20m Groupann Azevedotechcrunch: I want to talk about one of the most interesting social networking sites that I have seen in a while. It’s called 20m Groupann Azevedotechcrunch, and it’s a social network that is being built by people who are also using it. As a result, people can use the site and make changes to how it works as they go along. The reason I find it interesting is how much the social network has changed in the past few weeks since I first wrote about it on Sep 29. Let’s start with the things that are consistent. There are 20m of them, and they’re all over the place. In fact, there are so many, that you don’t even see them until you go looking for them. That’s where the heart of this site is. It’s a place to discover stuff that other people have said, and you can add your own comments on to it.
When you first start using the site, you’re presented with a number of different groups that have been created by people using the site, and lately there are plenty of them to choose from. Unlike some of the larger social networks, the number of groups available is not overwhelming, and that’s good because it makes you want to take a closer look at each one in turn. Most people will find at least a few groups that they’ll want to join and add their voice to. The way discussions work is that you read them, then click on the “Post Comment” button at the bottom of the page. Once you do that, you’re presented with a screen where you can type in your comment, and then click “Post Comment” at the bottom of the page. When you do that, it will be added to the discussion thread and become part of the group.
In addition to adding comments, it’s also possible to add items to a group. This is useful for cases where there are pictures or other media that would otherwise be difficult to upload and share with others. Things like videos and images can be added by clicking “Add an Item”. It’s also possible to add files by browsing your computer, which is great for cases where you have brochures or other things that are available in PDF format. When you upload items to the group, there is a small check box that asks if you want to make it public or keep it private. This is great because it gives people a chance to decide for themselves whether or not they’d like their content to be shared with others. All of the content added to groups is public, but if something is marked private, it won’t be listed on the group page. It does appear in the group though, so people can still comment on it if they want to. That’s a nice touch that gives people more control over their content.
What I like about the site is how new features come and go. Sometimes you’ll find something that was recently added, and other times you’ll notice that some things have been removed or changed as well. The variety of things going on also makes it challenging to describe, but that’s part of the fun. Instead of having the same old features, the site feels like a work in progress. Each day, you can come back and see something new that you didn’t notice before. Every time I’ve checked in on the site, there have been a few new groups to look at and read through as well as some new comments and items that were recently added to existing groups.
