BakeSpace: Cooking, "caking," and social networking

Yesterday I was reading the PSFK Trend blog and came across a post about several emerging social networks for foodies. I made a New Year's resolution to stop relying on take-out and pizza (an easy habit to fall into in Manhattan, where practically every eating establishment offers free delivery) so I thought I'd check out one of them, BakeSpace, to see if I could pick up some cooking tips.

I quite liked it. The site provides a diverse range of ways for "cookers and cakers" to network (there's apparently an important distinction between people who cook and people who bake). They can find new recipes and food ideas, amass a friends list, and communicate through message boards and a chat room. It's a cute format, too--instead of a profile, you have a "kitchen," where you can share your favorite recipes, audio and video content. And you'd better keep that kitchen tidy, because other members can rate the quality of it. I guess the foodie community can be pretty competitive.

Here is my one gripe: As a piece of technology there is really nothing new or innovative about BakeSpace. Though the front page is cute, the site itself is pretty low-tech in the "it could've been coded in 2001" sense. But think about it: it's a community for kitchen aficionados, not techies. The recipes look mouth-watering. Clicking around on profiles, I can see that quite a few members boast culinary school degrees. The site's easy enough to use, and doesn't appear to be full of bugs. As we see more and more "niche" social networking sites emerge, not all of them will be showing off the latest in Ajax as though it were a pair of designer shoes. Because, the truth is, a lot of niches and subcultures are going to care more about the content than the presentation. And I'd assume that the foodie crowd would be one of them--after all, if it doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well it's arranged on the plate.

[njconcierge]

Nice Front Page...Hard to read sections

I like the soft touch of the Front Page on Bake Space but looking around I was disappointed to find their 'blog pick' very hard to read.
I agree with you that it does not need to be dazzling but I think the site in some areas is lacking, they should make it neat and clear at least.

Serge
Blog:
http://www.sergetheconcierge.com

[BakeSpace]

BakeSpace.com

Hi Serge,

This is Babette from BakeSpace. Thanks for checking out our site and providing some useful feedback.

As for the blogs - we moved the site to a new, much upgraded server just a few days ago. While the site moves faster with many improved capabilities, we've experienced a few hiccups along the way. One of those hiccups involves how fonts are formatted on our blogs. We're working to get this resolved.

More than a food blog or forum, BakeSpace is a social networking site based on a unique recipe exchange system. We like to say that members come for the food, but stay for the conversation. We'd love to have you join the site and let us know your thoughts on the entire BakeSpace experience. You may even find a tasty recipe or two -

http://www.bakespace.com

[noeticknight]

"Good" Social Network Cooking Sites

I'm not sure why BakeSpace.com received a favorable listing here since this is all about innovative and creative [social networking] sites?

BakeSpace.com claims its members can upload video content (a strong must for today's social network sites), but no upload functionality is visible anywhere, navigation is hard to use, content is poorly managed, page flow is somewhat irritating (primary sections are not designed as part of the site... the forum is a _parent new window, what's with that?)... c'mon gang.

I see 2 GOOD Web 20 social network sites are there; GroupRecipes and IPTV Recipes (IPTVRecipes.com). IPTV Recipes is the most recent and, frankly, the most attractive, content organized, and rich.

I don't think this is a unique opinion :)

NoeticKnight