Yahoo Combines Blogging With Community Services

Posted on March 25, 2005

Yahoo has announced Yahoo! 360, a new service that combines several Yahoo community and networking tools. Yahoo! 360 combines Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Photos, Yahoo! Local, Launchcast Music and Yahoo! Groups with new services like weblogs (blogs), mobile blogging (moblogging) and other community sharing tools from Yahoo. The company plans to add additional features and functionality throughout the beta period. The service is currently running in invitation-only mode.

Yahoo's service follows MSN's recent launch of its blogging and social networking service called MSN Spaces. Google has yet to combine its Blogger.com blogging service with any social networking services. However, Google does own Orkut, a social networking service currently running as invitation-only.

"Consumers are looking for a new type of service that takes the best of first generation social networking services and successfully integrates it with communications, self-publishing and community tools," said Dan Rosensweig, chief operating officer of Yahoo!. "Yahoo! 360 will offer consumers an innovative and engaging way for people to share their lives, leverage their community and get the most out of their online experience."

The initial features in the beta of Yahoo! 360 include blogs, photo sharing, instant messages, contact management, search tools, content sharing, recommendations and a "My Friends" page. Yahoo! 360 says the "My Friends" page gives consumers a full perspective on the latest postings and new content from the people they know. Consumers will also be able to view their friends' blogs on My Yahoo!, with Yahoo!'s Mobile Internet service or through any RSS reader. Consumers will also be able to see all their contacts from Yahoo! Messenger, Address Book and Groups in one place.