20 Viable Social Network Ideas Pat Kitano, MediaTransparent .com

What Makes a Viable Social Network? Participants Need to Network and Collaborate with Others in their Field 1. Common Purpose

Make it Scalable 2. Critical Mass of Users Networks are more Viable when there are a Lot of Participants 12,000 Beekeepers in the US don’t scale… over 2 million involved in the Real Estate Industry does scale

Make it Attractive 3. Networks Need Leaders Do-It-Yourself Networks Started by Unknowns Rarely Gain Traction

Use Celebrity 3. Networks Need Leaders Marc Andreessen, Founder and Ning and Netscape has built Ning into a leading DIY social network platform High Profile Works to Attract Followers

Make it Indispensable 4. Networks Need Data Networks Should Leverage User-Generated Data that Fuels the Context of the Conversation

Give it Integrity 5. No Participant Spamming Networks Don’t Work if Participants Use It as an Advertising Platform

Make it Easy to Use 6. Networks Need Simplicity Twitter Simplifies Broadcasts to your Network In 140 characters or less

Certain Verticals Scale Well Self Expressive Verticals Consumer Advocacy and Opinions General Social Networks Cultural Verticals

General Social Networks Too Many to Count Friendfeed Profiles all these Networks

Cultural Verticals Social Networks based on Cultures Evolved Early Academic Political Culture Dating Age Some Networks Grew Up

Self Expression Verticals Video, Music, Sports and Travel are Highly Personalized and Emotional “ Porn can be included, but very few (except those with webcams) want to identify themselves”

Opinion Verticals Online Shopping Sites have Well Developed Consumer Communities Local Review Sites have Become Big Brand Names

What Doesn’t Scale Small Industries HVAC Network Hobbies Specialist Occupations

What Doesn’t Work “ Health Care Professionals Can’t Contribute Advice Online without Liability Issues” Litigious Industries So They are Forming their Own Closed Networks

Few Industries have Social Networks Real Estate is a Unique Industry Vertical that Uses Social Media for Lead Generation Some Big Industries are too Arcane for Networks What would a Community of Pharmaceutical Workers Discuss?

Ten Industries that can Support Scalable Social Networks Restaurants Travel Retail Fashion Hollywood Academia Food Global Trade Green New Age

Restaurant Industry Network FohBoh.com is a Good Example of a Restaurant Industry Network that Connects Restaurant Workers

Foodies Network Recipes have been Exchanged for Centuries “ Great Synergy with Restaurant Networks”

Travel Industry Network TripAdvisor.com is for Consumer Content, a Travel Industry Network Discusses Travel from an Industry Perspective “ And Consumers would Peruse for Deals”

Retail Network Retailing is a Vendor Intensive Industry that will Support Diverse B2B Conversations

Film Industry Network The Ultimate Networked Industry icewhole is a first, but Celebrities could Ignite a New One

Global Trade Network Potentially Multi-Lingual, Participants Discuss Import/Export and Market Opportunities “… but they have to contribute substance, and not spam deal flow”

Academic Research Network Academic Research is Opaque and Siloed behind University Gates… a Collaborative Network can Open these Walls

Green Network Green / Clean Living Social Networks for the Betterment of Humanity and the Earth “ Buzzword du Jour”

Self Help / New Age Network Highly Personalized Content Inspires Loyal Participation

Ten Occupational Social Networks Car Mechanics Law Enforcement Truck Drivers Paparazzi Case Study Network Lawyers Insurance Agents Teachers Consumer Advocates Performing Artists

Car Mechanics Network Leverage the Popularity of NPR’s Car Talk to a Community of Car Mechanics Describing How-To’s

Law Enforcement Network The Popularity of Reality Cop Shows Translates into a Reality Community that Talks about their Life Work

Truck Drivers Network CB Radio Fueled the First Occupational “Network” in the 70’s… Mobile Devices and Wifi Truck Stops Should Fuel this Community “… unless they die crashing while thumbing”

Paparazzi Network Celebrity Flickr? Gain Notoriety! “ This is a No-Brainer”

Performing Artists Network Bringing Performers, Pro and Amateur, into Conversations and Videos about the Arts and Production “ Schools especially Need Resources for Amateur Productions”

Insurance Agent Network Insurance of All Kinds Confounds the Consumer Like Real Estate Bloggers, Insurance Agent Bloggers don’t have to Discuss Boring Insurance Issues, They canTrack their Neighborhood

Lawyers Network The Diversity of the Law Promotes Knowledge Sharing and Networking for Resources Legal On Rmap is a Closed Invitation Social Network… an Open Network would Benefit the Masses with General Advice (under Blanket Disclaimer, of course)

Teachers Network Teachers Network for Jobs, Curriculum Ideas and Self-Marketing Teachers.net Comes Close, but its Forum-based Community doesn’t Profile Participants

Consumer Advocates Network Consumer Reviews are Currently Ensconced in Shopping Sites Consumer Reports Online doesn’t have Community because they still want to Charge for Content Develop a Massive Product Database and Let Users Rate and Review Them

Case Study Network For Managers Everywhere, Create and Upload Case Studies for Distribution and Feedback “ Case Studies are Effective Resume Supplements”

MediaTransparent.com Documents the Future of Social Media as it Converges with the Mainstream Media From the Author of Transparent Real Estate

Domus Media Builds Social Media Pat Kitano, Domus Media , pkitano (at) gmail