With the introduction of Branch, I'm wondering how social networks will continue stay stay relevant (Facebook, while not my favorite, has managed to develop a niche demographic in an older crowd it seems...) while also innovating new ways in which we can interact and consume media. Thoughts appreciated!

Mandy, I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. I enjoy this Branch platform and hope it sticks around. Anything is better than Facebook, Disqus, Commenting in general, GetGlue, Foursquare, UnTappd, Stamp, and select others. Am I right?

Matt, I've heard Path is fun. Maybe you should check it out.

Social engagement with friends and family is what I'm all about, Mandy. I'll be sure to let you know how my trials and tribulations with Path go. :-)

On a more serious note, the most current trend seems to be niche-based social "deal/flash sale" sites like grubwithus.com where you can create interest groups, pay a nominal fee for a meal, and socialize with likeminded individuals from the internet. It's combining the flash mob zeitgeist with the popularity of a groupon/living social aspect.

I'm thinking if they truly find a way to make people engage in a shared-interests discussion rather than having it revolve around just a bunch of ego posting it can go somewhere. Otherwise... Hey, how's Google + doing these days?

I did like G+ in theory. I thought the social applications > hang out, circle sharing, etc. could be used in a unique fashion, but I think it wasn't launched well. Businesses and entities should have been allowed on first to showcase the usefulness of the platform to a wide audience.

I think I agree with Kevin. It seems to be more like listening to a podcast. You are listening in on folks' conversations. While fun and interesting, it may not be as social as you want it. Of course, you could start your own branch and invite some friends to do it with you, but adoption is the key there. If no one is going to use it, it lames up your experience.

Obviously, with most of those services Matt listed above, it's all about the reward. Virtual 'badges' for the most part. And it's a huge hit. Right now. Innovating past that will be the key.

I still do like G+. But, I also get kind of bummed that I'm the only one that I know on some kind of personal level on there. Also, it's mostly self-promotion and not a whole lot else.

This coming from someone who doesn't have a facebook account, though. It could be much the same there, but with more users. ? question mark

You're right about that, Dale. I think some form of gamification is necessary, and possibly even expected on some social networking sites.

I think that the true story with G+ is that people wanted to flock to it because it WASN'T Facebook. Kind of like the way certain people this year want to vote for Romney just because he's not Obama. Less of an interest in something and more of a dislike for the established thing. So people got over to Google + and realized that it's not really enough of its own thing, and more just sort of a way to try and create a bizarro-world Facebook. It's not like the revolution and mass-abandonment of MySpace in favor of FB. That was more like Bush vs. Obama now that I think of it, to extend the metaphor. People were so sick of one thing that they just took the option that would help them recover from such a protracted period of reckless foolishness.

Social networks as president analogs. Fun thoughts...

With new developments technology is emerging more and more as an enabler in the niche domains.

One challenge is to avoid looking like a ghost town when people arrive, another challenge is to make sure that the conversations and audiences are diverse. G+ was a lot of navel gazing with few real life interactions... I also do not believe that it had enough differentiations when people arrived. Today it has more points of difference but once people give it a try and leave it is tough.

Instagram offered simplicity in photos, foursquare integrated the serendipity of seeing where your friends where with tips from trusted sources.

Path is a network that I love but I have used it less because I feel like I can capture the same feeling elsewhere. The fact that it is a private, mobile network would be more compelling if my friends used it.

I am eager to see where Branch and Medium head — and, really, the same holds true for Quora. All three seem to have immense potential but you get the sense that they are barely scratching the surface of what they will/could be.

las redes sociales se han vuelto algo fundamental de el dia a día ya que sin ellas no tenemos tanta información de el mundo exterior o interior de cada pais, hablando especificamente en la red social twitter porque ya facebook pasa hacer una red social muy variada tiene muchas cualidades de twitter pero ya es mas social.