What is social networking and how is it different to a plain old fashioned website?

Social networking is the new hot trend at the moment. Have you ever thought of YouTube and MySpace and thought “what’s the deal?” Many people ask why these website are gaining so much attention? The short answer is that new web technologies and almost ubiquitous Internet connectivity has allowed users to experience the web in a whole new way.

These websites are getting mainstream press coverage, in part, because of the massive deals that are being made. More eyeballs are now turning away from traditional TV, print and radio media.

But what is so different about social networking?

A social network is defined by wikipedia as:

A social structure made of nodes which are generally individuals or organizations. It indicates the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds.

Note that there is no mention of technology in this definition. Having a strong social network has been a competitive advantage for humans to survive and thrive. Connecting with one another is still a basic human need. As we all know, networking in business is vitally important for professionals for career advancement and for companies to sustain their profitability.

A social networking website facilitates the connection between people. (In the strictest sense, dating websites are commonly considered to be the first social networking websites). It’s about connecting with your friends and colleagues online and new web technologies are the tools facilitating social networking websites. Traditional website tend to contain static information and maybe a blog and a forum; they do not actively try to create linkages between it’s members.

Social Networking Examples:

MySpace

MySpace allows people to connect and share information, in multiple formats and structures, news etc. with their friends and extended networks. There are over 100 million users of MySpace globally (predominantly teenagers and young adults). It gives you an insight into the “future generation”, how they know interact with people in the virtual world and how they expect to interact when they enter the workforce.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn targets professionals looking to connect with one another to explore business development opportunities, jobs and investment opportunities. It works off the principle of “6 degrees” of separation. Your contact details are only exposed to those that you invite into your network. Example: Imagine if you are a Business Development Manager looking for a lead within IBM. You can then use your contacts within LinkedIn to see if their contacts can help find a contact within IBM. If you were a member of LinkedIn with 50 direct contacts – this means your social network is now estimated at 1 million people.

So can your business benefit from a social network website?

Here are a few questions to consider:

  • Do you need to build a community with your customers to foster brand loyalty?
  • Is it beneficial for your customers to network and connect with each other?
  • Are you trying to build a distribution/sales channel with outside parties?
  • Does your business need to link to, disseminate and utilise information content?

If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, then consider a social networking site. You can either create one from scratch or become part of an existing one – eg. LinkedIn, MySpace or one that is focused on your particular industry, and linking you to the people, networks and content you need to grow your business.

Social networks are nothing new. It is and always will be the lifeblood of business. By coupling the need for connections to information, networks and resources with new technology, social networking websites have the potential to open up business opportunities, new partners and new markets.