The US internet company AOL is building a social network based on the company's Mapquest map service Mqvibe, according to ReadWriteWeb, the American Technology blog website. If it goes well, the service is expected to be officially launched in the near future.
ReadWriteWeb points out that during this year, AOL acquired a range of domain names, all of which point to the same page. The content of the page shows that a service called "Mqvibe" will be launched in the "near future". ReadWriteWeb said earlier this month that AOL should be setting up its own social networking service, as it buys a range of domain names and proposes trademark applications for these domains.
ReadWriteWeb says the latest indications are that Mqvibe will be based on the company's Travel Line enquiry Service Mapquest to create a social profile that is different from that of Facebook and Google, as seen from the AOL social networking service model.
It is reported that this year, AOL has acquired "nvibe.com", "neighborhoodvibe.com" and "mqvibe.com" and other domain names. And these domain names were acquired by AOL, all point to a "coming online" new page. In addition, AOL has applied for the registered trademarks for these purchased domain names, and the trademarks are related to location-based services.
From AOL, ReadWriteWeb said, the company would be based on Mapquest services and launch location-based social networks that covered personalized content, local news, entertainment, shopping and travel routes, among others. In fact, companies like Google, Facebook, Foursquare and Yelp also want to gain control over the business.
While AOL has not publicly announced the introduction of location-based social networking services, AOL will play an important role in this business in its practical efforts. ReadWriteWeb that, in view of map services, nature is Google Maps users more, but Mapquest technology is also very good.
On the other hand, AOL's local news website Patch is looking for the right business model. As AOL announced in June this year, it has launched a group buying service on the patch website. ReadWriteWeb that AOL will be able to link the patch group buying business and other services after it launches a location-based social network mqvibe.
ReadWriteWeb said that after AOL's Mqvibe social network was online, the main competitor for the service would be Google. Google has previously integrated the group buying trading function in its map service and further expanded the size and scope of its offers group buying service. Google recently acquired a restaurant reviews website Zagat to provide more content for local businesses. In addition, Google also announced recently, has launched with Google offers supporting mobile payment services wallet.
All in all, if AOL wants its mqvibe social network to succeed, it should first consider how it can compete with Google's similar services in its business model.