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# Ping Isn't a Social Network - and that's just fine
- URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2010/09/ping_isnt_a_social_network_-_and_thats_j/
- Published: 2010-09-06T17:19:18.000Z
- Updated: 2015-04-14T21:27:42.000Z
- Author: Adam Tinworth
- Tags: apple, itunes, social graph, social networks, social tools

I’m coming to the conclusion that there’s an awful lot of nonsense being talked about Ping, the new social tool in iTunes.

Please note: “social tool in iTunes” not “social network”.

That’s the root of the confusion and dismay, I think. People are looking at Ping and expecting something much like Facebook – a self-contained network that you can run your social life from. I’ve long believed that the market for social networks is limited – there’s only so many people will use – but that the potential for overlaying social tools on existing services is *huge*. Ping, I think, is an example of that. It is *not* a social network in the sense that Facebook or Twitter is. Apple would be moronic to try to launch against them. And Apple is rarely moronic.

Instead, Ping is just a simple social graph laid over the iTunes Store (more so than iTunes itself), creating a way for you to find out what your mates are buying – and maybe buy it yourself. In fact, the description of Ping within iTunes itself makes this abundently clear:

!\[Ping Description in iTunes\]([http://www.onemanandhisblog.com//Ping](http://www.onemanandhisblog.com//Ping?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) Description.png "Ping Description.png")

If you want more evidence of that this is mostly about recommendation and purchase, just look at where Ping lives:

!\[Screen shot 2010-09-02 at 12.17.27.png\]([http://www.onemanandhisblog.com//Screen](http://www.onemanandhisblog.com//Screen?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) shot 2010-09-02 at 12.17.27.png "Screen shot 2010-09-02 at 12.17.27.png")

It’s right in the iTunes Store. (Adam’s Brain is my iPhone, by the way. My wife has decided that it’s my brain, because I don’t seem to be able to think without it…)

So, let’s say that again: Ping is *not* a social network. It’s a social *tool* that allows you to find new music based on recommendations from friends. And what’s the point of that? [Sales and Folksonomy](http://broadstuff.com/archives/2295-The-Cash-Machine-that-goes-Ping!.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).

I’m staying in Ping. You can [add me as a friend](http://c.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZConnections.woa/wa/viewProfile?userId=10072599&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), if you like – but I warn you that my taste in music is terrible…