Following an initial glimpse this summer, new details emerged this week around what some are calling Microsoft’s official social strategy.
Socl -- previously named "Tulalip" -- actually mixes search, discovery, and a social network, The Verge has learned.
“Ignoring for the moment that the interface looks a lot like that other social network, Socl offers a bare bones, three-column layout, with basic navigation in the left rail, a social feed down the middle, and invites and video party options … on the right,” The Verge reports.
This summer, a teaser page appeared at Socl.com revealing Tulalip, along with a promise by Microsoft that the site would serve as a way to "Find what you need and Share what you know."
“From the initial screenshots, it seems that Socl is almost a ripoff of Google+, particularly in terms of its interface style and layout,” The Inquirer writes. “While obviously it will share a lot in common with Google+ and Facebook, it leans far more toward the former than the latter, suggesting that Microsoft believes that Google will be the long-term winner in the battle between those two giants.”
Regarding Socl, TechCrunch writes: “Interestingly, it’s not designed as a ‘full’ social network, and communication between users is not emphasized; instead, collaborative consumption is the focus.”
Likewise, “what stands out for me on reading The Verge’s writeup is how Microsoft appears to be staying true to the idea of melding search and social,” writes Search Engine Land’s Matt McGee. “The status update bar at the top actually doubles as a search box (or maybe it’s the other way around), and if you use it to conduct a search, Bing search results appear to get posted as content that friends and contacts can comment on.”
“The site relies heavily on tagging, allowing users to identify topics they are interested in and receive social updates on those interests,” notes CNet. “However, The Verve contends that Socl's approach isn't much of an improvement over Google's saved searches function.”