Microsoft Preps for its Own Social Network: Report

Microsoft might be experimenting with its own take on social networking after an image resembling a new platform was accidentally leaked to the public.

Called "Tulalip" after the name of a group of Native American tribes in Washington state, the social networking service is designed to enable users to "find what you need and share what you know easier than ever." These images were first found on the Microsoft-owned domain socl.com.

Microsoft did not reveal whether the images of the platform suggested a social network or a social search site, which would mean some kind of association with the Bing search engine.

If Microsoft does come out with its own social network, however, sources have indicated that new users would be able to somehow sign into the site through their Facebook or Twitter accounts. (Source: pcmag.com)

Google Launches Google+ Social Networking Early July

The surprising revelation comes after Google delved into the social networking world with their Google+ offering just over two weeks ago.

To say that the public response to Google+ was incredible would be an understatement, as trials of the service have already brought in more than 10 million interested users, making it a viable competitor to Facebook.

Facebook currently has an estimated 500 million users world-wide as of July 2011, according to Facebook's press page. (Source: facebook.com)

Microsoft Guilty of Becoming a "Fast Follower"

Microsoft's move into social networking has received a backlash from Yankee Group, a popular information technology market-research company, who criticized Microsoft for making "an anti-Google move," while claiming that "Microsoft has become a fast follower, not an innovator." (Source: computerworld.com)

The leaked page has since been removed from the socl.com website and replaced with the following message: "Thanks for stopping by. Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn't mean to, honest."

When prodded to determine whether the "internal design project" had any affiliation with a new social network project, a Microsoft spokeswoman followed up by saying "We have no more information at this time."