I’m starting to see a trend. Looks like a bigger companies are taking their social networking more seriously. Instead of just allowing visitors to share listings on Facebook or Twitter they are now buying “social” focused companies/products for full integration. With last week’s announcement of VHT acquiring Dwellicious and now Move, Inc. acquiring SocialBios we are starting to see the chess pieces move with social networks becoming a larger part of their overall strategy.
As for SocialBios I think the key here is implementation. They need to get it just right. Connecting people “naturally” through their social graph is a powerful idea but runs the risk of triggering privacy concerns.
Looking forward to what Ernie and his team adds to the Move, Inc mix.
Full Press Release Below:
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Move Acquires SocialBios, Award-Winning Social Search Platform
Real Estate Leader Invests in Social Platform and Talent to Realize Vision of Connecting Consumers, Properties and Real Estate Experts Through Their Social Networks
CAMBPELL, Calif., July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Move, Inc. (Nasdaq: MOVE), the leader in online real estate, today announced its acquisition of SocialBios, an award-winning social search platform. SocialBios allows individuals and companies to create one social hub for their online profiles through interactive ‘About Us’ pages that simplify the discovery of shared connections on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Foursquare and Google without sacrificing their privacy.
The acquisition of SocialBios points to Move’s acceleration into the area of social and its integration into the real estate search experience throughout Move’s online real estate network. As a result, Move will leverage the SocialBios platform and talent to develop products that connect people with real estate professionals based on the commonalities of their on- and offline social networks.
“Real estate is inherently a social business. Today’s search experience is highly interactive and instant with the explosion of mobile in real estate. We’re uniquely positioned to lead our industry and connect people naturally through their social graph,” said Scott Boecker, chief product officer at Move, Inc. “This acquisition brings a new element of discovery and creativity to our online real estate marketplace as we evolve our web, mobile and social search experiences.”
SocialBios was a 2011 ‘Best Tech Startup’ winner at Inman Connect NYC, and was selected by a popular vote of real estate industry leaders as the new technology that would most benefit their industry. In the past six months, through the company’s social layering technology, SocialBios members and visitors have equated to more than two million potential connections.
As part of the acquisition, SocialBios founder Ernie Graham and co-founders Ira McMahon and Andrew Van Tassel have joined the product development team at Move, Inc. Graham, who will head up Move’s social product strategy and development team, will work with the Move’s franchise and broker customers to develop social graphing strategies that help them facilitate more connections between their agents and brokers with consumers.
“We’re very excited to join Move and the talented team that continually delivers great products and services based on the premise of connection,” said Ernie Graham, general manager for Move’s SocialBios platform. “By using the current SocialBios platform as a springboard and leveraging Move’s product and technology assets, we’ll take the concept of social capital discovery and create new ways to expedite higher quality connections between agents and consumers. We’re looking forward to the road ahead and transcending the traditional boundaries within our industry of how to drive better client-agent relationships.”
The SocialBios office and team of social experts will be based in Denver, Colorado. The SocialBios website, products and brand will remain in production and available to real estate professionals. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Real estate agents and brokers interested in claiming their SocialBios ID can go to http://socialbios.com or call Move’s support team at 800.878.4166.
About MOVE, Inc.
Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE) is the leader in online real estate with over 15.2 million monthly visitors(1) to its online network of websites. Move, Inc. operates: Move.com, a leading destination for information on new homes and rental listings, moving, home and garden and home finance; REALTOR.com®, the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®; MortgageMatch.com, Moving.com; SeniorHousingNet; ListHub; and TOP PRODUCER Systems. Move, Inc. is based in Campbell, California.
About Social Bios
Social Bios is the only online service that allows individuals and companies to aggregate all of their disparate social network profile and connection data for generating new business referrals. The Social Bios “About Us” page allows your website or Facebook fan page visitors to discover social capital with your agents or employees. The Social Bios beta was launched in January 2011 and won the Inman Connect NYC “Best New Startup” award. Social Bios is based in Denver, Colorado. For more information, go to www.SocialBios.com
Thanks for posting this. We’re excited about the acquisition of SocialBios because it brings consumers and real estate professionals together in a more personal way through their favorite social networks. Make sure to claim your Social Bios ID today!
I have been watching the steady growth of Move, Inc. for years now. More than ever, rating agents and reviews are propelling sales.