The Point: Power in Numbers

I just finished meeting with a few folks from the newly launched social networking site, The Point. Sadly, the site had little to do with the Harry Nilsson record of the same name that's been playing on loop in my brain since the meeting was first scheduled a couple of weeks back. To their credit, they did reference my favorite Mr. Show sketch, "Blow up the Moon," in reference to their product, so I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The pitch behind The Point is as follows: Sometimes it takes a large group of people to make a difference. Unfortunately, the more potentially controversial an issue is, the more difficult it is to get the ball rolling with those first few volunteers. The Point is a bit like an online petition, gathering folks together to benefit the greater good, only no one involved is beholden to anything until the minimum number of users have signed on.





Say, for instance, you'd like to boycott a major clothing company, because of its unfair labor practices. Committing oneself to said cause is much more difficult, without knowing that enough folks are joining in alongside you to make a difference.

If the cause is more personal, like, say, trying to get better benefits at work, the list's creator can choose to make usernames anonymous until the goal is reached. This means that if you're one of only two or three users who actually signed on, you can't be singled out.

It's an intriguing model, to be sure. There are still plenty of bugs to work through, being that the app was just released in public alpha earlier today. The most glaring omission at the moment is an effective means to search the site for causes to sign up for. For the time being, the primary method for discovering them is via real-world invites, third-party Web sites (using the site's plug-ins), or via fellow The Point members on your buddy list.

Like anything else in the social networking space, the key to The Point's success will be drawing in and retaining a large enough user base to keep things going. But for most people who sign up for a particular cause, the site will likely not have a great deal of replay value. It's tough to imagine users checking in on the site habitually the way they do with, say, Facebook or Myspace.

If The Point can maintain a steady flow of new users, however, it might have a good point, after all.