Microsoft quietly announces the launch of its So.cl network

Microsoft Research's FUSE Labs have quietly launched So.cl (pronounced 'social'), originally designed as a research network for students, to the general public.

Requiring either Facebook or Windows Live login, for authentification, and powered by public Bing APIs, to display search result data, So.cl allows users to assemble and share collages of comments, web pages, images and videos. Unless marked 'private', any data posted may be viewed by all other So.cl users and publicly posted data is available for use by other entities and individuals.

"So.cl is not meant to replace existing full-featured search and social networking tools. It is an experimental research project using a minimal set of features which help combine search with the social network for the purpose of expressing and sharing ideas with rich visual collages, organised by interests," states an FAQ on the So.cl website.

"The fact that So.cl is targeted at students echoes Facebook’s beginnings and has made many assume it is a Facebook clone," said Eden Zoller, Principal Analyst, Ovum, commenting on the launch.

"So.cl is, as Microsoft stresses, an experiment and designed to be a layer on existing social networks. Microsoft is being sensible in positioning So.cl in this way. The opposite approach of Google, which entered social networking all guns blazing with a full-on service, is having modest success.

"Microsoft So.cl is not a fully fledged social network and it is far too early to even suggest it could be a rival to Google+ or Facebook and chances are it never will be. So.cl is about social search and sharing, with little value add beyond this and nowhere near the kind of features offered by Facebook or Google+," continued Zoller.

"If So.cl gains significant traction, which we think unlikely, then Microsoft might well ramp up the service with additional features, particularly mobile, where Microsoft can tap into the Windows Phone platform. But for now, So.cl will most likely remain an experiment at heart, which is no bad thing, and Microsoft will still walk away with valuable insights and experience that can help improve its overall search capabilities, which is its major priority."

The low-key launch coincides with the upcoming launch of the HTC Titan 4G - Australia’s first 4G Windows Phone.