Automattic has launched BuddyPress 1.0 and it is officially available to the public. What is that mean? Yes, go get your own social network.

BuddyPress used to be a developer of widgets for WordPress themes when Automattic, creator of the blogging platform, acquired it about a year ago. Today, the company is adding yet another variation to this whole social thing. Now you can have your own private social network.

BuddyPress can be downloaded for free and installed within the WordPress MU admin area. WordPress MU (Multi-User) is the platform that allows you to host several blogs.

Is this mean that everybody and their grandmas will start a private social site and quit Facebook? And we’ll have 10 million networks? Of course not, and according to Matt Wullenweg, creator of WordPress, this is a solution for people looking to gain more control over the site or customize it, but it doesn’t mean people will stop using the popular networks.

Some of the main features the platform offers today are profiles, private messaging, groups, blog tracking and activity streams, but it has been already announced to include status updates and photo albums later in the year.

Of course there have been other options out there such as Elgg or Ning, but what I like about WordPress is the simplicity and how easy it is to manipulate for the non-technical user. After all, not everybody is a programmer. Automattic has created a great formula that allowed it to dominate the blogsphere and now they intend to the same with BuddyPress.

This is a great tool for businesses to keep fighting to engage customers and have them come back for more, especially for companies that have already developed a significant number of followers. On the other hand, if you or company is still young in this process, I recommend building your fan base to a decent number first. Nobody wants to sign up on a network with 3 users…

What’s next? This is the tip of the iceberg and now themes, widgets and plugins are going to start coming from developers all over the planet to take this baby to the next step.

For now you can download the demo provided at BuddyPress, install it on your WordPress MU and start playing with it.

You can also follow the latest events @ http://twitter.com/buddypressdev

Vine, the latest social networking site has begun its beta testing in Seattle, WA. Vine is the new attempt Microsoft launches to fight Facebook and Twitter for a piece of the social pie and try to generate revenues out of status updates.

Anything new? You bet. Vine will focus on becoming the main communication channel for emergencies, mixing the so popular Status Updates with local news and message alerts. It also integrates a map on a desktop app where you can see other users.
Sounds exciting, but in my opinion it will not fulfill the giant’s expectations and here are my 5 reason why:

1.    Too Late – Microsoft seems to always be late in the game. It will always be behind Google and Yahoo! on search and it will always be behind Sony’s Playstation on gaming. They’re doing it again, with the momentum Facebook and Twitter are already enjoying, the piece of the pie will never be enough.

2.    Wrong Image – I personally thing Microsoft should try to get away from that Vista look they try to apply to everything they do. Vista was not the happiest experience for many of their users.

3.    The Bush Syndrome – Microsoft suffers from a very low level of popularity, and I’m not talking about Mac users that couldn’t care less about it. Everybody loves the underdog story, and in this case, anybody that goes against the giant automatically gets the market’s approval. If you don’t believe me, ask Firefox (I love it…).

4.    It’s a Poser – It’s like the guys that dresses like a skater, talks like a skater and even owns the most expensive board in the store, but doesn’t skate. I think that when the public knows you are in it just for the money, they won’t give you their loyalty. You just can’t fake it.

5.    Inconvenience – If there is an emergency and I only have my computer or my mobile phone at hand, I will probably tweet it, besides, if we have to wait until it reaches 50 million users… or nobody will know there is an emergency.

To me Microsoft is a rich kid that wants to have all the toys. If I was Microsoft I would be looking into 2 options, either pull out my wallet and offer a sick amount of money to purchase Twitter or take care of my cheese, which is Office, before it’s gone too…

We’ll wait for Vine to come out officially and hear what the 10,000 Seattle beta testers have to say about it. In the meantime we’ll get our news on real-time via Twitter…