Web Applications

Network World's Web Applications Newsletter, 11/07/07

Social networking integration

By Mark Gibbs

If you’re interested in the world of social networking then you’ll find the Flock browser particularly interesting.

Flock has taken the framework of the Mozilla Firefox browser and provided integration with a number of social networking Web services including Flickr, Del.icio.us, Technorati, Photobucket, RSS feeds, and a number of blogging services.

What Flock adds to this mix is the ability to move data between Web applications – essentially acting as a microformat bridge of sorts.

Flock provides a custom homepage called "My World" that tracks when new photos and videos are posted by people you’re tracking, and when the feeds you’re watching are updated. Bookmarks are saved locally as well as on del.icio.us, and tagged. Beyond that Flock looks much like its parent, Firefox, with some user interface additions in the main window layout.

Flock includes a built-in full-text search feature that includes cached data; Flickr and Photobucket integration; an integrated photo uploader; Technorati tagging; and a “Media Mini Bar” that lets you search for and view multimedia content.

Flock also includes blog posting tools. Unfortunately, although I have read of other people being able to post to Drupal via Flock, I must be using the wrong juju as I couldn’t get the service to work even though Flock seemed to think that it could see and understand Network World’s Drupal interface.

So is Flock really a serious social networking integrator? Sure. In many ways Flock bridges the gaps between the various services, but that said, it does so in a rather geeky way – the sort of integration only a true bithead could love because it fundamentally isn’t easy – you have to not only know what you want to do to, do but you have to understand the arcana of what you’re doing.

That said, Flock is a big step forward. Flock could well become the browser of choice as social networking services mature and start to make a coherent universe that averagely computer knowledgeable users can navigate without breaking a sweat.

Flock is definitely worth checking out.

Editor's note: Starting the week of Nov. 12, you will notice a number of enhancements to Network World newsletters that will provide you with more resources and more news links relevant to the newsletter's subject. Beginning 'Monday, Nov. 12, the Web Applications Newsletter, written by Mark Gibbs, will be merged with the Network Applications News Alert and will be named the Web Applications Alert. You'll get Mark's Web apps pick of the day, which you will be able to read in full at NetworkWorld.com, plus links to the day's network applications news and other relevant resources. This Alert will be mailed on Mondays and Wednesdays. We hope you will enjoy the enhancements and we thank you for reading Network World newsletters.

Mark Gibbs is a consultant, author, journalist, and columnist and now blogger: Check out Gibbsblog.

Gibbs not only pens (well, keyboards) this newsletter he also writes the weekly Backspin and Gearhead columns in Network World. We’ll spare you the rest of the bio but if you want to know more, go here

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