First Impression: So.cl by Microsoft

My request for so.cl was accepted by Microsoft and I got an early access to so.cl.  First impression – it’s the Metro version of Facebook + Twitter!

Just when you accept the terms and conditions of so.cl, you are redirected to a page that (I think) scans through your friends/interests and suggests you people/friends who are already on so.cl.  So for those who are new to this platform, like me, can straight away follow some trends and people.

Once you start following people (or you choose to skip it), you see a page with lot of options.  On the left is your menu where you can view your Feed, Posts, Profile and Video Parties going on.  Well if you are new to Video Parties, you can search for them (by friends, popularity) or can start your own video party for free!  And remember – neither Facebook, nor Twitter really have any feature that matches this flavor of party in close vicinity.

Like Facebook / Twitter, you can post to your feed, host private conversations to one or a group of friends (on so.cl),  or view feeds of those whom you are following.

With all social networks that we have used till now, search is restricted to content within the network.  But So.cl search is powered by Bing.  You can easily search on Bing and post a search result as a post.  Tagging earlier meant tagging your friends on a picture, but tagging in So.cl just doesn’t end at tagging your friend, but it also includes tagging information.  I am sure this information can be used in producing search results and improving relevance in Bing.  If I had to compare this to an existing search enhancement technique, Google+ would be the best match.

So.cl isn’t just another social networking site, it is also a content aggregator.  You can add your interests on so.cl and the site will bring you content from the Internet and your friend circle – filtered under a tab.  It’s now easy to remain abreast with recent developments.  I tried experimenting with my interest ‘.NET 4.5’ and here’s result-

It is quick, it is more personal, and it is different!  Whether it will change the way social networking works or not, only time shall decide; but, it surely will add to the competition of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other content aggregator websites.

If by the time you are reading this article you do not have invitation to join So.cl or are not already on So.cl,

please feel free to drop a comment on this post with your email address and I will send you an invite.

Happy So.clizing!