OthersOnline – Google For People
I recently received an email from Steinar Skipsnes letting me know about OthersOnline . This is is a new social service that matches people by their similar queries, as well as Web surfing habits and preferred interests. OthersOnline stands out from other social sites with its browser toolbar which enables the user to see who else is reading or interested in the topic or site that he’s currently looking at. For example, every time you search Google, you see the people who relate to those same keywords, plus their Web pages, and you can connect with them. A dropdown menu provides contact to their IM or email details, including a link to their profile. Contacts are split into global and local recommendations, based on the zip code in your profile. Friends can be added to a favorites list for easy contact at any time.
The Company positions itself as “Google for People”. Steinar writes me: “We bring you traffic. You know how businesses buy keywords on Google to promote themselves? Well, that’s what we’re doing for people/bloggers, only it’s free.”
OthersOnline will run contextual ads based on its users Web browsing history, and promises partnering companies a chance to build their brand by retaining contact even when users have clicked away from their site. See for more info.
Marshall Kirkpatrick writes:
“Will this work? I don’t know, but it’s interesting. Will strangers seek each other out based on common surfing habits? Will this turn into just another space for a large number of men to harrass a large number of women and and a small number of women with webcams to go nuts? If multiple people could communicate at the same time like a perma-IRC, if users could see who was on a page in real time or if other community discourse was possible then this might strike me as more likely to take off. But that’s just my take on it personally; there may be a simple beauty with enough safeguards to make this mass market viable.”
I agree with Marshall that it would be really cool if multiple people could communicate at the same time and especially if users could see who was on a page in real-time. However, I do know that OthersOnline is currently working on improving its service. Steinar tells me that they’ve got a couple of large deals lined up which will result in significant keyword-based exposure for their users, and a lot more new users.
I also spoke to Jordan Mitchell from the Company who told me another scoop: Soon OthersOnline will have reports that show you exactly how much exposure you’re getting from them. Think of it as your own personal ad campaign.
Here’s a screenshot of how it will look:
They are also currently working on improving their registration process to make it simpler and more intuitive. The reporting system and new registration process should be up in the next two weeks and they plan to officially launch their service in mid-September.
