I have watched Flock evolve from having a few features for social bookmarking, blogging, and media (back in the Photobucket & Flickr only days), and it has been a privilege to be a part of such a monumental project.

I truly believe that Flock has the potential to change the way the world browses the internet, and I'm really proud to be one of the "original" Flockstars. I think the improvements made to Flock have been profound, and as it stands, it is a phenomenal piece of Software that I share with everyone I know who is even remotely interested in social media.

However, there are a few basic things that I think would really, REALLY put Flock on the map.

I think most of us who are involved in Web 2.0 or social media use or have used pages like Netvibes, Pageflakes, or iGoogle to help compile our browsing into one place. And while Flock helps eliminate some of the need for these things, with features such as the RSS reader and the like, I think adapting the "My World" page to be more like these services (customizable layout, color choices, more "widgets", etc.) would really, really expand Flock's audience and potential.

For example, one of the things that I find, well, almost annoying about the My World page is that there are only truly four widgets on them, and I truly believe that three of the four could be compiled into one.

However, there is a lot of potential for other widgets to be added. For example, a weather widget. Simple, easy, but very effective. Sure, we could simply subscribe to the Weather.com feed for our area, but then we have over 16 feed entries per hour, when all we really want is to glance at the weather every so often.

Another widget possibility would be a set of organizable bookmarks that are "daily" bookmarks that a user might check each day when they first load the browser, such as a webcomic or forum. While these may appear in the "Recent Favorites" widget, this is not always a guarantee. I know from experience that my "Recent Favorites" list tends to cycle like a motor bike because I favorite many, many pages that I may visit throughout the day, and thus, the ones I would like to be there when I first open my browser are usually not there as they've been bumped off.

Also, having a widget that shows you your ten most recent emails would be useful, because while Flock's webmail support does have this feature, you must be signed in to see it, and it involves clicking and mousing over, as opposed to opening the browser, and boom, there is your world laid out for you to see (one of the MAJOR perks of Netvibes/Pageflakes).

Now, some would argue "Why not just make your start page Netvibes or Pageflakes?"

For one, I like that My World reads from my browser and my activities and is tied into my browser as opposed to being a completely seperate site that has to load. And secondly, seeing as how Flock is the social browser with an extreme web 2.0 focus, I think this could be a huge draw for non-Flock users as well as a perk for the rest of us.

Also, another suggestion I have concerns the RSS reader. While I realize that the more things that are added to Flock, the slower it will run and the more resources it consumes, I have noticed that compared to some of the add-on RSS readers for Firefox, Flock's built in RSS reader is lacking somewhat.

Don't get me wrong, I love the side-by-side formatting, and the simplicity of the sidebar. However, I think we could use some more options for reorganizing our feeds in the side bar, as well as a way to customize the look and feel of our feeds. Perhaps changing the color layout, or the size of the fonts. Also, the ability to designate how often the reader should check for new content in a feed, as well as limiting the number of posts shown on the feed page would be very, very nice.

Oh, and perhaps blogging support for Vox (please, please)?

I also was pondering the possibility of providing a list of "Suggested Links" to services other than those that are actually supported in Flock, such as Web 2.0 services that might not necessarily need integration, but that may prove useful to Flock users, such as Piknik (free, online photo editing tools), Meebo (browser based, multi-protocol instant messaging software), Skype (believe it or not, not everyone knows about it), or even the aforementioned start page sites like Netvibes and Pageflakes.

Also, any chance of seeing a mobile version of Flock for USB thumbnail drives? Perhaps removing some of the more excessive features but retaining some of the social networking functionality for those of us on the go?
Oh, and I was wondering if there is any chance we might see some sort of integration for other social services, like the aforementioned Meebo?

Again, I am not trying to complain or whine. Flock is a valuable piece of software that I absolutely love and would never, ever take for granted. I simply want to help make Flock better for my fellow Flockstars and to help lure people into the wonderfulness that is Flock.

Basically my idea comes down to this: Making Flock the all-in-one, all-inclusive hub of Web 2.0 and social software that basically provides all the tools a person needs for a quick, easy, and a well integrated social experience!