Mozilla To Build Social Networking Into Firefox: Bad News For Flock
Mozilla has released details on The Coop, a new product that will incorporate social networking features directly into the Firefox browser. This is not good news for the privately-backed social browser Flock …
Context & Ripple Effects
Flock had been positioned as an alternative browser in 2005, including an early look at Flock's browser approach, while Firefox was gaining or holding share in early 2007 depending on the measurement source. Mozilla's plan puts social features inside the browser already used by that expanding audience.
The Coop therefore matters less as a standalone social-networking experiment than as Mozilla moving into the feature territory that distinguished Flock.
First-order effects
- Flock loses exclusivity around a social-browser proposition as Firefox users can access Mozilla's planned social features without adopting a separate browser.
- Mozilla broadens Firefox's product scope beyond browsing, making social connections a feature of its core browser rather than a separate destination.
Second-order effects
- Flock is pressed to differentiate on execution or features beyond social-network integration, rather than on the category alone.
- Other browser projects built around a single Web 2.0-style layer face a clearer risk that the underlying browser platform will incorporate that layer.
Third-order effects
- If major browsers continue absorbing popular web services, specialized browsers will be pushed toward narrower differentiators or dependence on platform roadmaps.
- The browser becomes a more contested interface for online identity and social activity, concentrating feature-setting power with the vendors that control the base browser.
The trend: Browser makers are turning the browser from a neutral web viewer into a platform that embeds social-service features directly in the user experience.