Ping: Apple’s Social Music Network
Apple has finally gotten in the business of social networking. It has invested a lot in its music business in the past few years. It is no wonder Apple’s social network revolves around music. Ping gives artists a whole new way to keep in touch with their fans and promote their work. Music fans can follow their favorite artists and can find out what their friends are into. So it’s essentially Facebook meets Twitter meets iTunes.
Apple’s Ping may not be as formal as LinkedIn or even Twitter, but it is based on a powerful concept. It is very easy to connect with other people who support the same artists and love the same kind of music.
CNET’s Chris Matyszczyk hits it right on the head:
Where Facebook and Twitter exist to be everything to everyone, in the hope that everyone finds the right someone to follow, to befriend or to ignore, Ping focuses on a conversation we have all had: at a bar, at a concert, even at a wake.
At this point, it is too early to say how Ping is going to be helpful to businesses and those interested in using social networks for more than just pleasure. Make no mistake about it. Ping is a very niche social network of real people with real interests. The concept behind the network is a tad bit different from Twitter and Facebook and allows for more “real” relationships. Whether that leads to success for Apple remains to be seen.
