RockMelt: Social Web Browsing

(Credit: Screenshot by Rafe Needleman/CNET)

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have become a sort of center for the internet, so it makes sense that a browser designed around them would come along.

Although a social web browser already exists, it isn’t backed by Marc Andreessen, creator of Mosaic, one of the first-ever web browsers. RockMelt, however, has his full support.

RockMelt is a social web browser. The browser integrates websites like Facebook and Twitter into one easy-to-use interface. With RockMelt, you can stay involved with your Facebook and Twitter accounts while seamlessly browsing the web. According to Cnet.com, RockMelt integrates these social networks without being obnoxious.

When using RockMelt, your Facebook friends will appear on a sidebar on the left and your social network icons will appear on a sidebar on the right. This simple addition to web browsing allows you to surf the web without stopping to open Facebook and check who is online. It even includes a “share” button next to the URL field, allowing you to share any website with your friends at any time.

According to Cnet, the RockMelt browser does not sacrifice speed to include the social networking features. Actually, they suggest it moves similarly in speed to Google Chrome.

The RockMelt browser is still in its beta phase, but you can give it a try if you want. Just go to http://www.rockmelt.com/ and request an invitation through Facebook, but only if you have a Facebook account. Once you “reserve” a spot to try the beta version, you will have to be patient until they send you an invitation within a couple days.

With Bing, Yahoo, and now the improved Google search, it’s surprising to think there’s room for yet another web browser. Well, at least another successful web browser. But when you consider the popularity of quick apps and social networks, it’s even more surprising to think that nobody has yet found success with a socially focused browser.

Whether RockMelt succeeds or not, we are headed towards a more social way to surf the web, whether we want it or not. Soon, every browser will offer social networking features, Facebook friends lists, Twitter feeds, and You Tube uploaders. RockMelt is probably just the inspiration, but you never know; it could surprise us.