The other day I had a chance interaction. I met a Ping fan, which is like spotting a Dodo bird.

Mid-lecture at a university, I talked about the problems facing music-based social networks.

One girl kindly raised her hand and said:

"All of my friends and I use Ping."

In that moment, I almost stumbled, Ping has been so universally slammed within music industry circles that I've never written about it. Quickly, I conjured to mind that Ping is an ecommerce platform – inside a walled garden – that thinks it's a social network, but it's not. This is the generally what people say about Ping.

Steven Levy, a long-time Apple commentator, even called Ping half-baked. He's not alone. I don't think I've ever read a remark about Ping that wasn't sarcastic.

There's nothing compelling about Ping and the under experience is terrible. Who wants updates from PR puppets that all contain links asking you to buy stuff?

I don't.

Yet, the question remains: Are we wrong about Ping? Or did I meet the only fan?

Share your thoughts below.