Instant Social Networking with Hakia
Internet search has not changed very much since it became an integral part of the Web experience. The process is very simple and basically arises from a need to find something, whatever that something is - a business, a phone number, a friend, etc.
But the second generation of the Web, what has been dubbed Web-2.0, has ushered in a new way of looking for things and people. An exciting part of that involves social networks, made popular by the likes of Myspace and YouTube. But participating in the the social networking scene means exchanging your personal info with the social network provider.
So searching the Web and participating in a social network are essentially two separate, and not exactly private, activities. But that is changing with services from companies like Hakia. Hakia is just like Google. In fact, the Hakia interface looks just like Google’s, and you search with Hakia just like you would with Google or any other search engine. Once you search results have been displayed, Hakia gives you the option to socialize or interact with others who have used the same search query.
That option is provided by the Meet Others who asked the same query link/image to the right of the search bar, and the link is also available just below the search box prior to typing in a query. It is instant social networking, and anonymous by default. You can post a message (which may include photos, video, and hotlinks) in a new room, or respond to a message in an existing room, with the option to remain anonymous or be contactable via anonymous email or IM.
I tried Hakia by searching for Linux, and then using the instant social networking feature. The existing rooms included messages from Linux geeks looking for jobs, to companies looking for geeks with Linux experience, and all I had to do to interact with this bunch was confirm my email - no registration required.
Hakia claims to have “no interest in who you are and where you live”, and further claim that “Neither our technology nor our business model relies on this information. Thus, hakia is not engaged in any practice that may compromise your privacy. “ Privacy advocates will find that very comforting.
Hakia instant social networking is not about to replace social networks like MySpace, Youtube, or even Meebo (they offer more and a somewhat different experience), but it does throw in one more option into the social networking mix. Hakia is worth watching, and they also have a few more interesting projects brewing in their lab.
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2 Responses to “Instant Social Networking with Hakia”
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Interesting that they empasize their users privacy. Wish I could say the same for Yahoo, MS, and Google. I wonder how they will fare in China.
I surely will use their service.
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