bongal blog

Meet new people

2010-11-29T03:11:00.000-08:00

It is almost impossible to go anywhere or talk to anyone these days who is not involved in a social network of some sort. Blasts from the past, childhood buddies, work colleagues, boyfriends and best friends alike all make up our own bespoke online communities. However, until now, it has been very challenging to find a way (outside of the dating arena) to branch out and meet new people who share our interests.

The web has erupted waves of UK internet users, all flooding to a new and highly anticipated Social Network. Bloggers recount that the site, bongal, fills the ultimate gaping void in the social networking show-ground.

The co-founder of the site, Rory Marshall tells us that “I strongly feel that bongal will be huge as it is firmly planting its feet in an untapped niche by connecting users based on their interests and locations rather than just their existing friendship circles. When you work, study or relocate, it can be difficult to meet likeminded people to discuss your interests and hobbies in both the real world and online.” When asked about the future of bongal, Marshall added “being a new site we are able to quickly react to user requests and adjust as the site gathers momentum, especially during the initial stages”.

The site had been developed by Marshall and his agency Rippleffect. It has now been live for a few months and is already approaching 20k members. Further to the popularity of ‘The Social Network’ movie in theatres across the globe, the story of this innovative venture is sure to cause a stir.

Will Rob Green be in goals come Friday?

2010-06-14T09:50:00.001-07:00

Will Rob Green be in goals come Friday?

What were everyone’s expectations before the match kicked off on Saturday evening? The optimists were expecting a resounding win, the pessimists a loss and the realists were hanging-out for a draw or at best, a very narrow England win.
England has, without a doubt, one of the best squads in the World Cup, only Spain, Brazil and Argentina blatantly have a stronger group of players. Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney can easily be mentioned in the same breath as Xavi, Kaka and Messi, but it’s the rest of the squad that soon falters. Where Spain has Torres, Fabregas, Alonso and Villa, we have Heskey, Crouch and an outstanding but constantly injured centre-back, in King.
And this brings me nicely to our goal-keeping debacle. We haven't had a standout goalkeeper since David Seaman. James has been in good form, but is partial to the odd mistake. Hart hasn't had enough experience yet to step up to the plate and after Green's howler of a mistake on Saturday, I don't think he has the mental capacity to get it out of his head before the next game on Friday.
Compare this to Spain's situation (I know I keep bringing up our Mediterranean friends, but you can't ignore them at this World Cup) and they have three of the best goalkeepers in the tournament with Reina, Casillas and Valdes. What a situation to be in! Imagine having some of the best goalkeepers, best strikers and best midfielders in the world, all playing for the same country.
I’m not saying England can't win the World Cup, its the best squad we've had for maybe 20 years, but to win then they must get some luck, as we will no doubt run into the Argies, the Spanish or the Brazilians at some point in the tournament, and there's not much our boys can do without a little bit of luck.
Will Green be there to see us through to the final though? Thankfully that’s not my decision!

Faceparty vs Bongal

2010-06-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

As a concept bongal grew from looking at sites like Faceparty and Bebo etc and realising that there was something missing. People are chatting away on these sites with random strangers which is fine. But there is so much wasted time realising that a large number of people who you chat to don't share any of your hobbies or interests. After doing some research into what actually makes for an interesting conversation, the team at bongal realised that it is chatting about interests. That is what we all do every day in the real world, whether it be with friends or family. Reading the paper, watching the news, its all stuff we are interested in.

That is where the next step came in the evolution of bongal.com. The focus on interests. We asked ourselves, what is the best way to connect people based on their interests? Then it came to us. We could use groups like so many other sites do so badly, bongal would do well. A group is after all an "interest group".

In bongal there are thousands of groups already connecting users. You join a group related to your interests, start or get involved with a discussion, then from there the connections can start. You will meet some really interesting people as well as catching up with all the things that interest you.

By doing this bongal takes a giant leap away from Faceparty and alike and moves into its own niche. No other site connects people in this unique way. This is what makes the whole bongal experience so exciting. What could be more entertaining than catching up with all the news and gossip that interests you while at the same time meeting new and exciting people who actually interest you and want to talk to you about your shared interests.

Bongal is free to join and already has 10s of thousands of members connecting every day. It really is worth a look but make sure you join a few groups to get the bongal gears in motion.

So what is bongal

2010-05-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

What is bongal? We here you ask.

Bongal is the first interests based social network connecting users based on interests, lifestyles and locations. The aim of the site is not to try to pull members from other social networks like Facebook or Twitter etc. It is simply to offer a brand new service for members to be able to chat and connect with each other based on their interests.

After joining bongal users are encouraged to join groups because by doing this it enables bongal to learn the interests of each user. This enables bongal to recommend other groups and other people based on those interests. The site also includes a fantastic chat facility meaning that as members make friends in the site, they will be able to chat to whoever is on-line.

Members are also able to create their own groups in the site. When they create a group, they are able to tag it to up to 3 different interests. The group will then be suggested to other users that share those interests. This is a great way to promote your business or events. Groups are a great place to start discussions on what interests you. As users come into the groups they will see the discussions laid out in a forum style.

Bongal is continually being updated and improved by the admins. These improvements are made after continually asking for feedback from the members in order to ensure the site is always changing to suit the needs of the users.

Social Networking

2010-01-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

What Is a Social Network?

Social Networking - perhaps you've heard of it before, but are not quite sure what it means.

Social network is the grouping of individuals into specific groups, like small rural communities or a neighborhood subdivision, if you will. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in the workplace, universities, and high schools, it is most popular online. This is because unlike most high schools, colleges, or workplaces, the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information and experiences about any number of topics. . . from golfing, gardening, developing friendships and professional alliances.

When it comes to online social network, websites are commonly used. These websites are known as social sites. Social networking websites function like an online community of internet users. Depending on the website in question, many of these online community members share common interests in hobbies, religion, or politics. Once you are granted access to a social networking website you can begin to socialize. This socialization may include reading the profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them.

The friends that you can make are just one of the many benefits to social networking online. Another one of those benefits includes diversity because the internet gives individuals from all around the world access to social networking sites. This means that although you are in the United States, you could develop an online friendship with someone in Denmark. Not only will you make new friends, but you just might learn a thing or two about new cultures or new languages and learning is always a good thing.

As mentioned, social network often involves grouping specific individuals or organizations together. While there are a number of social networking websites that focus on particular interests, there are others that do not. The websites without a main focus are often referred to as "traditional" social networking websites and usually have open memberships. This means that anyone can become a member, no matter what their hobbies, beliefs, or views are. However, once you are inside this online community, you can begin to create your own network of friends and eliminate members that do not share common interests or goals.

As I'm sure you're aware, there are dangers associated with social networking including data theft and viruses, which are on the rise. The most prevalent danger though often involves online predators or individuals who claim to be someone that they are not. Although danger does exist with networking online, it also exists with networking out in the real world, too. Just like you're advised when meeting strangers at clubs and bars, school, or work -- you are also advised to proceed with caution online. By being aware of your cyber-surroundings and who you are talking to, you should be able to safely enjoy social networking online. It will take many phone conversations to get to know someone, but you really won't be able to make a clear judgement until you can meet each other in person. Just use common sense and listen to your inner voice; it will tell you when something doesn't feel right about the online conversations taking place.

Once you are well informed and comfortable with your findings, you can begin your search from hundreds of networking communities to join. This can easily be done by performing a standard internet search. Your search will likely return a number of results, including MySpace, FriendWise, FriendFinder, Yahoo! 360, Facebook, Orkut, and Classmates.

The bongal iPod Touch Competition

2009-12-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Well the bongal iPod Touches have arrived and are ready for the big bongal prize give away. All you need to do is ensure you register your details on the homepage http://www.bongal.com and we will be sending you all the details very soon.

Thank you for all your support. We promise we will be delivering an awesome site in February 2010.

bongal Teaser Video

2009-11-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Facebook Anthem

2009-11-12T04:20:00.001-08:00

Take the Headache out of Social Networking

2009-11-08T04:43:00.000-08:00

Are YOU getting sick of logging into social networking sites and for some unknown reason - the way it works has been changed yet again?

Finding your friends and photos becomes a chore, I mean, you've only just familiarized yourself with the changes they made a few weeks ago!

There is no need to worry about that happening with bongal. Over a year of research and design has ensured the perfection of the layout, whilst still allowing users to take full advantage of all the interesting features.

The colour scheme, location of buttons, menus etc.. all make the exploration of the site as easy to use as possible. It also contains numerous helpful tutorials to all those new users, rather than lengthy instructions. In other words bongal aims to please.

Everyone here at bongal is very excited about the launch so that WE can show YOU what we have been working on for all this time.

Roll on February 15th!!!!

Other Social Networks

2009-11-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

Facebook is a social network site that started out strictly for uni students and was available by invite only. It is now cultural phenomenon reaching across the globe. Facebook has now overtaken Myspace to be the leader of the social network big boys.

Facebook is made up of separate networks based around schools, businessesand regions. Although registration is now open to the public, the site still caters to a college and high school demographic focusing on networking through groups and social activism.

Profiles allow users to post pictures, comments, blogs and apps. It also has some of the best privacy options on the Internet. It is mainly used to connect with people you already know in the real world but there are some limited features allowing users to meet new people

One of the problems with Facebook is that it lacks customization options. However, most users like the design and uniform feel of the site the way it is.

MySpace is extremely popular and receives a lot of traffic, but is not for the serious blogger.

The advantages to MySpace include the ability to upload and share video, audio and image files as well as a blog. But blogging is not the main business of Myspace, MySpace’s central focus is social networking.

One of the problems we have with MySpace in terms of blogging, is not many people would want to send their business associates or family to a site that displays the kind of material MySpace users post. MySpace does give you a link to your blog, so you could send your direct link to someone, but if they had to search for your blog it is nearly impossible to find. For example, in order to find work–friendly blogs, we tried to find blogs on cars and dogs; we were given a list of blogs that had more to do with sex than cars or dogs.

If your primary interest is social networking and non–professional blogging, then MySpace will work for you, otherwise try WordPress.

Very popular in the UK, Bebo is beginning to give some of the other social networking sites a real run for their money. Like other sites you can personalize your profile, add apps, set privacy settings and join groups.
The site is almost too secure making it difficut to use but there are definatly some interesting features.

Friendster is one of the most popular social networking sites in Asia. Now, it is starting to make an impact in the United States. Friendster provides plenty of networking features, the ability to customize your personal profile and to get you on your way to establishing a large network of friends.
Discover other avenues of expression by posting blogs and joining forums. You can choose from a variety of extra features like videos and groups. Friendster tries to cater to a slightly older crowd requiring users to be at least 16 to join.

Hi 5 is a large social network with a wide reaching following. . It allows users to connect with people they dont know from all over the world.
hi5 offers profile customization, security options and apps. A few of the things keeping hi5 out of our top three is the difficult search options, their sad help and support section and dependency on apps. It als has more of a younger and childish feel.

All in all bongal feels that it is sitting pretty in this diverse marketplace. We cant wait to show you!!!!

Facebook VS Twitter leaving a gap for something new???

2009-11-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

All that social networking, it's for the children right? Apparently not according to the most recent survey of the people using the popular websites.

Conducted by an independant organisation, a survery has shown that Facebook is definitely getting older, hopping from a median age of 26 in May 2008, to 33 now.

Considering Facebook was made for college students, its certainly an interesting move upwards, but could be attributed to nosey parents signing up to keep an eye on their wayward teens.

Even more interesting is that despite a number of reports saying that the young'uns out there have no interest in Twitter, it is currently the second youngest social network out there – even though the median age is still 31. Once again does this now leave a gap for a new social network with fresh new ideas (bongal)?

Out of all of the social networks, MySpace came out with the youngest average age at 26, but really – apart from musicians, does anyone use MySpace anymore even though in its day it was a great site?

We would be very interested to find out your preffered social network and where you think it is lacking?

Bongal Team

Bongal to the rescue

2009-11-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Facebook, the online social grid, can't command your loyalty forever can it?

If you ask around, as I did, you’ll find quitters. One ex user, I bumped into the other day, had shut down his account as he disliked how nosy it had made him, as if he wasn't already! Another feared the invasion of her privacy, whilst another was just totally bored with it.

Falling out of love with Facebook has come in waves, and the gap in our lives has left an opening for a site, Bongal.

Many seem to have just lost their appetite for it: they just stopped wanting to look at other people’s photos and résumés and updates, or have their own subject to scrutiny. Some ex-users seemed shaken, even heartbroken, by their break-ups with Facebook. “I primarily left Facebook because I was wasting so much time on it,” my friend Caroline Harting told me by e-mail. “I felt fairly detached from my Facebook buddies because I rarely directly contacted them.” Instead, she felt as if she stalked them, spending hours a day looking at their pages without actually saying hello.

Julie Klam, a writer and prolific and eloquent Facebook updater, said in her own e-mail message, “I have noticed the exodus, and I kind of feel like it’s kids getting tired of a new toy.” Klam, who still posts updates to Facebook but now prefers Twitter for professional networking, added, “Facebook is good for finding people, but by now the novelty of that has worn off, and everyone’s been found.” As of a few months ago, she told me, Facebook “felt dead.”

Is Facebook doomed to someday become an online ghost town, run by zombie users who never update their pages and packs of marketers picking at the corpses of social circles they once hoped to exploit?

Sad, if so but good news for all those of you at this blog as there is a saviour coming.

About Social Networks

2009-11-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Social networks have become an integral part of the normal human life. They have gone from being just for individuals to keep in touch with friends and meet new people to businesses using them to keep abreast of news and information.
The web based platform-otherwise called social network sites assists the exchange of thoughts, views thereby forming communities of like- minded individuals. Through social network sites individuals can create profiles which may be either private or public. Connecting individuals within a bounded system makes the world really look small. Business professionals can also make their presence count globally with some popular business networking sites. Social Networks allow individuals to browse through each other's profiles and can even act as a communal force for shaping public opinion.
The number of business networking sites as well as social networking sites have increased enormously over the last few years .But potential threats to privacy of such social networking sites are yet to be secured completely. The information often found in profiles such as hometown ,date of birth or some other personal information have been used illegally without users' consent.
This sites are proliferating and growing in popularity worldwide. With the associated feature of business networking, the business professionals can use the social networking sites as a platform for their business promotion. The global exposure that the networking sides provide, keeps it in front of any other media. The interactive and easy upkeep features have earned global acceptance of the social network sites.
In the beginning the social networking sites only focused in building niche communities. But now they have expanded their boundaries enabling individuals to fulfill their specific needs whether it is for dating, academics , business networking for business professional or even for simply friend-making. Studies reveal that social networking sites primarily support pre-existing relations, but this is not where the purpose of this sites end, often users engage in searching for people with whom they have an offline connection thereby bridging online and offline social networks.
This sites are even worthy for industry researchers. Researchers have been able to gather important information regarding the behavior of the individuals associated in any community. There have been instances of individuals faking their identities. It has been found that individuals are concerned in keeping or renewing their past contacts and are only centered on any particular group rather than making new friends. Profile and linkage information from any social networking site can be gathered through the use of automated collection techniques, which enables network analysis researchers to explore friending patterns, usage and other important factors.

The bongal Philosophy

2009-11-04T03:45:00.000-08:00

Here at bongal we are trying to tailor the site to cover the needs of all the users. We have created our core values or "The bongal Philosophy".

There are too many sites out there that just dont work when it comes to meeting exciting new people. Faceparty, Badoo, Bebo, Myspace, Facebook all lack the bongal magic.

The bongal Phiosophy is all about ensuring that people who choose to use the site are only connected with users and groups/forums that they are interested in. Exactly how we do this will have to remain a secret for now.

No more logging into a social network and being "poked" or invited to join a group related to something you have never heard of. No more invited to silly events you have no interest in. No more strange messages from users you have no interesting in communicating with. At bongal it is all exactly tailered to your needs.

Oh yeah, did i mention its completley free to join.

Animated Logo

2009-11-02T13:03:00.001-08:00

We are very excited today after agreeing on our animated logo. We wanted to carry through the theme of the explosion and the colours of the logo. Let us know what you think?

Get a secret invite

2009-11-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

The launch of the site has been planned for February 2010 we will be inviting a select few to try it out pre launch. This will give those lucky few the chance to win some awesome prizes in the hope we will recieve some feedback on areas the site could be improved.. If that is at all possible.

If you go to www.bongal.com and register we will let you know when the competition starts and send you a secret password to join up early with the chance to win one of the prizes.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Getting our name out there

2009-11-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

Filming is now complete on the bongal advert. It was a long hard slog but should be really great when the editing is finished. Once complete we will be sending the video to as many people as possible in the hope they will then send it on to their friends. We dont want anyone missing out on the Social Explosion!!!

Whats it all about

2009-10-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

You are just gonna have to wait and see. If you like Facebook and Twitter but think they are a bit limited when it comes to sharing experiences and meeting new people then this site is going to blow your mind. bongal is going to be something totally new that has never been done before. It has so far been over 2 years in the making and we are pleased to announce that we are just about ready to show you what we have been up to for all this time.

bongal Logo

2009-10-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well the journey is well underway and we have decided upon our logo. We want the logo to encapsulate the enjoyment and the excitement we hope it will offer the users.

The slogan "A Social Explosion" sums up the whole message we want to deliver.