Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but don’t most people want to keep their tracks covered while surfing the internet? In a virtual world where privacy is a dying concept, Cluztr has come along to coax people out into the open.
Cluztr, yet another social network, is a browser add-on that collects its users’ browsing history so that people can share their clickstreams with one another. That’s basically it. Through this, Cluztr aims to enhance exploration and interaction on the Internet. It also claims to do away with the need for bookmarking because it logs a history of every place you visit, and it encourages socialization over solitude because anyone you share your clickstream with can follow you around on the web.
Um…am I the only one who doesn’t like the idea of being stalked on the Internet? Seriously—it’s no fun. But don’t think that means I’m anti-Cluztr. Just like Spock, I think Cluztr is cool and creepy at the same time. The things making Cluztr less creepy are the facts that 1) you do have to sign up in order to be profiled and 2) you can set your clickstream to “private.” Under those circumstances, I think Cluztr is pretty cool, because it basically acts as a personal history tool. I still don’t like the idea of my browsing history being stored online, though.
While anyone who spends their time browsing sites they have no business visiting will probably avoid Cluztr like the plague, the rest of the world can check it out at www.cluztr.com.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Nion, is it me or do you have a habit of finding all the sites and apps that really make me wonder how long any form of privacy is going to exist? Anyway thanx for the review, don’t think I will be stopping by this one any time soon.
October 31st, 2007 at 11:08 am
Great post Nion.
Privacy is an issue, for some – not all, with any social app. However, it’s a small price to pay when you consider the value of what you get back … with Cluztr you get personalized recommendations, connections to other users with similar interests and access to your friends’ browser histories in real-time.
Cluztr’s focus is certainly on sharing however, it has numerous privacy features to allow users to participate without sharing more then they are comfortable with.
November 3rd, 2007 at 7:42 pm
TheGrizz: What can I say? I find sites like these to be extremely indicative of where the future is headed, so I jump at the chance to review them. Thanks for the comment.
Jon: Indeed, privacy is an issue on any social app, on-line computer, or society. While Cluztr most definitely aims to enhance the on-line experience with its positive features, I don’t think that sacrificing privacy for something such as personalized recommendations will ever be worth it. I do believe that I mentioned the privacy option on Cluztr, and I think that using it is worth it only under that condition. Thanks for the comment!