Part IV:  And the Winner is…

If you spend any time online, for work or play, chances are pretty good that you belong to at least one social network.  Whole blogs are devoted to the subject of social networking and making the most of these communities, and many experts have weighed in on their choice for best networking sites.

Some of my favorite sites are:

Ignite Social Media

123 Social Media

PR 2.0

Social Media Explorer

Going Social Now

But what I’d love to do is hear from my readers about which network they have found the most useful in their marketing.  Is there a site that offers something unique that has made all the difference?  Have you found the users on a particular site to be more receptive to making new contacts?  Is there a site that gives you the best collection of networking tools?

Leave me a comment with a link to your profile on your favorite networking site.  Next month, we’ll announce the winner with a post that brings together the collective comments for the top three social networking sites–the sites that have what we would term  a true Networlding community experience.  This is your opportunity to voice your opinion, and hear with other users have to say about their Web 2.0 experience.  So vote today and tune in for the results to see how many others agree with you!

–
Melissa Giovagnoli
Founder and President
Networlding: Helping You Build Better Business Faster
Speaking, Coaching, Online Marketing Consulting Leveraging the Science of Networks

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Part III:  The Definition of a World-Class Network

While there is an element of personal preference to choosing a social network, there are a few things that you should check for before you make a decision to invest your time and energy there.  These are the core elements that any good social network should have, and the bare minimum criteria when defining a world-class network.

Demographics

You want to make sure that the people you’re meeting in this network are actually going to be interested in what you’re selling.   No matter how highly a site is ranked, if it is inhabited entirely of kids from 14-18 and you’re selling life insurance; you are not going to get a good response.  Determining who uses the site, and what percentage of the users fall within your target demographic is a great way to isolate the best sites for you to spend time on.

Flexible Search

If you’re working on a popular social network, you may have millions of potential contacts.  It would be pointless to try to include them all as your contacts.  You want to be able to locate people within a certain age group, in a specific location, or with special interests that pertain to your company.  The better the search function, the better you’ll be able to use the network.  You need to be able to do advanced searches using multiple criteria to really zero in on your ideal contacts before you spend any time adding them to your profile.

Video Capability

The single most important development in Web 2.0 in the last year is the use of video.  This doesn’t require sophisticated production or high end equipment.  In fact, the amateur quality of these videos seems to add to their appeal.  Regardless, you need to be able to utilize this important marketing tool on any site you choose for your networking.

Mobile Capability

Another important development is the use of mobile or handheld devices for web use.  More and more people are surfing the web from their Blackberry, iPhone, or cell.  However, not all websites are set up to be accessible by these mobile devices.  You must be sure that any site you’re using translates to this important platform.

Bulletins

While I am opposed to using Bulletins for the bulk of your networking, there are times when you need to get some information out to everyone you know…fast!  Bulletins will allow you to send a single message to everyone in your personal contacts, which means you can be the first to break industry news and share other important information quickly and efficiently.

Customizable

It’s true that a lot of people go way overboard with these customizable templates.  Some sites are full of all kinds of crazy graphics which make them look more like the inside of a junior high school locker than an adult social network.  Nevertheless, you do want to make sure your profile is sufficiently customizable because you need to be able to stand out in the crowd.  Some sites will even let you use your company logo and other easily identifiable graphics.  Several of the sites allow you to name your own URL which you can use in conjunction with your regular company website.

These are very basic requirements, and many sites fulfill most, if not all of them.  So in the end, it really boils down to user preference.  That’s why I want to hear from you!  Join me tomorrow for Part IV:  “And the Winner is…”

–
Melissa Giovagnoli
Founder and President
Networlding: Helping You Build Better Business Faster

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Part II:  Choose Wisely

There are literally thousands of sites that you can use for social networking.  Some of them cater to specific interest groups such as an industry (technology, fashion, non-profit) or location (city, state, country), while others are diverse in their members’ interests and used for socializing on a global scale.  Obviously everyone has heard of MySpace (www.myspace.com)  and Facebook (www.facebook.com).  These two sites hold the Alexa Ranks of #6 and #8 most popular websites in the world–and for good reason.  They have a set of characteristics which make them extremely valuable from a personal and professional standpoint.  However, there are other networks that have similar characteristics and which are gaining in popularity.

Orkut.com (www.orkut.com) is a Google owned and operated social networking site that is coming up fast with an Alexa page rank of 11.  Hi5.com (www.hi5.com), Friendster.com (www.friendster.com), and Skyrock.com (www.skyrock.com) are also in the top 50.  It seems like there are unlimited options—and a Web 2.0 marketer may feel like a kid in a candy store with all these great sites to choose from.

But one of the most important elements to successful social networking is being consistent and really building your network based on personal interaction.  All too often you see people creating profiles and logging in once a week to blast out a generic message to their network in a spam-like fashion.  This is simply not going to get you anywhere in Web 2.0, and in fact, it is going to work to your detriment.  One of the most important elements of social networking is the genuine connection that your contacts must feel for you and your company.

That means that unless you have unlimited time and resources, you need to be able to pick a small handful of networks and genuinely cultivate your contacts without wasting time.  The question then becomes, “which ones are the best?”  Join me tomorrow for Part III where I will discuss: “The Definition of a World-Class Network.”

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Part I: The Best of the Best

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that social networking (otherwise known as Web 2.0) has revolutionized the way every industry thinks about their marketing and advertising.  People who are buying are buying online—and from companies they have formed a connection with through their social networks. Thousands of networking sites have cropped up hoping to be the next MySpace or Facebook, luring people by the millions to build profiles and create virtual communities that are ripe for savvy marketers to infiltrate.

One of the most interesting things about these different communities is how each of them has its own unique environment that is almost tangible.  In the same way that real life locations have their own ambiance, so do these cyber hangouts.  Spending a few minutes on these sites, you’ll see huge differences in demographics, communication styles, professionalism, and usability.  The key then, is not simply putting in time building a network, but building a network on a site that is going to be most receptive to your marketing style and/or product.

In this four-part series, I’ll discuss some of the ways to identify the best social networks, and give you the readers the opportunity to vote on the overall BEST social networking sites from your perspective.  I’ve entitled it “Going for the Gold:  The Best of Social Marketing Online.”  Inspired by the Olympics, where only the best compete and the best of the best gets the gold, we will bestow our own “Gold Medal” on the overall best social networking site.  Naturally, since there are so many excellent sites out there to choose from, we’ll have a “Silver” and “Bronze” category, too.   Join me tomorrow for Part II:  “Choose Wisely.”

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Ever since I read an article on Larry Brilliant by past president, Jimmy Carter, I have been fascinated by the depth and breadth of the work he is doing at Google. Head of Google’s foundation (www.google.org), Brilliant has done not-so-simple things like helping the the World Health Organization eradicate small pox. Now he’s taking on an even greater opportunity of using power and influence (over a billion dollars worth from Google) to "to do good."

To this end his focus is on such things as "developing cheaper renewable energy, commercializing plug-in vehicles, increasing capital to small business in the developing world and predicting and preventing emerging threats such as environmental conditions and climate change" as Brilliant offered in Carter’s article. This is a wonderful set of goals.

However, the question I have is how can we achieve these goals faster with better results? I offer the concept of Networlding as an approach. First, let me preface my thoughts by saying that the Networlding methodology which we sell to the for-profit world is free to the non-profit world. Any non-profit professional wants to have our e-guidebook and e-booklet can email us (www.networlding.com) to get a copy. We also have consultants who are willing to help with initiatives that want to use the methodology.

To this end some of the key pieces would look like this:

• the creation of an action plan that is grounded in values; we recommend the four values that have been used with great success by my friend and colleague, Susan Davis which are: "making a difference, integrity, collaboration and innovation." We have found these values accelerate the success of any group initiative.
• the development of a leadership team that mentors in small, manageable groups other small groups of "leaders-in-waiting."
• constant, incremental support and facilitation of small groups working together for a common goal while also getting support from one another to achieve individual goals.
• sharing the best practices back to all the participants.
• and finally, "doing well by doing good." As Carter commented, "Many corporations have learned that investing in philanthropy attracts concerned investors and talented employees, builds brand loyalty, burnishes reputations and helps create a healthier and more prosperous economy for all of us." Why is it so simple for some to get and others its a foreign language?

Of course there is much more detail in the methodology and non-profits such as Brilliant is running would benefit from the many learnings we have had throughout the last couple of decades by the growing members of The Networlding Partner Alliance. So, if I only could work with Larry Brilliant . . . .

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