Just as FaceBook gets cocky and MySpace starts selling music, Microsoft decides that it needs to be in the social networking game. Just announced is Wallop – Get into Wallop, Make it Yours! The blurbs explain that Wallop is “Under your control. Socialize with the people you know — and want to know — in a safe, ad free environment where you control who has access to your personal account.”

You must be invited to join after submitting a little essay telling why you should belong to “the exclusive social experience where it’s easy to ‘be you’ and connect with the friends you choose.” (italics is theirs).

Yes it’s Beta.

Flash programmers are encourged to make mods and sell them on the site. This reveals the unique aspect of the site:

Wallop is a new type of social networking site combined with a marketplace for buying and selling graphical effects called Wallop Mods for your profile. At Wallop we believe the next wave is all about self expression online similar to the ways we express ourselves in the real world by purchasing clothes, decorating a room or wearing jewelry. While Wallop is great for communicating with your friends, it is also a rich platform for Flash designers and content creators to develop Mods and make money doing it. We make it easy for you to design and create Mods that allow people to express themselves!