If Social Networks Were Shoes. . .

If social networks were shoes, what would they be?

Twitter Valuation approx. $150 MM = 218,978 Pairs of these shoes.

Twitter is attractive to the 20 something plus generation as opposed to the other social networks which first caught on with the college kids, bands, and high school students.

It keeps it simple, sweet, and to the point- 140 characters or less. Nevertheless, it is addicting and spending too much time on it bad for you-quite frankly, much like a high heel.  Also, with twitter you either get it or you don’t. You either know how to use twitter and write purposeful tweets that add value to your followers lives or you are someone that doesn’t get it or doesn’t care to get it and writes tweets that even your closest friends don’t really care about (i.e you just went to the bathroom or some nonsense). So, with shoes and fashion- you either get it, or you don’t. Finally, like Manolo Blahnik, twitter just came out of nowhere hitting the mass market.  It wasn’t until Sex and The City that everyone knew that these glorious shoes exhisted. Thus, this shoe follows those notes. Its simple, to the point, somewhat quirky, even flirtatious, you either get it or you don’t, and the brand just came out of no where. Thus, twitter shoes by Mr. Blahnik.

Facebook Valuation Approx. $15 B = 474,233,322 pairs of these shoes.

You can connect with a lot of people and get a lot done on this social network. Facebook is for fun and playing.  Nevertheless, I love the useful-ness and practicality of it. It gets you from point A-B quickly and can become your tool to getting things done-like sending out invitations to an event, promoting a cause, or even fundraising. Also, Facebook is all about your memories and connecting with your friends (old and new), exploring who you are, and remembering the good ole days- especially with those pictures. . . “De-Tagg! Please!” Nevertheless, Facebook shoes are an every day shoe.  They get you where you need to go quickly with a little bit of nostalgia along the way.

Myspace Valuation Approx. $3.174 B = 1,872,566 Pairs of these shoes.

Myspace is kind of tacky and a little bit gaudy.  From from my point of view- way too high maintenance. Sometimes moves too slow for me and often attacks a lot of creepers trying to be my friend. Not to be played with much, but when I do I either quit quickly or I become addicted to perfecting my profile and it becomes an all night affair that I know I’ll grow to regret the next day- serious waste of time sometimes. Nevertheless, its somewhat over the top, kind of obnoxious, and full of unnecessary nonsense. Although myspace is fantastic and a pioneer, much like Mr. Louboutin, they both still manage to create something strange and completely unnecessary. Both of which are very proud of this.

Linkedin Valuation Approx. $1 B = 11,235,955 pairs of these shoes.

Promising, young, and opportunistic. Sexy from a financial standpoint and its a pretty good deal. Multiple revenue streams and potential others ahead. The Linkedin shoe is about transforming the business professional and using one’s reputation and image to leverage more growth and business for that individual. Thus, the shoes are powerful in statement and impact, yet smart, classic, and priced at a great value. Nevertheless, they are still very different and trendy.

My inspiration for this post comes from Allison Driscoll at www.high.heels.com Her obsession with purses is comparable to my obsession with high heels. I thought I’d love to help her write a piece more suitable for her high heel blog following a similar concept. Although she did an amazing job matching the purse to the network, we may have different takes and views of the social networks; thus different metaphorical styles in comparison… Let me know what you think Allison!

xoxoxxx,

TSG