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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Amy Harmon

Aired July 26, 2003 - 12:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: A relatively new Web site is changing the way people meet new friends. Friendster.com, that's what it's called, Friendster.com, launched in March, already says it has a million plus members. This is not necessarily a dating service, though it can be used that way. The point here is to expand your circle of friends.
Amy Harmon covers technology for "The New York Times." She is in our New York bureau. Ms. Harmon, I understand that you, yourself, signed on to Friendster. How does it work?

AMY HARMON, TECHNOLOGY REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, it is -- Friendster is really an answer to the sort of anonymity and randomness that people feel with traditional online dating services. So traditional online dating services work the way -- you just write a profile, you put up your picture, and anybody who also subscribes to that service can contact you.

The way Friendster works is you typically join after you receive an e-mail, an invitation from somebody you know to join the service. So you click on the link on the e-mail and you go to the site and you fill out what your interests are, how old you are, what you're looking for, whether you're looking for a friend or a date or a serious relationship. And then once you do that, you are not visible to the entire universe of Friendster people. You are only visible to your friends' friends' friends' friends. So you have sort of four degrees of separation. And presumably you're sort of linked to these people. So it's a sense that you are more of a part of a community of people who know each other than part of this sort of big, random universe.

KOPPEL: So it really is more about dating than it is about meeting new friends.

HARMON: It is predominantly a dating service. But part of the reason for its appeal is that at least some people are there just to meet friends, to stay in touch with old friends, to see who of their friends knows other friends who are on the service. So there is a little bit of the pressure of saying, look, I'm looking for a date is taken off with Friendster, where as in a traditional services like Match.com, you're basically saying, you know, I'm looking for somebody.

KOPPEL: There are so many different dating Web sites out there. What is it about Friendster that has really exploded onto the scene? Is it the idea that this is somewhat restricted, that you have to be invited? What is its appeal? HARMON: I think part of it is that it takes these social networks that exist in the real world, and -- but it makes them visible. So, you know, to some extent this idea that you're part of a community in Friendster is a little bit of an illusion. I mean, your friends' friends' friends' friend is essentially a stranger. I mean, you might see somebody on the street that you find attractive and they're probably linked to you through four, five or six degrees of separation.

But what Friendster does is you get -- so, for example, I have a paltry six friends on Friendster. But I'm linked to 66,000 people. And I have a gallery of people I -- I click on gallery. And if I find someone who is interesting, I click on that person and I can see how I am linked to that person through my original friend who might know somebody who knows somebody else.

And so I think that idea that we are part of this bigger universe is sort of a very compelling thing.

KOPPEL: Well, I'm impressed, 56,000 friends, Amy. That's not bad. I guess it is going change, though, when they start charging to join.

Amy Harmon with "The New York Times," thank you so much.

HARMON: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired July 26, 2003 - 12:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: A relatively new Web site is changing the way people meet new friends. Friendster.com, that's what it's called, Friendster.com, launched in March, already says it has a million plus members. This is not necessarily a dating service, though it can be used that way. The point here is to expand your circle of friends.
Amy Harmon covers technology for "The New York Times." She is in our New York bureau. Ms. Harmon, I understand that you, yourself, signed on to Friendster. How does it work?

AMY HARMON, TECHNOLOGY REPORTER, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, it is -- Friendster is really an answer to the sort of anonymity and randomness that people feel with traditional online dating services. So traditional online dating services work the way -- you just write a profile, you put up your picture, and anybody who also subscribes to that service can contact you.

The way Friendster works is you typically join after you receive an e-mail, an invitation from somebody you know to join the service. So you click on the link on the e-mail and you go to the site and you fill out what your interests are, how old you are, what you're looking for, whether you're looking for a friend or a date or a serious relationship. And then once you do that, you are not visible to the entire universe of Friendster people. You are only visible to your friends' friends' friends' friends. So you have sort of four degrees of separation. And presumably you're sort of linked to these people. So it's a sense that you are more of a part of a community of people who know each other than part of this sort of big, random universe.

KOPPEL: So it really is more about dating than it is about meeting new friends.

HARMON: It is predominantly a dating service. But part of the reason for its appeal is that at least some people are there just to meet friends, to stay in touch with old friends, to see who of their friends knows other friends who are on the service. So there is a little bit of the pressure of saying, look, I'm looking for a date is taken off with Friendster, where as in a traditional services like Match.com, you're basically saying, you know, I'm looking for somebody.

KOPPEL: There are so many different dating Web sites out there. What is it about Friendster that has really exploded onto the scene? Is it the idea that this is somewhat restricted, that you have to be invited? What is its appeal? HARMON: I think part of it is that it takes these social networks that exist in the real world, and -- but it makes them visible. So, you know, to some extent this idea that you're part of a community in Friendster is a little bit of an illusion. I mean, your friends' friends' friends' friend is essentially a stranger. I mean, you might see somebody on the street that you find attractive and they're probably linked to you through four, five or six degrees of separation.

But what Friendster does is you get -- so, for example, I have a paltry six friends on Friendster. But I'm linked to 66,000 people. And I have a gallery of people I -- I click on gallery. And if I find someone who is interesting, I click on that person and I can see how I am linked to that person through my original friend who might know somebody who knows somebody else.

And so I think that idea that we are part of this bigger universe is sort of a very compelling thing.

KOPPEL: Well, I'm impressed, 56,000 friends, Amy. That's not bad. I guess it is going change, though, when they start charging to join.

Amy Harmon with "The New York Times," thank you so much.

HARMON: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com