Yesterday I tried out a new browser – Rockmelt. I say new: Rockmelt is actually built on Chromium, the open source browser that essentially is Chrome. Chromium itself is based on the WebKit engine that also powers Safari.
The new bit is that Rockmelt integrates a social layer directly into the browser. It provides side bars (called ‘edges’) that contain your Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds. This provides you with a constant friend presence, and keeps you notified of all new content – all without leaving whatever web page you are browsing. It also makes it easier to share the content you are browsing. Rockmelt even has its own URL shortener, me.lt.
This isn’t all that new though. The first version of the ‘social browser’ Flock was released in 2007. Flock was originally based on Mozilla, but switched to Chromium in June.
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I’m not one to make predictions, but this one has been at the back of my mind for a while and the evidence is starting to rack up. In my usual style, I shall make my point through an unnecessary number of dodgy anecdotes and opinions rather than through citations and serious research. I hope you enjoy them.
Anecdote #1 – URLs in advertising
Over the past year or so, I have noticed a trend in television advertising where the viewer is prompted to search for a phrase, rather than given a URL to remember. This week I saw a billboard (for Streetcar, a primarily web-based business) that did not display a URL at all. Obviously relying on brand recognition alone to prompt people to Google “street car“, which of course they will. And rather than their analytics showing a load of “direct hit” entries. They will have richer metrics showing how people searched and found the business.