On the heels of the recent Google+ launch, Microsoft “accidentally” published a splash page for what looks like a social application called “Tulalip” on Socl.com, reports Fusible.
Since the page was spotted on Thursday, it has since been taken down and replaced with a message from Microsoft. The message jokes, “Thanks for stopping by. Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn’t mean to, honest.”
Internal design project?! Mistakenly published?! We think not!
The Tulalip splash page originally read, “With Tulalip you can find what you need and share what you know easier than ever.” The page showed Windows Phone-style tiles with “friends” faces as well as a login with Facebook and Twitter buttons.
If social features and the URL Socl.com don’t indicate some kind of social networking project, then I don’t know what does.
Upon testing the Twitter authorization screen for Tulalip, Search Engine Land’s Matt McGee said users of the app will able to “read Tweets from your timeline” and “see who you follow, and follow new people” from within the app.
With both a Facebook and Twitter integration, perhapsTulalip will be a service designed to monitor multiple social networks from within a application, much like a Digbsy, an all-in-one social networking app.
Microsoft has already built an extensive social networking platform for Windows Phones that integrates Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps Tulalip will take that one step farther with a Google+ integration, although there is no mention of Google+ on the now defunct splash screen.
But could Microsoft launch its own social network and succeed? With such intense competition between Facebook and Google+, Microsoft would have to offer a social network different enough from competitors while answering the problems people have with Google+ and Facebook.
For example, it would need to address concerns of personal security and the ability to social network between multiple social platforms like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. If Microsoft can offer a social network that solves some of these problems, it will certainly have a shot at social network stardom.
Currently, it doesn’t seem like Microsoft will be launching its own social networking service (any time soon) but rather, a social networking platform that allows users to monitor social activity from one application. Perhaps we’ll learn more next time Microsoft “accidently” publishes more information.
(Via Digital Trends)
