Looks like Paul Brody, Chip and Randy have been hard at work at Yahoo. I'm intensely excited about this as are others who recall its code name Mingle. I don't want to get in the way of the announcement so I'll keep my comments brief and not discuss filling Yahoo's Director, Product Management, Community Apps position (Marion ??) addressing the galaxy of PRDs and MRDs. Or, why I really like www.adaptivepath.com and 37Signals.

The idea - Yahoo 360 - is VERY much needed, makes perfect sense for Yahoo and is actually overdue. The only thought that keeps banging up against my head is the fact that our little collective (bloggers, technologists, early adaptors, entrepreneures etc.) all want (actually NEED) a product that is OUR product. The easy success then later failure of Orkut is directly related to its tied to the hip relationship with Google. I have yet to read anywhere the unwritten desire of bloggers and the technical elite to belong to their own 'hand built' communities... real - or perceived. I think there is a direct correlation between the perception of MY own blog (that I helped build) and the community that was built 'for me' by others... Does this thought make sense to anyone else? I'm sure back in the day you rode the horses you helped breed, and looked down on those who didn't know (in depth) the lines of their ride. Later in the 50's it was all about customizing your HOT ROD and brands like Ford and Chevy were the foundations. Will Google and Yahoo become the Fords and Chevys of the 21st century? I don't think we are there yet, but we're getting close.

Mike Liedke from AP writes...
The service is designed to enable Yahoo's 165 million registered users to pull content from the Web site's discussion groups, online photo albums and review section to plug into their own Web logs, or blogs, the Internet shorthand used to describe online personal journals.

According to the Yahoo 360 splash page...

With Yahoo! 360?, you'll have one place to keep the important people in your life connected to you. And one place for you to stay connected to them.

Easily invite your friends and family

It's very easy to plug all of your people in. With just a few clicks you can invite any -- or everyone from you Yahoo! Messenger friends list, you Yahoo! Address Book or (after beta) from Microsoft Outlook to connect to you.
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From: Julie Herendeen, VP of Network Products at Yahoo! (disclosure: Julie and I are old friends from HBS) tonight about the service. Yahoo! 360 will have three major components:

1) Blogs for Yahoo! users. You?ll be able to control access to the blog by designing how can see which sections. Presumably, this

2) The ability to add content from within the Yahoo! network to the personal space. This will primarily include Yahoo! Photos, but also any reviews you?ve written for local businesses, music/movie reviews, and Yahoo! Groups. This will eventually evolve to also include non-Yahoo! network content, presumably through RSS feeds (an extension of Yahoo!?s RSS service available today on MyYahoo!)

3) Be able to see reviews from people within your ?social network??. This would include music, movie, and even local business reviews, with the idea that you trust the reviews more from people that you know. It?s a little unclear at this point (I was being briefed right before getting on a flight) whether this feature will be available with the launch or in a later edition.