Microsoft Research is looking at how to leverage blogs, RSS feeds, Wikis and other social-networking tools. [Technology News from eWEEK and Ziff Davis]
…Wallop doesn’t seem to fit into any one existing software category. While part of the application is a blogging tool, it also includes other “social networking” software.” It builds off of several existing Microsoft Research prototypes, including Sapphire, technology for simplifying and unifying data storage/retrieval; Stacks, technology for organizing photos; Personal Map, technology for organizing contacts; and MS Connect and Point-to-Point, which show connections between people (via Active Directory), as well as between individuals and groups.
All of these projects look at how to make use of metadata and organize information around clusters, Cheng says. “We’ve also been influenced by the Longhorn team’s thinking around how programming databases influences end-user experiences,” she says.
Looks interesting. I wonder if this will be real (not private beta) before Longhorn eventually arrives.