I recently blogged on the plethora of social networks. In recent weeks, there has been lots of chat about the threat that FriendFeed poses to the Twitter community and many high profile bloggers have moved from Tweeting to FriendFeed.

I feel that FriendFeed represents a big threat to Twitter.

I found out today about the launch of a new network; ’YouAre’ from Spain. I applied for beta access today. 

This is a micro-blogging platform with aspects of LinkedIN, del.icio.us and others combined with a secret sauce, which hasn’t been revealed as yet. Screenshots available here.  

I am keen to trial the new service and will cover it here. I have been told that my access will come through in a few weeks.

The beauty and irony of the social networking is that I found out about YouAre on FriendFeed via Duncan Riley’s post. That would be like the Sun newspaper in Britain running a story on the launch of the Today newspaper and suggesting I check it out or me placing a classified ad in the window of my local newsagents suggesting that passers by check out the newsagency down the road. 

Consolidation in this space is inevitable. We’ve seen it in most industry sectors, take the ERP market in recent years. Most industries mature before they consolidate but the social networking sector will get there much more quickly surely.

The issue of monetization is one spanner in the works still.