In this post we are going to analyze other similar websites and applications that we can find related to the kind of social network we aim to develop.
We will discuss its main features in order to get a general view of the current state of art, know what has been done, what these applications do, and how they relate to our project.
Being one of the biggest social networks [1] , Facebook has all the features this kind of application should include.
Users can check the last updates of the other users through a responsive and interactive timeline, being able to add comments and share their feelings, videos, articles or any other kind of information.
In order to be included on the contacts network of a user, a “Friend request” must be accepted. The search engine eases the process of making new friends, suggesting new contacts based on the current ones of the user. The site allows to access and navigate across the pictures collection of the users, structured by subfolders. Facebook also stores personal information about the users, used for online advertising purposes (one of its biggest revenue sources).
The use of this third party information led to the introduction of a credit rating service run by Facebook in which users are given a score in order to determine whether they are a trust worthy option when giving financial credits.
In February of 2016, Facebook announced they would stop this project and service due to regulatory and consumer concerns [2]. They also stated that they would put restrictions to the amount of information third parties would be able to get from their databases.
This aspect will be taken into account in our project, and will be more explained in following posts, such as Mining financial and social scores from social network data.
Link: https://facebook.com/
MySpace
MySpace used to be the most important social network before the appearance of the new generation SNS such as Facebook. While Facebook was created to be a private social network for friends and family [3], MySpace followed the approach of being a public portal for people where you can share your tastes, recommendations, and other information you want to share, available for everyone.
MySpace allows user to customize the interface more deeply, changing the colour background, the page layout, or adding plug-ins such as music players.
Right now, after being bought by several parties, MySpace is a portal were people can publicly share their favorite music Playlists, portfolio and personal connections.
It has an attractive interface and includes features to browse to music and videos online from the website, as well as the last news about celebrities.
Link: https://myspace.com/
Sesame Credit
Sesame Credit is the financial wing of Alibaba, the biggest online shopping platform of China.
According to an article by BBC [4], the idea is that by 2020, the use of this platform will be compulsory for all Chinese citizens. This way the Government will have a database with information about their financial statements and other personal data such as the kind of contacts they have, their ideology or the activities they do.
Right now, Sesame Credit is used by Chinese citizens as a platform to obtain a credit score that will be used by banks and other financial entities in order to determine whether a person is suitable and trustworthy for a loan. To calculate this score, aspects such as the time to return previous loans back, general financial condition, number of friends who use the application and their consume are taken into account. Users are encouraged to compare their scores, introducing a gamification component to make it more appealing.
The site offers different ways of visualization that allow users understand in which aspects they are stronger and which ones need to be improved.
Britizen is based on the idea that comes with Sesame Credit, taking it to another level, exaggerating this social score and control component, where the application of Government values on the user’s daily lives is translated into higher scores, benefits and rewards.
If you are interesed on Sesame Credit or Credit Scores and want to know more about it, again, refer to the post Mining financial and social scores from social network data.
Link: https://www.xin.xin/#/home
Social Credit System
This is the proposed initiative by the Chinese Government to create a citizen reputation system [5]. Making use of personal, social and financial data, each user will be given a score representing how good citizen he is, focusing on four areas: administrative affairs, commercial activities, social behavior and judicial system.
This system is not finished yet, but it is closely related to Sesame Credit and its credit score system.
Quizzle
Similar to Sesame Credit but with a different approach, this application allows users to obtain a credit score and report. This score can be applied in different perspectives such as Payment History, Age and Type of Credit, % of Credit Limit Used, Total Balances/Debt, Recent Credit Behavior or Available Credit.
This application is justified as experts recommend to check the credit report and score before refinancing a house or buying a new one. The app, available for mobile platforms, includes features to estimate home-value and obtain personalized mortgage recommendations.
Using this app, it is possible to obtain a general view of the current financial state and stablish and manage payment plans easily.
Link: https://www.quizzle.com/
References
- Lifewire. 2017. The Top 25 Social Networking Sites People Are Using. Available at: https://www.lifewire.com/top-social-networking-sites-people-are-using-3486554. [Accessed 11 April 2017].
- Zennon Kapron. 2016. Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zennonkapron/2016/03/17/measuring-credit-how-baidu-alibaba-and-tencent-may-succeed-where-facebook-failed/. [Accessed 11 April 2017].
- Reference. 2017. What is the difference between MySpace and Facebook? | Reference.com. Available at: https://www.reference.com/technology/difference-between-myspace-facebook-d53c1627002a5496. [Accessed 11 April 2017].
- BBC. 2017. China ‘social credit’: Beijing sets up huge system – BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34592186. [Accessed 11 April 2017].
- Wikipedia. 2017. Social Credit System – Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit_System. [Accessed 11 April 2017].