MySpace, Facebook and Wallop

Somebody might find it surprising to see this name Wallop put among MySpace and Facebook but it seems that’s the new Microsoft’s toy, so it might work things out for this site.

Wallop is a startup spun out of Microsoft's research laboratory and is launching the test version of an online social networking site with the premise that people will want to pay extra to look good.

The company, which aims to compete with established brands like MySpace and Facebook, plans to sell graphics and other features people can use to decorate their personal profile pages.

Wallop says the plan to charge users for the decorations will supplant the advertising that supports many such free sites. The add-ons will initially cost somewhere between 99 cents and $4, said Karl Jacob, the San Francisco company's chief executive. The company will offer some stuffs for free.

People will only be able to sign up for the service if an existing member invites them, an approach Facebook is about to abandon.

Whether Wallop is going to be a success or not is something that lies ahead of us in the time, but the fact that Microsoft is paying attention to is something to note of.

Wallop