MarketWatch Launches Social Network — A Pre-Built?

Hat tip to Red Sox fan Josh Catone over at ReadWriteWeb for the news about the launch of the MarketWatch social network. He notes that it’s Web 2.0 paint, I think it’s a mix of Web 2.0 and Social Networking – because it’s important to have both on a newspaper Web site!

Josh notes, "The community site adds commenting, tagging, and rating to every article offered by MarketWatch. The site also ties in standard social network features, such as bios, avatars, and friends lists."

The stock picker is a neat addition to the lineup but I wonder how long it will be before the stock spammers start playing with it.

It looks like a KickApps social network but I am not 100% sure. The one thing I do notice is that everything is HUGE.  We’ve had the USA Today, LA Times, NY Times all launch new social networks this year. It’s important for them to remain relevant as blogs eat at their reader base.