Social Networks - Why? How? How much? Frances Bell, Salford Business School, Talk given to Chapel Street Business Group www.chapelstreet.org , Thursday 21 February, 2008 in University of Salford Think Lab .

Agenda What is Social Networking? Why would SN be relevant to SMEs, Charities, and larger NFPOs? How can Organisations use SNS? How much does it cost? – effort and hard cash?

What is a social networking site? http:// www.commoncraft.com /video-social-networking

http:// www.commoncraft.com /video-social-networking

What is a social networking site? Web-based service that allows you to: Create (semi-) public profile Connect to others View your own and others’ connections (at your and their discretion) http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html Where you meet your friends/family/business contacts online and find new ones? Facebook , My Space Where you meet your business contacts online and find new ones? Are the personal and the business separate? How do we network? Around personal contact – messages, gifts, ‘emotions’ Around objects - images, videos, ‘knowledge’ Around interests –talking about offline activities Around professional concerns How is this different online? The network is/can be visible Without the richness of touch and presence but can share increasingly ‘rich’ objects Brief tour of facebook http://salford.facebook.com/profile.php?id=740690164

Web-based service that allows you to:

Create (semi-) public profile

Connect to others

View your own and others’ connections (at your and their discretion)

http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

Where you meet your friends/family/business contacts online and find new ones? Facebook , My Space

Where you meet your business contacts online and find new ones?

Are the personal and the business separate?

How do we network?

Around personal contact – messages, gifts, ‘emotions’

Around objects - images, videos, ‘knowledge’

Around interests –talking about offline activities

Around professional concerns

How is this different online?

The network is/can be visible

Without the richness of touch and presence but can share increasingly ‘rich’ objects

Brief tour of facebook http://salford.facebook.com/profile.php?id=740690164

Why would SN be relevant to SMEs, Charities, and larger NFPOs? All Personal professional network http:// www.linkedin.com / Marketing Sharing knowledge SMEs http://www.sme-blog.net/sme_blog/small_business_facts/index.html Charities, NFPOs http://www.justgiving.com/danbell http://beth.typepad.com/ http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/02/08/pros-and-cons-of-facebook-activism/

All

Personal professional network

http:// www.linkedin.com /

Marketing

Sharing knowledge

SMEs

http://www.sme-blog.net/sme_blog/small_business_facts/index.html

Charities, NFPOs

http://www.justgiving.com/danbell

http://beth.typepad.com/

http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2008/02/08/pros-and-cons-of-facebook-activism/

How can Organisations use SNS? A political campaign http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk A University h ttp://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MvkwbzASyGw Selling products as value-added services http://www.moo.com/flickr/

A political campaign http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk

A University h ttp://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MvkwbzASyGw

Selling products as value-added services http://www.moo.com/flickr/

How much does it cost? – effort and hard cash? Some ideas and words of warning http://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang/vlab-shaking-the-money-tree-social-networks/ ‘ Free’ services http://Blogger.com http://flickr.com http://facebook.com http://linked-in.com Commercial services http://www.typepad.com/ Owned services, examples Use Open Source or Commercial Software on your own server Use Open Source or Commercial Software on hosted server Issues are maturity of use and understanding, degree of control, investment of time and money

Some ideas and words of warning

http://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang/vlab-shaking-the-money-tree-social-networks/

‘ Free’ services

http://Blogger.com http://flickr.com http://facebook.com http://linked-in.com

Commercial services

http://www.typepad.com/

Owned services, examples

Use Open Source or Commercial Software on your own server

Use Open Source or Commercial Software on hosted server

Issues are maturity of use and understanding, degree of control, investment of time and money

Questions and Discussion