Today, Flock is trying a new strategy. The company plans to extend itself beyond the "social" niche by trying to find a home in an entirely different one: the Hispanic web. To tap into this new audience, Flock is releasing a Spanish-language web browser in partnership with Univision Interactive Media, the top Spanish-language media company in the U.S.

According to Flock's VP of Business Development and Marketing, Dan Burkhart, there are now more than 22 million Hispanics online and the market's growth will continue to outpace that of the English-speaking web for the foreseeable future. Although social networking sites have released Spanish-language versions - for example, latino.myspace.com - he notes that there are "few if any social enabling applications that have made the investment to serve this important market." The Hispanic audience also actively engages in social networking activities. More than 40% visit sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter on a daily basis. Thanks to Flock's built-in social networking features, says Burkhart, that audience can now stay connected to those sites and to popular content from Univision.com.

In order to promote the product to the Hispanic web audience, the homepage of Univision.com will feature a large display ad touting the browser. In addition, there will be other display ads across the Univision network as well as pre-roll trailers inserted into video content. Next year, the company will pursue other offline channels to promote the Spanish version of Flock, too.

As with the specialized versions of Flock that have been released in the past, such as the green "Eco Edition" and the fashionable "Gloss Edition," this new Univision-branded version will offer favorite bookmarks, RSS feeds, media streams of popular Univision links, videos, and photos and persistent links to other areas of Univision.com. It will also come with a default homepage tab that takes you right to the Univision homepage.

However, the company is quick to point out that this new version is different from the Eco and Gloss editions of the browser, both of which are no longer supported. While those versions were clever marketing gimmicks at the time - the Eco edition was released on Earth Day, for instance - neither were able to attract a wide audience. That's because they didn't have sizeable distribution partners, says Burkhart. "By partnering with Univision, who has been the most visited Spanish language website for many years running, we have a dedicated partner who is committed to ensuring that the Univision Edition of Flock is distributed aggressively."

Will the Hispanic Web Market Help Flock Succeed?

It will be interesting to see how Flock does among the Spanish-speaking audience, especially because the browser itself is still the same under the hood. Although it will feature Univision content, Spanish-language menus and soon, a full Spanish-language installer, it's not a new product. It's still the same Flock. And that was the problem that most people had with it in the first place.

Earlier this year, when we asked the question: "why don't you love Flock?" we received over 100 comments in response. For many people the browser's interface was too busy and cluttered, making them feel overloaded with information. Others claimed that Flock was a resource hog and prone to bugs and crashes. And still others preferred Webkit-built browsers like Safari and Chrome, both of which are known for their speed.

The question now is whether or not these same complaints will put off the Hispanic audience, too, or if they will overlook these issues because the browser so uniquely caters to their needs. Only time will tell how well Univision's marketing push succeeds, but ultimately, if Flock can't address its shortcomings in some way, it won't work for any audience, no matter what language they speak.

The Spanish version of Flock is available for download now at flock.univision.com.

In the latest version of the Flock browser, they've integrated Facebook Chat for instant messaging. You can also drag and drop photos, videos, links, and text right into the chat window. The ability to move media around like this is actually one of Flock's best features - no more browsing for files, everything is drag-and-drop in Flock, including posting media to MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.

Twitter integration in the new version of Flock has also been improved, now providing access to trending topics and allowing you to save search histories.

The final improvement is the new feature called "Flockcast," which lets you broadcast messages to multiple social networks (MySpace, Bebo, Facebook, Twitter) at once. It's sort of like a scaled down version of social network updating tools like Ping.fm or hellotxt.

So, What's Wrong?

On paper, Flock seems like it should be the browser of our dreams. All our favorite social media addictions wrapped up into one shiny package. It's built on top of the Firefox code base, too, allowing our Firefox add-ons to work in Flock - a feature that should make the transition from one browser to the next that much easier.

So what's wrong with Flock? Where are all the users? Allen Stern was recently pondering this same question, suggesting that Flock release some "lite" versions that just include one feature (e.g. Flock with a Twitter panel only). In doing so, Stern says Flock could appeal to a more mainstream audience. He might be right there, but that's really not Flock's goal, it seems.

Instead, Flock reminds us more of FriendFeed in that they want to appeal to only the most addicted of the social media superstars out there. But unlike FriendFeed, which inspires web-loving folks like our own Marshall Kirkpatrick to delve in and discover valuable ways to use the service, Flock sits idly, being ignored by many those same social media lovers. Why?

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Maybe the problem with Flock is that it has tried to include too much social media goodness into its web browsing package. To see what we mean, just look at its competition. Today, the hot new browser on the scene is no longer Firefox, it's Chrome. Yes, Google Chrome, the same web browser that doesn't even support add-ons or RSS! It's simple to the point of being almost broken and yet here it sits as my new default browser. It even has web rockstars like Louis Gray admitting that the OS wars may be over and that the browser is the new OS.

Then look at the apps we turn to instead of Flock. Google Reader, for example - all it does is RSS. Or TweetDeck - all it does is Twitter (well, that and Facebook). The point is, these apps are simple, clean, and well-designed. They're the opposite of the information overload that appears in Flock with all its various panels.

Are we subconsciously rebelling against the web's info overload by turning to simplistic applications such as these (and Chrome)? Or does Flock having a winning formula on their hands but have just yet to master the UI design?

Or is the problem with Flock something else entirely? We're curious as to what you think. Do you use Flock? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Tell us why in the comments.

Features

Among Visual Explorer's more interesting features are its built-in themes, content filters, and its ability to use IE add-ons. Unlike the latest versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Google's Chrome, Visual Explorer does not feature any private browsing modes, but it does feature an interesting 'cloaking mode' which hides the browser after it has been inactive for a set amount of time.

Some of Visual Explorer's other interesting features that are not available in IE7 or the latest public beta of IE8 are its ability to save web pages as images, an enhanced download manager, and easy access to RSS subscriptions (though no integration with third-party RSS readers).

Oddly missing, however, is a bookmark bar where you can drag-and-drop your most often used bookmarks for quick and easy access. Visual Explorer also doesn't support IE8's Accelerators.

Just as Slow as IE8

Just as expected, when we ran Visual Explorer through the SunSpider benchmark, the results were identical to those for Microsoft's IE8 - and just as unimpressive, especially when compared to Google's Chrome or the latest nightly releases of Firefox 3.1. It is worth pointing out, however, that the Visual Explorer, just like IE8, feels just as fast as Google's Chrome when browsing regular web sites.

Can it Find its Niche?

The browser market is obviously huge, so even getting a small piece of this pie would be a huge success for Visual Explorer. Other companies like Maxthon and Flock have been able to carve out a niche for themselves, and Visual Explorer might be able to do the same by giving users who need to use Microsoft's Internet Explorer more flexibility and useful features than the original product.

Usability

One of the main problems with OpenID, a technology that allows you to use the same set of credentials to sign into any service that supports this standard, is that it is often confusing to mainstream users. A number of large vendors that support OpenID, including Yahoo, MySpace, and Microsoft, have started to develop best practices for using OpenID, but to us, this extension for Flock might just represent one of the best solutions we have seen so far.

The extension is based on Vidoop's work on 'Identity in the Browser,' which has also resulted in an interesting OpenID solution for Firefox.

Flock, of course, does not have a very large user base, but other extension and browser developers will hopefully use this as an inspiration to create similar features for other browsers in the near future.

IDIB OpenID for Flock from phatbuddhaz on Vimeo.

The justification was that Mozilla was doing a better job hosting and promoting the add-ons, and the majority were the same for Flock and Firefox. Since Flock does not have enough resources to support the extension site, Evan announced the decision to "cut the fat that is our unwieldy extensions system". (Note the keyword 'fat', it will be important in the rest of the post).

In itself this move was not surprising. Flock's team has just released version 2.0 of its social browser and has other battles to fight. IE8 is coming out soon with innovative features. Mozilla is racing forward with Ubiquity and the upcoming Geo-aware Firefox 3.1. And Google threw its hat into the browser ring with Chrome, so competition is getting tight. For Flock to be a player in the browser market, it needs a razor focus on building a base of diehard fans. Extensions are not helping much in that respect, they're an expense, so it was logical to cut them.

Facebook Platform - The Big Up and The Big Let Down

When the Facebook platform was unveiled in 2007, it was called genius. Never before had a company in a single stroke enabled others to tap into millions of its users completely free. The platform was hailed as a game changer under the famous mantra "we built it and they will come". And they did come, hundreds of companies rushing to write Facebook applications. Companies and VC funds focused specifically on Facebook apps.

It really did look like a revolution, but it didn't last. The first reason was that Facebook apps quickly arranged themselves on a power law curve. A handful of apps (think Vampires, Byte Me and Sell My Friends) landed millions of users, but those in the pack had hardly any. The second problem was, ironically, the bloat. Users polluted their profiles with Facebook apps and no one could find anything in their profiles. Facebook used to be simple - pictures, wall, friends. Now each profile features a zoo of heterogenous apps, each one trying to grab the user's attention to take advantage of the network effect. Users are confused.

Worst of all, the platform had no infrastructure to monetize the applications. When Sheryl Sandberg arrived on the scene and looked at the balance sheet, she spotted the hefty expense that was the Facebook platform. Trying to live up to a huge valuation isn't easy, and in the absense of big revenues people rush to cut costs. Since it was both an expense and users were confused less than a year after its glorious launch, Facebook decided to revamp its platform.

The latest release of Facebook, which was released in July, makes it nearly impossible for new applications to take advantage of the network effect. Now users must first install the application, then find it under the application menu or one of the tabs, then check a bunch of boxes to add it to their profile (old applications are grand-daddied in). Facebook has sent a clear message to developers - the platform is no longer a priority.

Google's OpenSocial and The Me Too Syndrome

Apparently Google was threatened by the Facebook platform. Its quick response was OpenSocial, the open platform for social applications. Unlike Facebook, which was proprietary and closed, Google's was open to everyone. When OpenSocial was announced, techies raised their eyebrows - it looked raw and unpolished. Some of the existing iGoogle container APIs were mixed in with a new contact sharing library. But, being Google, a lot of people signed up to support it.

Fast forward one year later and how much has been done? Well some companies did implement some elements, but the overall buzz died. Why wouldn't Google put more resources and marketing behind it? Because now it doesn't matter. The Facebook platform play is over and so the marketing strategy called Opensocial is not a top priority for the search giant anymore.

Why Apple's App Store Will Be Different

Next we turn to the latest platform getting buzz, Apple's iPhone App Store. At first glance it's much like Facebook, but in reality it isn't. Firstly, the user profiles aren't visible - you can't see applications installed on your iPhone. Each user can decide which apps to get, based on a simple review-based dashboard. There's no promise of a massive network effect, although there's a simpler user experience.

Importantly, Apple wired the monetization into the App Store right from the start. Sure there are free applications, but for companies that want to invest resources and play on the iPhone for a long time, there is an instant, simple opportunity to monetize. Note that paid applications get priority listing in the App Store, which is no accident.

Apple took care of the most important part of the equation - the transaction. It was also able to insert itself in the middle and recoup some costs associated with building the App Store. In the future, if it takes off and sustains the growth, App Store will ring in significant revenue for Apple. Jobs and his team were smart to wire monetization into the platform at the outsert.

The Future of Platforms

Where does all this leave us? Certainly it's absurd to say that having Web platforms is a bad idea. Yet we're left with a bitter taste in our mouths after the latest moves from some big platform players. The platforms of the future need to think about not just short-term marketing and buzz, but long-term sustainability and monetization. Here are some questions that companies need to ask themselves before delivering a platform:

• Why are we building a platform?
• How will we monetize this platform?
• Will the platform make us money, and how much will it cost?
• How will applications be able to monetize the platform?
• Can we support the platform for years to come?

Our culture of sensation and free makes it much harder for platforms to think deeply and be disciplined. Google felt they had to come out with something to stop Facebook's momentum. Facebook rushed to create a completely open infrastructure; and it backfired both for users and developers. Having been burnt by Facebook, small and large companies alike will now think twice before investing in a presence on platforms. This is a shame, for we need platforms and we need them to work well.

Let us know what you think about the opportunities to plug into major platforms? What are your thoughts on the recent platform dynamics that we have witnessed?

According to Evan's email:

Extensions.flock.com has had a bumpy history. There's a fundamental issue here: there are very few Flock-specific extensions, and a great many Firefox extensions that are already hosted on addons.mozilla.org. The architecture behind extensions.flock.com is not mature, and we have historically been unable to devote valuable developer resources to this.  It's unrealistic (and doesn't make a lot of sense) to try to create our own system on the level of addons.mozilla.org until we have more Flock-specific extensions. Our admiration for the work Mozilla has done extends to addons.mozilla.org...AMO really is the best experience for getting extensions. With that in mind, we have cut the fat that is our unwieldy extensions system.

Sorry Developers, We Took Down Your Flock Extensions

The email goes on to inform the developers that the company had removed all the extensions from the site that are not Flock-specific - that is, any extensions that take advantage of some unique feature within the Flock browser itself. In addition, the Drupal back-end from extensions.flock.com has been removed which means no more comments or ratings on posts and no more automatic submission system. Any developer wanting to submit an extension going forward will need to email extension-submission@flock.com instead.

For visitors to the Flock web site, the new extensions page will point them directly to addons.mozilla.org.

According to Flock, the changes will allow the company to move forward focusing only on Flock-specific extensions, and finally, themes. As we noted earlier, customization is an important aspect to the browser experience. Something as simple as being able to skin Flock could make the transition easier for those making the switch.

Flock's Real Message: We're Just A Version Of Firefox

We think Flock's decision to separate their extensions from Firefox's extensions is a good one. Although their email promoted the idea that this just freed up time for Flock to focus on other aspects of their project, that's probably not the whole story here.

Flock wants to appeal to the social media crowd, a group that typically includes a large number of Firefox users. But in the past, Flock had set themselves too far apart from the Firefox community and gave off the impression they were really an alternative browser. Now that Flock has upgraded to the Firefox 3 codebase and lets you use nearly all the Firefox extensions, the message they're sending is that they aren't that different after all, they're just a version of Firefox 3 with nifty social features. In other words, you get the best of both worlds: Firefox 3 and social media integration.

Will this change in direction work and help Flock pick up some steam? It's possible. If you can move to a new browser which works like your old one and take all your extensions with you, the experience is much less painful. Now all they need is some sort of extension import wizard and we'll be all set.

MySpace At Last! (Or Too Late?)

With MySpace now included as one of Flock's supported services, relevant actions like friending others or updating your status are now available from the sidebar as they are with Facebook and the other social services Flock supports like Digg, YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, and Twitter. And with Flock's Media Bar feature (the image and video bar at the top of the browser window), you can now easily drag and drop both pictures and videos into the comment form on a MySpace user's profile.

Although Flock has cited MySpace integration as their most requested feature, there seems to have been a delay in bringing it to launch (it was originally announced in February). Over the course of the year, Facebook has been busy catching up to MySpace in terms of popularity, so the pent-up demand for MySpace integration in Flock may not be as heavy as it was before. That being said, having MySpace support does finally round out Flock as the social browser it aims to be.

Media RSS Means Support For More Services

Although beta testers have had the Media RSS feature since last month, Flock 2.0 introduces the first version of the browser to officially support the technology. With Media RSS, you can receive automatic and up-to-the-minute image and video feeds added to both the Media Bar as well as into your "My World" page just by favoriting a feed. Currently, some big names that support this functionality include LeMonde.fr, MSNBC, Revision3, Wordpress, SmugMug, TinyPic, and blip.TV.

Media RSS in Flock:

More Extensions And Themes

Another issue that some have had with Flock is what they perceive to be the "pain of switching." Given so many people's reliance on Firefox extensions as part of the browsing experience, there is some fear that not everything will work as it should when moving to Flock. Some of those fears may be unfounded though. In addition to Flock's own extensions, the browser also supports the majority of Firefox's extensions, too, including those "can't live without 'em" add-ons like Greasemonkey..

Another pain point for those in transition between Firefox and Flock is, or rather, was the lack of themes for the browser. Although some like Flock's blue and grey theme, the lack of choice was aggravating for people who like to customize their browser's look-and-feel. It seemed the only way to get new themes was via special Flock installs like the Earth Day browser whose theme featured green grass or Flock Gloss, a pink-colored version aimed at fashionistas.

But now Flock is debuting a new themes section which will offer a selection of themes to choose from and will soon be updated with even more. This might not be that interesting to you, but something as simple as being able to change the Flock UI may be all some people need to make the transition from Firefox.

New Flock Themes At Last!

Flock Adoption Still Niche

Given our current obsession with social media, not to mention the issues of fatigue, burnout, and noise, you would think that a Firefox-based web browser like Flock would have seen greater adoption among social media fans. Yet the numbers for Flock are still dwarfed by Firefox. Flock has seen 6 million downloads in total (3.8 million since its 1.0 release), but Firefox is killing them with well over 500 million downloads. It's possible that without MySpace support, Flock's would-be fans simply saw the browser as incomplete. We wonder if that will change now.

The most noticeable difference between the Eco-edition of Flock and the standard edition is the new green theme. Instead of blue, the background and browser buttons are now green, which is a nice change of pace for regular Flock users, who have probably been checking the "Themes" page for a while now to no avail.

Eco-Edition

However, what really makes this new version of Flock green isn't the background - it's the content. In partnership with Discovery Networks, New York Times, Yahoo, TreeHugger, Grist, Ecorazzi and AllTop, the Eco-edition comes pre-loaded with all the best environmental content and features from these varied resources.

The customizable features where you'll find the pre-loaded content includes the Flock Media Streams, where photos and videos from the partner sites will be updated daily, the News Feeds, which come pre-subscribed to 50+ leading environmental sources, and the Favorites, where top environmentally-focused sites are organized for you.

Even if you're not that into environmental news and opinion, you can always just download the new version and remove the pre-loaded content while still enjoying the new green Flock theme.

The Eco-edition will be made available for download from www.flock.com/eco.

Great Idea, More Please!

We love the idea of a pre-customized version of Flock built around a specific topic, and would great to see other themed versions of Flock in the future. (A tech-themed one would be nice!) If you look through all the topics available at Alltop, for example, you'll see there are plenty of ideas for future themed editions - crafts, travel, tech news, moms, sports, photography, music (oh wait, that's Songbird), or design, just to name a few. Even better would be if these customized editions could be loaded and unloaded from within the standard version of Flock somehow.

Would you like a pre-customized version of Flock? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Also, like with Flock's Facebook functionality, the MySpace integration will allow you to easily upload new media, meaning video and pictures, to your profile as well as viewing media belonging to your friends.

Although we don't know for sure what functions will be included on the "Actions" button that appears by each friend's profile card, an educated guess would include things like commenting, emailing, visiting their profile page, and maybe even un-friending. 

Unfortunately, MySpace integration will not be part of the next release (version 1.1) and no one would share timing information at this point as to when these features will arrive.

However, when Flock finally has the number one social network on board, they may actually get noticed outside of the "hip-web-geek" crowd.

Image Credit: CNet Networks

As to why email was the next big feature to be included, Flock's CEO, Shawn Hardin, states that "Email is the single most frequently used communication application on the web, and is often overlooked as social activity."

The new Picasa feature will let users of the popular photo-sharing service quickly upload pictures to Picasa from Flock. To share these photos, users can email them via web mail or just drag and drop them onto the Flock People sidebar, the same way that YouTube videos, flickr photos, Photobucket photos, and others are shared in version 1.0.

The Friend Activity feed is like Facebook's News Feed, expect that it tracks your friends recent activities across all of Flock’s supported services. The feed will inform users when their friends update their Flock profile or online status, upload new photos, and it even displays their Twitter updates.

The new version will be available for as a free download for Mac, PC and Linux in two weeks at www.Flock.com.