Less Greenopolis, more cycling team
TechCrunch reports that garbage and recycling company Waste Management has launched a social network called Greenopolis that encourages users to “Learn. Act. Reward. Together.™” It’s a full-on social network with user profiles, friends lists, blogging and media, forums, etc. It’s also an example of a company hopping on the social networking bandwagon a bit too eagerly, even if a $20 billion dollar company like Waste Management can afford to throw some promotional weight behind Greenopolis.
Still, the site is unlikely to have nearly the impact of the (Lil) Green Patch Facebook application. As a user, all you need to do is add the application, plant something in your friends’ patches, and get back to doing whatever else you do on Facebook. There’s no new profile to create, new blog to write, new media to upload, new forums to use, etc. With 5.5 million profiles and over 615,261 daily users, the (Lil) Green Patch reaches a lot more people than it looks like Greenopolis ever will.
For whatever reason, green social networking hasn’t taken off, at least not in proportion to the size of the population that cares about environmental issues. The sites are out there but they haven’t really gained traction with users. Maybe the problem is that we’re already doing as much social networking as we can handle in a 24 hour day, so a niche social network is a tough sell to new users unless there’s already a thriving community in place. Like Dogster.
In any case, brands - whether green or not - are probably better off taking a cue from (Lil) Green Patch and tapping into existing social networks rather than starting their own. If Waste Management had done that, maybe they’d have more money for their U-23 cycling team.
KSpence
June 18th, 2008 at 7:30 amAs someone who uses Facebook religiously, I can honestly say that the (lil) green patch application on Facebook is nowhere near as cool as Greenopolis. It is a stupid little thing that people put in their profile so people can send them “eco-friendly” things. Similar to poking, while fun, it is extremely pointless and offers no educational value whatsoever. The facebook application is geared to those who are lazy and do not want to put a lot of time and effort into being green. Greenopolis however, is for people who are interested in being green, sharing their ideas, and learning from others.
That is what a social networking site is all about, getting people together with a common goal so they can communicate and learn from one another. It is not an application that can be used as a way to procrastinate and waste time on the web.
admin http://
June 18th, 2008 at 8:35 amTo be fair, (Lil) Green Patch does have sponsors who donate money to reforestation projects when people use the application. But you’re right that it doesn’t offer a way to exchange ideas like a full social networking site.
Then again, the green social networks that already exist haven’t caught on. In order to have a productive discussion, you need to have people to do the discussing, so maybe a more robust, less gimmicky Facebook application that fosters real discussion about environmental issues would be more successful than an entirely new site like Greenopolis.
By the way, it clearly is possible to use a social networking site as a way to procrastinate and waste time - I know plenty of people who do it.
Anyways, I appreciate your taking the time to comment. Thanks!
Alex Thorne
June 18th, 2008 at 8:51 amWhat most people don’t understand about the Facebook applications is the complete and utter disregard for privacy.
I can’t come up with a single good reason why a Facebook application needs access to my personal information, and yet, you have to agree to let applications have access to your profile in order to run, even if it’s not needed.
I’m not trying to bash Facebook - I use it every day. What I’m trying to say is that Facebook has a cool little gimmick in the form of these applications, which in no way compares to what a full-fledged social networking site can offer. Does Greenopolis offer more than just run-of-the-mill features? I can’t really say - I’m not all that familiar with it. It’ll be cool to see what they do with the site though to make them stand out from everyone else.
Joseph Laur http://www.godsdog.net
June 19th, 2008 at 10:37 amGreenopolis.com is so much more than a simple social network- it’s an online educational forum, a marketplace, a media center, a rewards program for doing the things you want to do anyway- like reducing carbon, energy use, waste and so forth. Greenopolis is working with many corporate, non profit, and academic partners to build a green economy offline as well as online. Greenopolis is an entire destination- a green city devoted to learning, taking action, gaining rewards, and doing it in community with others. There is nothing really like it out there if you look deeply.