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The Inked Life: Tattoo Networks From Italy to AmericaAugust 24th, 2008 at 5:30 pmSource:Mashable! Are you one to favor the age-old polling system to determine between multiple options, whether they be real or hypothetical? Or perhaps just to see whether the public can accurately predict future events? Answer yes to first and/or second questions, and you might want to give MyGuesstimate a run. Though the website has yet to achieve the all-important critical mass it requires to truly make it an effective system on a broad scale, the MyGuesstimate foundation provides something that could grab considerable interest it if can manage to bring in the right type of users. The right type of users being those who posit questions which trigger passersby to become members and that drives members to partake continuously. I’ll be honest. It is somewhat peculiar that the makers of MyGuesstimate chose not to maintain a uniform presentation for the front page and individual pages created by users. That’s not something easily excusable here in 2008. It makes for a sort of disjointed experience. Otherwise, it is quite good, though. Flickr and YouTube integration is convenient. All data you would tend to desire from such a service is there, too, from a user vote count to information about the questioner and the roll of fellow members he/she is following. Also, run your cursor over the answer choices provided by a submitter, and you can view user icons corresponding to registered votes. Those icons are linked, so it’s very easy to browse the site in a kind of discovery mode. You see who voted yes, visit their user profile, see what questions they themselves have asked. You can get very involved with the service very quickly as a result. Again, it bears mentioning. If the right people climb aboard the MyGuesstimate train, it could become a busy place chock-full of engaging conversations. Because MyGuessmate is said to track users’ vote histories, a percentage-based spectrum of intelligence - albeit a suble one - can emerge. There is some evidence that MyGuesstimate won’t become such a happening destination. A look at the initial query list shows hints of vapidness. But I say give it time. It’s young enough that the user network can be one comprised of people you’d genuinely want to connect with on a regular basis.
We here at Mashable are always ready and willing to expand our view of the social networking realm top to bottom, left to right, east to west, and all the little nooks and crannies that make up the long tail of niche interests and fascinations. So, naturally I was curious when a site by the name of Tatuatori crossed our path. It is, in a few words, a venue for tattoo enthusiasts. Before you step through the door, be advised. While it is “relatively” well-known, with 150,000 monthly visits to its name, it is wholly devised for Italian language speakers. You might be able to rough your way through imagery alone, but take it as it comes, as the saying goes. The layout is intuitive enough. It doesn’t require much thought or scrutiny to navigate. There are plenty of visual cues to give you an idea of what each facet delivers. The tattoo gallery is of course at the top of the totem pole. Quite literally, too. Just take a look at the front page, and the sections are displayed one atop the other. To be frank, it’s not so unappealing a design. Granted, it’s basic. But basic seems to work well in the case of Tatuatori. Others of similar making might be less attractive to some users. Names like Inked Nation, My Tattoo Place, Tribals, MeetMyTattoo, CheckOutMyInk, and Tattoo Passions are all of different design, but mostly adhere to the formulaic widget-based outline that is customary in the networking realm. Want something different? Try Tatuatori. Alternatively, Inked Nation and CheckOutMyInk rank most highly in my mind in visual appeal. Inked Nation is thematically complete, while CheckOutMyInk is simple and straightforward. Want a large photo library to shuffle through? CheckOutMyInk delivers. Search categorically, via tags, or by new uploads. Social components come with the package, too, per users’ interactive convenience. It would be a challenge to juxtapose any of the above English-language sites with Tatuatori. It’s entirely unique with respect to its exclusively Italian upbringing. But it is nonetheless worth a glance, and if you should be fluent, or even passably knowledgable of the language, it might prove bookmark worthy. Registration worthy, even. If not, there are at least another six sites to strike your fancy for the art of the tattoo and the painters behind the gun. —Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Network Map Shows Regional Stats of Facebook UsersNsyght’s Social Search Launches AlphaICTV Changes Name To ActiveVideo Networks, Broadens VisionNext New Networks Now on MySpaceTV$46M More for Move Networks HD Videos OnlineOpen Friend Format Moves ForwardThe Categories:
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