Web 2.0: Yahoo's Kickstart
Social networking websites are key players in the Web 2.0 revolution. For those who aren’t familiar with the idea of social networking sites, they allow users to create a profile for themselves, usually users add a picture and list whatever information they feel comfortable sharing with others (age, interests, career info). Once a user creates a profile, he or she can access other user’s profiles, create a list of contacts, and communicate with those contacts. The two most famous examples of social networking websites are Facebook and MySpace, although there are many different sites attempting to differentiate themselves in order to attract users. One example that I learned about via Ars Technica is Yahoo’s Kickstart, which is aimed at connecting University students with alumni.
Yahoo’s Kickstart allows students to create a profile and connect with other students and alumni from their university. This could be very useful for students looking for a job, or other connections relating to their career. It also provides a degree of separation from their personal and professional lives. Students wouldn’t have to worry about adding a business contact to their Facebook or MySpace profile, which may contain unflattering and unprofessional comments or photos posted by their other Facebook/MySpace contacts.
However, Kickstart faces some challenges. Like any social networking website, it’s usefulness to users is directly proportional to the amount of people actually using the service. Because Kickstart is a new website, it does not have the amount of users that Facebook has, so the chances of finding useful contacts is slim. If Yahoo can be successful in attracting students and alumni, Kickstart can be a great service for students wishing to network with alumni.