It is hard to imagine that we need more platforms through which we can share our work or follow the work of others. Between Instagram, DeviantArt, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Ello, Reddit – I could go on and on – there are only so many hours in a day that anyone can devote to sharing and, frankly, it seems like a lot of different ways to reach the same people. Now, MyMiniFactory has added a social feed to its site, allowing users to follow each other and topics that they find interesting and have them show up as a regular marching news roll.
MyMiniFactory is already hailed as the YouTube of 3D Printing and the world’s largest online 3D printing platform is looking for more ways to expand the connections and networks of the 3D print ecosystem. It is in this spirit that the Head of Retail at Facebook, Nicholas Franchet, was invited to join MyMiniFactory’s Board of Directors.
He explained his decision in August to accept the invitation–in a video posted on social media no less:
“To me there is no doubt that 3D printing is transforming the way people interact with products and that the future will look very different. MyMiniFactory has already built ways and a great team to help people have the best experience given 3D printing technologies today and it will continue to do so over the next few years. I’m really excited to be part of this adventure.”
Facebook itself already permits users to embed 3D models for sharing as a result of a partnership with 3DPrinterOS and Sketchfab, so I guess what’s good for the goose may be good for the gander and MyMiniFactory will now be embedding social media feeds. So the question I have is: how does this help? What are the benefits of yet another way to “stay connected?” The answer seems to be that MyMiniFactory is seeking to be more than a mere repository for 3D content but rather a ‘space’ for active interaction and creation of such content.
This continued expansion of opportunities doesn’t come for free, as you can imagine. Instead, MyMiniFactory is engaged in a crowdfunding campaign through Seedrs, a company that helps investors and the business community connect–and already met their funding goal. And just this week they have unveiled the personalized homepage that will act as the social feed for their users. It’s hard to say yet if this idea is brilliant or gimmicky and really, the only possible way to know is to see how it evolves over time.
In the meantime, they are asking for feedback and promise to continue to refine and improve the experience. I’d be interested to know how those of you out there who are regular users at MyMiniFactory feel about this new option, so drop me a line – you can find me through social media.
Let’s hear your thoughts on this addition to the MyMiniFactory platform in the Social Feed forum thread on 3DPB.com.
