as hosting a community. Here’s an announcement for you: Every website and blog is going to be the MySpace of that website or that blog — except, please, MySpace is a lame comparison only someone who would use an “Artic Monkey” reference would say.

Bottom line: Like “Web 2.0,” the term “Social Networking” means nothing because it now means anything.

Observation: One of the reasons I like MyBlogLog is that it (by design or dumb luck) is a “social network as feature” service that lets me do stuff like display that strip of recent visitors to the rexblog.

(via: Steve Rubel)

Later: Thanks to Scott Rafer (see comments), I now know the term “persistent social network” is what MyBlogLog is. Also, when I just visited the rexblog (I usually manage it via Ecto), it was nice to see both Scott and Eric Marcoullier, MyBlogLog founders rolled by recently. Other faces appearing at the time were the minimalist web designer, Lewis, who rolled by from a guest room at the Shanghai Ritz Carlton; social media maven Marianne Richmond; and Susan Mernit, the lady who puts the “!” in Yahoo! The rexblog director of hackology, Patrick Ragsdale, is the guy with the beard and longtime Hammoratian, Laura Creekmore is on the right. Nashville blogger (and rexblog friend) Jackson Miller is the guy with the headphones. I’m happy to be in their persistent social networks anytime.

Technorati Tags: social media

MediaPost.com and others are reporting that Mich Matthews, senior vice president of Microsoft’s central marketing group, told a group of advertising media strategists, “We’re actually pretty confident that by 2010, the majority of our media mix will shift to digital.” According to the article, “she said the company is simply following its consumers, who are increasingly migrating to the Web and an array of nontraditional outlets for information and entertainment. Plus, Microsoft is attracted to the potentially helpful accountability data that digital marketing can provide.”

No doubt, billions of dollars in marketing and advertising will continue flowing to the web and into digitial marketing — I hope so, I’m in that business — however, there are several reasons to doubt the veracity of Ms. Matthews’ forecast.

1. Microsoft is a digital media business that has staked a big part of its future on generating revenue from advertising. Of course it is going to tout the primacy of digital marketing as the way of the future: it’s their business. It’s how they make money. Matthews was “pitching” — selling a concept — to the media buyers, not just informing them of Microsoft’s plans.

2. You advertise where potential customers are: It makes sense if Microsoft is preaching to its choir to turn inward in their marketing. However, look at the masters of technology consumer advertising — the holy grail folks: Apple. Would you ever hear them say they are leaving TV? Leaving Print? Leaving outdoor advertising? Ride a subway or walk around in Manhattan or New York and experience the power of Apple’s “atom” (vs. digital) advertising. For Microsoft to retreat into a digital only strategy is like hoisting a big white flag and saying, “We surrender to Apple on all battlefields that can’t be controlled with an Internet Explorer browser.”

3. If Microsoft announces they will do something by 2010, it will take until 2013 at the earliest.

Technorati Tags: advertising, apple, microsoft

• A New Google? Not Likely | Danny Sullivan in Advertising Age
  There will be alternatives, but, says Sullivan, “Google came along at the precise time when search was a neglected internet-portal feature, something seen as a loss leader rather than a money-making machine.” Hard to replicate, he says.
  (tags: advertising search google danny+sullivan)