Pandora net radio now a social network

Music service Pandora appears to be making a transition from an Internet music service to a social network, while undergoing a technological makeover as well. Pandora said that users can soon follow friends and others to see what they are discussing or listening to, and also share their thoughts on the service. "Discover new music (and comedy) stations to try. Follow friends and others on Pandora, see what they are listening to, what they are discussing and liking on Pandora. Share your discoveries, talk about old favorites, thumbs-up or comment on artists, songs and stations," it said. It also said its "My Profile" feature gives users a place to track what they are thumbing-up on Pandora, who they are following, and comments from friends. The site itself also promises to be faster, using the new HTML5 technology. "The all new design is easy to use. Improved station creation, station suggestions, genre browsing and player controls are always at the top so you can thumb, pause, skip etc. even while reading more about the music and interacting with friends," it added. Available to premium users Tech site Wired said that the new service is rolling out now to premium Pandora One subscribers ($3 per month). "Later, users of the free, ad-supported version will see the changes too," it said. Raves from TechCrunch Pandora's apparent re-invention drew raves from tech site TechCrunch, which described the transformation as "pretty stunning." "New Pandora is beautiful. I cannot think of a single thing I like better about the old site," it said. TechCrunch particularly lauded the back button, which allows users to go back to previous sites, just like in a browser. — TJD, GMA News