Social Networking in a Box

Six Apart has just revealed a solution to implement a social network for any company that is looking for a way to jump on the social networking bandwagon. Movable Type Community Solution (MTCS) is a standardized networking site for individual companies that are looking for a quick way to set up a social networking site for employees as well as customers.

Six Apart, also the creator of Movable Type and Typepad, says that MTCS is “a complete, out-of-the-box social media solution that enables the quick and easy deployment of online communities.” Though it is not free, I’m sure commercial users will be more than willing to pay the price if it means they can finally participate in the social networking craze.

There have been previous attempts at selling a pre-packaged social network, including Ning, a program that allows you to build a custom social network by first picking from a selection of pre-built pages.


The development of MTCS is a good way for companies to install simple, community applications to encourage relationship building and feedback. However, the idea that one size fits all is questionable. Most social networkers choose the sites that they belong to based on a few unique attributes. Maybe one member really likes the game applications, while another user likes the ebay-like feature. There are things about each social network that make it original, and therefore ensue the feeling of uniqueness and exclusiveness in its members. With a solution like MTCS, users probably won’t receive anything special in the network. They will only receive standard options and applications.

This post is in response to the article found at http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/11/six-apart-revea.html