Wordpress is Moving Into The Social Networking Market

I was just reading a very interesting post over at GigaOM which discussed the possibility of Automattic (Wordpress creators) creating an application to turn Wordpress into a social network. It is rumoured that Automattic have just hired Andy Peatling, who is the guy who created BuddyPress, which is a Wordpress-based social network. The next key is that on Matt Mullenweg’s blog, he writes:

It’s clear that the future is social. Connections are key. WordPress MU is a platform which has shown itself to be able to operate at Internet-scale and with BuddyPress we can make it friendlier. Someday, perhaps, the world will have a truly Free and Open Source alternative to the walled gardens and open-only-in-API platforms that currently dominate our social landscape.

Now does this mean that Matt just wants a piece of Zuckerberg and what he has, or does he really want to develop a product that Blogs, Forums, and Social Networking, together?

Im all for open source software and I think what Matt has done with Wordpress and possibly also trying to create with BuddyPress is the way forward. Open source software is nearly a part of every developers life in one form or another. Improvements in this market will always be moving and social network is the newest market to get involved in.

Tags: buddypress social network wordpress