Microsoft gives "societal networking" a try with Vine

Microsoft is road-testing Vine, a new type of social networking tool. It's designed for friends and family to keep in touch during times of crisis with the goal of helping people communicate in the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes, or pandemics. Oh, and if you want to use it for less gloomy reasons too -- messaging your entire softball team, for instance -- that's okay too.

Vine makes its debut this week as a Windows-only desktop client that allows registered members to send messages to other users via email and SMS, or post alerts and reports on each other's personal "dashboards." Your dashboard displays maps, news, and public safety reports from locations you choose, and track Vine members specific to those areas. Members can also send messages via mobile phone in the event of widespread Internet or power outages.

There are two practical implementations for a service like Vine -- to connect with other people after emergencies, and to keep in touch with various small groups you're a part of, like sports teams and volunteer organizations. One day you may use Vine to watch a potential pandemic (or not) march across your state, and the next day use it to announce a draft pick in your fantasy football league.

I imagine Microsoft's PR department will have a field day trying to figure out how to market Vine. Will they position it as an important public safety tool or a way to plan your next block party? No matter which path they choose, selling users on Vine won't be a simple affair. Indeed, it's already showing signs of a split personality.

The only way to succeed in the overcrowded social networking arena is to be very clear you're providing something new and different, but Vine doesn't seem to know what it wants to be yet when it grows up. Failing that, it's possible to try rebranding the concept as something else -- Microsoft calls Vine a "societal networking" tool -- but that's reaching.

The company's efforts may be further hampered by the fact that Vine relies on getting people to sign up for yet another service in order to interact with one another. People are already suffering from social media overload and may not be inclined to add yet another site to their list. As for trying to connect small groups and communities, Microsoft is late to that party. While some adventurous groups at the consumer level use wikis or Web-based private message forums, most still rely on good, old-fashioned email.

I commend Microsoft for trying to bring the best elements of social media together to provide practical benefits to the public. Microblogging's impact during times of crisis has been well-established; Facebook makes it easy to locate and connect with people and Twitter makes it dead-simple to communicate with them (no registration required). Neither is particularly conducive, however, to contacting specific people following an emergency.

I'll be interested to see how Vine evolves as Microsoft works out the kinks. I live in hurricane country and much of my family is in tornado alley. Cell phones and the Internet have failed us before so if Microsoft gets Vine off the ground, I'll be among the first to sign up.