Battling the Big Two may well be for "dominance" of the social networking market. But in much the same way that the giant automakers are now the underdogs, we could soon see a swing towards smaller, more focused social networks that have greater appeal to users now our eyes have been opened to the benefits of the medium.

I predict that as Facebook and MySpace get closer to saturation, people will look to niche networks that offer them more relevant information to their special interests of needs, such as specific networks for sports fans, small businesses etc. And where there is a more focused community, so it's easier for targetted advertising, the life blood of such sites once the press starts drying up.

I think THIS is the future and although it won't stop bring these two leviathans down, I think any chance of them making money for their initial investors will rapidly disappear.

Ian Hendry
http://www.wecando.biz