crowdsourcing | storytelling | citizenship
People’s Insights: Volume 1, Issue 13
Path
Path Path is a social networking app for mobile devices, downloaded from App Store and Google Play. It is a 'smart journal' on which people share their lives on the go with the 150 people closest to them.
Source: http://path.com , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfQ03VcOfuc
Capturing experiences Path started off as a mere private photo-sharing service, but expanded to include places, thoughts, music, sleep, etc, giving people a place to share their experiences.
Source: http://socialsteak.com/2011/12/17/why-you-should-be-using-path-2-review/ , http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/path/id403639508?mt=8
Limiting friends to 150 The developers felt social networkers crave intimate interactions with small circles; most people stay in touch with only 20 to 30 people at a time. It's akin to a private social network with people who matter.
Source: http://gigaom.com/2012/03/14/path-150-friends/ , http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/technology/15photo.html?_r=1
Connections are mutual Unlike Twitter, where users can follow anybody, Path is more like Facebook, allowing users to share stories with friends. Users can add friends directly from their phone address books.
Source: http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com
Like Instagram & Facebook with fewer friends With Path's initial focus on photo-sharing, it was compared to Instagram and PicPlz. As Path allowed users to share everything, it was compared to Facebook – more so with the latter's shift to Timeline and mobile.
Source: http://www.mamapop.com/ , http://geekgirlmanila.com/
Companion, not rival to social networks Path is positioned as a companion to social networks. Users can post photos and videos to their Facebook walls and add friends from there. Updates can also be shared on Foursquare and Twitter.
Source: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/30/2599934/path-2-0-hands-on-new-ui-sharingoptions-150-friends , http://mashable.com/2011/03/11/path-facebook-sharing/
Anti social-network While social networks constantly push users to expand their circles and go more 'social', Path encourages users to form quality circles to share stuff for a more personal and less 'social' experience.
Source: http://www.postadvertising.com/ , http://www.sfgate.com/
The personal journal Experts said that while Path was like Facebook, its design was more advanced and it afforded more intimacy and privacy. The strategy worked – it was downloaded more than 1.5 million times in a year.
Source: http://techcrunch.com , https://twitter.com/#!/ailon
Rocked by privacy controversy Downloads dropped when a developer from Singapore found that Path was accessing information on users' phones. The CEO's apology reiterated Path's views on privacy. This received a mixed response.
Source: http://mashable.com/2012/02/08/path-dave-morin-apology/ , http://mashable.com/2012/02/08/path-address-book-controversy/
Challenges Critics lashed out at Path's 'short-term thinking'. Some of the challenges cited were saturation of the social space, the trend of sharing more and not less, and being typified as another Facebook with a small user base.
Source: http://techcrunch.com , http://mashable.com/2010/11/15/path-launches/
Revenue stream Creating a scalable revenue stream was a challenge. Path introduced 'Lenses' for 99 cents and partnered with Nike to build Nike+ GPS for revenue. Potentially, the social 'inner circle' could be worth a lot.
Source: http://mashable.com/2011/03/11/path-facebook-sharing/ , http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Mobile: A clear vision for the future Recognising that mobile devices are the future, Path encouraged frictionless sharing via mobile. Facebook did the same with Timeline. All social apps are going mobile, making networking more convenient.
Source: http://www.johnhaydon.com/ , http://memeburn.com/
More People’s Insights Weekly reports Every week, we dive into one topic for discussion on the MSLGROUP Insight’s Network and discuss insights and foresights, in three key areas: crowdsourcing, storytelling and citizenship.
Crowdsourcing
Storytelling:
Citizenship
Mahindra Spark the Rise
@MarsCuriosity
#Kony2012
For more reports, visit: peopleslab.mslgroup.com/peoplesinsights/
Read People’s Lab insights and foresights The People’s Lab team shares the insights and foresights from the MSLGROUP Insights Network on the People’s Insights weekly blog and the People’s Insights Quarterly magazine.
MSLGROUP Insights Network
People’s Insights weekly blog
People’s Insights Quarterly magazine
50+ MSLGROUP planners share and discuss inspiring projects on corporate citizenship, crowdsourcing and storytelling.
We deep dive into conversations around one project -- on the MSLGROUP Insights Network itself but also on the broader social web -- to distill insights and foresights.
Every quarter, we will compile the best insights from the network and the blog in the iPad-friendly magazine, as a showcase of our capabilities.
For more, visit http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com
Coming soon: People’s Insights Annual Report In early January 2013 we will publish the People’s Insights Annual Report, in which we synthesize our insights from throughout 2012 and provide foresights for business leaders and change-makers for 2013.
People’s Lab: Crowdsourcing Insights & Innovation People’s Lab is MSLGROUP’s proprietary crowdsourcing platform and approach that helps organizations tap into people’s insight for innovation, storytelling and change.
For more, visit http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com
For People’s Lab solutions, contact pascal.beucler@mslgroup.com