Chris Anderson Doesn’t Understand Social Networking

Chris Anderson is a smart guy, but he has clearly been running a big magazine too long to understand the new social realities of media.

In their latest episode of For Immediate Release, Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz spoke about the article “The Micro Threat to Big Social Networks” on the PC Magazine site. In it, Anderson (Wired Magazine editor-in-chief and author of The Long Tail) claims “the problem with the social-networking destinations like Facebook and MySpace is that they’re not about anything—they’re about Facebook and MySpace.”

What a strange statement! I wasn’t aware there was a new rule that popular and successful websites were now required to be “about” something specific. Someone better tell Google…

I guess Mr. Anderson, as the editor of an old media publication (albeit a forward-looking one) hasn’t yet clued into the fact that the world is no longer defined exclusively by a small group of editors-in-chief. Increasing it is defined by our social connections with people and information.

Facebook and MySpace are about their members. Unlike a magazine, where content is the focus, social networks don’t need an editorial point-of-view. People define their experience based on who they connect to and how they use the service.

When I go to the “home page” of Facebook, my experience is different from anyone else’s. My Facebook News Feed presents updates from my friends on the site. Sometimes I see that one of my friends has joined a group that I wish to join. Sometimes I see that they have posted some photos I’d like to see, or have RSVPed to an event I’d like to attend. THAT’S what Facebook and other general social networks are about.

In the PC Magazine article, Anderson goes on to talk about niche social networks, like his own DIY Drones. I think niches are useful and important, but personally I don’t see niche sites replacing general social networks. Niche sites are, well, niche. If you want to create a dinner invitation exclusively for people who are into unmanned aerial vehicles, I guess Anderson’s DIY Drones is the place to go. If you want to create a dinner invitation for a group of friends and family who’s only common trait is their relationship with you, you’re probably still better to set it up in Facebook or MySpace.

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