Multiply sans Social Networking

CEBU, Philippines - Back in the days when "WiFi Hotspots" were only found in coffee shops, airports and public places, the working premise of online social networking was relatively new, propelled as a simplified version of how netizens could manage and maintain online journals with journal entries, photos and other digital content shared to friends and family.

Online entities like Friendster, Myspace and Multiply effectively managed to harness the internet as a social network kingmaker, but as a cursory look at how Facebook has grown to be the giant social network that it is today, the top three social networks of the early 2000's have had to make some changes in their operative goals.

As Friendster now stands as a "social gaming" entity, Multiply recently announced its intentions to halt its social networking working features come December 2012, shifting its focus area on the increasing demand for online e-commerce portals.

This means that by the last quarter of this year, Multiply will no longer be highlighting photo and video uploading/sharing, blog-posting and personal messaging for social networking purposes, focusing all of its energies in helping online sellers setup online shops in cyberspace.

Given the reported 11 million Multiply users, the move is one which a casual observer would note as smart, just as how smart Friendster was in shifting its focus on "social gaming", rather than fighting tooth and claw against the increasing followers and growth of Facebook, its main competition in the social networking arena at the time.

Though it is too soon to tell if Multiply's making the right or wrong move in severing itself from its social network roots, the consistent rise of e-commerce, matched with the estimated 350 million consumers based in the Philippines and in Indonesia (Multiply moved is headquarters to Indonesia too, from its base in Boca Raton, Florida), proves to be a lucrative market where Multiply could thrive and continue to move forward as an e-commerce brand.

As change simply for the sake of change is not always a good thing, the changes Multiply is intent on making is one that is promising for Multiply, its loyal followers, and the rising number of online sellers and shoppers in Southeast Asia.

Multiply will be providing workarounds over how current Multiply users could easily download and archive their personal content in the days ahead, before it halts its social networking arm by December. Multiply users are advised to save their uploaded digital media before they are permanently removed. Visit www.multiply.com for updates.  (FREEMAN)