"Social Shopping" for the Eclectic Jet Set

Social networks are fun for connecting with friends old and new, and retail outlets are (reasonably) good for getting product recommendations when you're looking to buy something. But what if you took the two and mashed them into something new?

Sites like Woot and Jellyfish have started down this path, but ThisNext is something entirely different: It lets users recommend, evangelize, and otherwise turn the world on to any product under the sun. If you can buy it, ThisNext is where you can share it with everyone else.

The tagline "Real Recommendations from Real People" does the service a good amount of justice, but ThisNext is not primarily being used for products where you might actually need a real "is this good or bad?" recommendation, like with a camera or a computer. Rather, most people are recommending things that they simply find fun, fasihonable, or funny: A "wee ninja" plush doll. A "chocolate cupcake necklace." Gallon jugs of Tabasco sauce. Searching for "laptop" mostly brings up laptop cases and designer bags. I'll definitely be visiting when shopping for my daughter's fifth birthday. (And no, not for the Tabasco.)

Nothing wrong with frivolous, of course, and if it were loaded with copiers and cell phones, ThisNext wouldn't be half as much fun. It's easy to use and a pleasure to get lost in, though the site can be tricky to navigate and feels awfully scattered. But hey, what social networking site isn't?

If you visit, don't miss the "activity map," which provides a real-time stream of product recommendations, blended with a world map of where the recommender lives. It's fun to see a stream of products being discussed in real-time, along with exactly where in the world the product is getting hot. 

Give it a spin! 

LINK: ThisNext