Ping: Let's say it's no Pong, (so far), or Ping Has Sprung!

So Apple finally makes its move on the social networking game with its newest wonder: Ping! The question is, how much should you care? Deeply? Apple trumpeted the fact that after the grand revelation, they racked up a million viewers in a very short time. Impressive by any measure, but the question is, how many will stick?

So far, the answer would be, not so much...The concept is simple, one creates a profile, follows other fans and artists, and has the ability to favor and start conversations based on record recommendations, reviews, and concerts attended. The potential there is pretty ginormous, and with an open platform, could easily be a place I spend a fair amount of time, and, quite frankly, it seems like it could be a nice middle ground between this space and Twitter.

In reality, though...it's a cold & barren place so far, devoid of a serious indie presence. The artist profiles have initially been extended, (by invitation), to heavy Itunes sellers and selected industry players...which for the most part leads to a heavy dose of yukkk. It did lead to some hilarious recommendations for whom I should follow.

My other point of miffed.off.ness would be all the time I spent, both before and after the 'Genius' function, of clicking on recommend buttons ad infinitum. This is the one company I not only let datamine me, but provided them a veritable landfill of information. Presumably, all this sits in a silo somewhere, virtual or otherwise. I pray that they find a way to somehow integrate this.

As the days have gone by, the 'featured artist' category has broadened as more folks have jumped onboard, including a disturbing number of dead rock stars. I maintain a presence and check it most days, half out of hope, and half morbid curiousity.