New map of the social world is here.

One of my favorite descriptions of the “social” web (a.k.a. web 2.0) has been the cartoon map created by XKCD in 2007. It has graced many a presentation on the subject. It gives a nice perspective of how big this social thingy actually is. Well, now we have an update from XKCD. It demonstrates something we have all felt, but now can see – how fickle this social thingy can be. Where is MySpace? What is Farmville? And what is the real future of spoken language? There is also another new revision by the marketing firm Flowtown. In this slightly more scientific-looking version, they include some interesting points. Does Habbo really have 178m members? Is Google poised to play a much larger role in social networking? How far can iPhone aps go and will anyone catch up before iPhone hits Verizon? Are AIM, Windows Live and AOL ready for the history books? Will Facebook be the next MySpace? In all this craziness and change, one thing is certain – evolution. Fortunes are made and lost in a few years (see MySpace). It shows that a savvy brand can not simply plant a flag and settle. A brand that invested heavily three years ago in MySpace, two years ago in Facebook and a year ago in Twitter, probably needs to figure out what Farmville, Habbo and Lockerz are this year. And next year? The lesson here is that social marketing is not an easy set and go. It needs regular attention to stay up with the consumers who are fickle in choosing their gathering places and methods (think iPhone and Skpe). Relevant brands will pay attention and reap the benefits of ongoing attention. By the way, Habbo is “a place where people come to relax, hang out and make new friends in a safe, non-threatening environment” (a.k.a. a social networking site for teenagers); Lockerz is “an invitation–only website created to connect members through commerce, content and social networking” (a.k.a. brand-friendly social network for teenagers); and Farmville is “a place where you can farm with your friends” (a.k.a. Facebook game) Who knew I wanted to virtually farm with my friends?