A Dec. 29 Business article incorrectly said that a service called Mixd is available as a download. The service, which works on any cellphone with text-messaging capabilities, does not require users to download anything.
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Friends at Hand And In Your Face
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Dodgeball, for example, has a locator function that allows users to text-message their locations to the network, which in turn alerts their nearby friends. But that function can create a security risk, which is why some companies -- such as AirG Wireless -- have omitted it.
For someone like Melissa Maldonado, 23, who has never used MySpace or Friendster to talk to or make friends online, the lack of a locator function hasn't made AirG a lesser service.
"A lot of my friends are there," said Maldonado, a florist who occasionally recognizes customers based on their AirG profiles. It's how she stays in touch with her brother and several cousins, who are also members. She even learned about a Ciara concert in her hometown of Allentown, Pa., through her network of AirG friends.
In many ways, social networking is all about the personal profile. But because some members often reveal their lifestyles in those profiles, AirG didn't want to leave them vulnerable to stalking or gay-bashing, said Frederick Ghahramani, co-founder of Vancouver, B.C.-based AirG.
For people like Neil Schroeder, the broader issue of being able to control his accessibility is still important. While the District resident uses MySpace on his Cingular phone to post where he is, he doesn't necessarily want his phone to communicate that on his behalf. "If people don't know where I am, it's because I don't want them to know."
Companies are studying such social issues intently as they figure out what works best.
Yahoo, for example, has been researching early feedback from its trial of a service called Mixd, launched on five college campuses last month. Mixd, a free downloadable service, allows users to set up groups of friends who can share text messages, pictures and videos with one another -- like sending a mass e-mail. Eventually, it may add location services to the mix as well.
"The social behavior mirrors real life," said Michael Quoc, senior product manager of Mixd. Users sometimes freeze people out of their Mixd clique, for example, or invite them in and establish a separate group that doesn't include them. Some groups are extremely chatty, prompting some members to put the conversation on mute, meaning the messages get sent to a Web inbox instead. "Etiquette becomes very important because the device is always with you. It can be very intrusive."
