Dipity, a Friendfeed like social network aggregator that lets users view updates in a timeline, has been launched to the public.  The network allows users to import their updates from services such as Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, and their personal blogs to a single timeline.

In addition to seeing their own data, users can also view their friends’ updates through “one-click” imports from email address books and social networks like Twitter.  Another feature enables users to create timelines based on keywords such as election or iPhone.

For anyone who appreciates a more graphical view of their various feeds, seeing them plotted on an expandable time line will be a great improvement over other aggregators.  There are other views available within Dipity as well, such as a “flip book” style window that looks somewhat like the iTunes movie selector.

I found the timeline to be a bit slow on refresh and it took longer than I would have expected to import my Twitter contacts (I don’t have that many).  This might have been because it is the first day the site is out to the general public.  I advise those, who like the interface, to hang in there for a while before making a final judgment on performance.

I would like to see an easier way to interact with other users and comment on updates, however that does not seem to be this site’s purpose.  To me, that begs the question: What will keep people coming back?  This may come down to habit and personal preference, however the driving factor in my returning to any social network is typically the ability to engage in a dialogue with other members.

That being said, Dipity is the first service I’ve seen in a long time that truly represents something new and is not just a rehash or fresh coat of paint on an existing set of features.

Have you tried Dipity yet?  What’s your impression?

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