Hulu Launches Social Networking Platform

Not to be confused with the old NBC show of the same name, today Hulu has launched a social networking platform called Hulu Friends. The WSJ reports, the features are much like Facebook’s, “such as the ability for users to create online profiles and share videos with each other.”

By getting people to register on the site and create a profile, Hulu can mine user data with the hopes of drawing more targeted advertising. The Journal reports other video sites, including Joost and TV.com, have similar functions.

Hulu streamed nearly 309 million videos in February, up 32% from January. YouTube remains the leader in online-video with nearly 5.2 billion streams last month.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.