AT&T has launched an application called "My Communities" that allow users to create and manage multiple social networking accounts through a single dashboard view on their mobile phone.
My Communities is developed by Intercasting Corporation, a mobile social networking company.
The new application let users create a roster of social networks (including MySpace), blogging sites (including LiveJournal and Xanga) and the photo-sharing site Photobucket. It also supports sites having members with common characteristics such as ethnicity (AsianAve, BlackPlanet, MiGente) or faith (FaithBase).
Unlike other social networking applications, My Communities allows subscribers to register for social sites directly from their phone without logging onto the Web.
Subscribers also get instant access to additional sites as soon as they are added to My Communities and will be alerted to updates when they launch the application without needing any upgrade.
From an easy-to-use dashboard view, My Communities users can upload photos from their phone, view and respond to new messages, approve and deny friend requests and view and post new comments across multiple sites. Users can alternatively click to enter a specific site for a more customized experience. Updates are synched across mobile and online channels in real time.
Subscribers can also access their phone, camera, media gallery and address book while My Communities is running, which enables them, for example, to upload photos to use on one or more social networks and send site content to phone contacts without closing the application.
"Our social networking applications are among our highest-performing category, and we anticipate sustained interest from consumers as social networks continue to explode in popularity and diversify in purpose," said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Products for AT&T's wireless unit. "The My Communities application brings unmatched simplicity, increased functionality and deeper integration to this space, a combination we believe will win over active users and newcomers alike."
"MySpace is dedicated to giving all users access to our global community and creating a deeply engaging mobile experience on AT&T. AT&T's My Communities application from Intercasting provides a new channel for our users to connect with each other in ways that fit their on-the-go lifestyle," said John Faith, general manager and vice president of MySpace Mobile.
"Mobile social networking involves more than just shrink-wrapping social networking sites for the mobile device," says John du Pre Gauntt, senior mobile analyst for eMarketer. "It is one of the best opportunities for the mobile ecosystem to drive mobile Internet use to levels comparable to online Internet use."
This new AT&T application builds on Intercasting's robust ANTHEM platform, which enables wireless carriers to provide Web-based community and social networking sites to subscribers. ANTHEM also enables social networking site providers, major brands and entertainment properties to create social networking initiatives for the mobile platform.
"Social networking continues to grow exponentially on the Web, and with so many mobile subscribers, it is clear that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg in mobile social networking," said Shawn Conahan, founder and chief executive of Intercasting. "We are excited to be serving AT&T, MySpace and so many other popular social networking partners to bring a mobile-centric representation of these addictive, popular communities to consumers."
Mark your calendars for INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO — the biggest and most comprehensive IP communications event of the year. ITEXPO will take place in Los Angeles, California, September 16-18, 2008, featuring three valuable days of exhibits, conferences, and networking opportunities you can’t afford to miss. Register now!
Arun Satapathy is a contributing editor for IoTevolutionworld. To read more of Arun's articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Mae Kowalke
