On Sept. 19, a Saturday — by all rights a day when normal people do their chores and pay attention to their families — I noticed a spike in my Twitter following. In one day, more than 100 new followers jumped on my bandwagon, bringing the total number up to somewhere north of 400. Now, admittedly, I’ve been slow to jump on the latest social network craze. Some of my fellow industry analysts have formed entire business models based on supporting enterprises in their social networking strategies and have thousands of followers, but I have remained skeptical.
I think we are on the cusp of moving beyond the online social network of today to a more fully functional collaborative communication environment. For those interested in what happens next in the world of online social media, there are a whole new set of applications emerging such as HuTribe and Google Wave that will allow for even more advanced online and mobile social networking. These new apps allow people to communicate online and on the go much like we do in the real world. They will transform online social networking from being purely voyeuristic and "fun" to being both a fun AND a utilitarian tool we use as often as we use email today. HuTribe is live today at www.hutribe.com and Google Wave is coming in the next few months.
Hello Roger: And thanks for your candid and honest assessment of the latest in Social Networking on the web. Indeed, this is a dynamic virtual creature, and you are right that initially it seems like a waste of time. However, as you correctly cited, social networks can be used strategically to gain a following from readers. The key, of course, is not to become a spammer. Rather, you offer fresh content and meaningful information to your posts and profile. That way, you build credibility and can then take things from there. Regards, Keith Johnson
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Caught Up in the Social Networking Frenzy
Posted by: Roger L. Kay October 1, 2009 04:00 AMOn Sept. 19, a Saturday — by all rights a day when normal people do their chores and pay attention to their families — I noticed a spike in my Twitter following. In one day, more than 100 new followers jumped on my bandwagon, bringing the total number up to somewhere north of 400. Now, admittedly, I’ve been slow to jump on the latest social network craze. Some of my fellow industry analysts have formed entire business models based on supporting enterprises in their social networking strategies and have thousands of followers, but I have remained skeptical.