social networking
Modeling The True Value Of Social Networks: 2009 Edition
Fascinating report plotting the market value of the main social networking sites. Facebook comes out tops.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/03
Time on social networks almost doubles in a year
A fascinating, factoid-filled article: "Facebook, which has more than 200 million active members and has become so mainstream it now hosts Pope Benedict and a list of world leaders." Makes the point, however, that sites can fall out of fashion just as quickly as they become fashionable in the first place.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/02
Britons say broadband 'essential'
We can quibble over the precise numbers ("73% of those questioned," who was questioned?), but I think the article makes a useful point. The Internet is not something anyone in business can afford to ignore, or even to be half-hearted about. Whoever you think your market is, a significant portion of it is likely to be online. The follow-up is what are they doing and how can you engage with them?
Link to original article: http://griff.in/x
"Social Networking Behavioral Agreements At Work?" (A look at how it can go wrong.)
This article, and particularly the comments that go with it, illustrate what can happen when a company forces employees to agree to their social networking policies. After all, it impinges on what they do their their own free time and can be a red rag to some bulls. You ought to have such policies, of course, but a little child psychology would have worked wonders here, I feel. Just get them to tick they have *read* the policies. They don't have to formally "agree" with everything you tell them to do.
Link to original article: http://griff.in/e
'Ello, 'ello, 'ello. Who's Your Friend Then?
Back in the Seventies, Monty Python lampooned the Special Branch in a well-know sketch in which Inspector Harry "Snapper" Organs announces that he keeps track of the whereabouts of notorious criminal "Spiny Norman" by reading the colour supplements (in the Sunday newspapers). That is the inevitable image conjured up in my mind by a tiny item of news buried away in today's Daily Telegraph. Investigators are using Facebook to track the whereabouts of suspected war criminals in Darfur after they had been indicted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Leaving aside the comic overtones of the leader of the Janjaweed having Facebook Friends, and his profile featuring "Which Dictator are You?" along with all his favourite songs, holiday photos, humorous videos posted to his wall, etc., there is a serious side. That is, how much can anybody find out about you? The answer should worry you and explains why investigators are looking on Facebook in the first place.
Viral Marketing: Can You Catch a Sale?
Viral marketing is the old-fashioned "word of mouth" concept, wired-up and electrified for the Internet Age. Compare a Mexican Wave with the old game of Chinese Whispers and you'll see the difference. It's not a message being passed down the line one person at a time, it's a tidal wave that spreads and rushes across a crowd. Think of all those emails you see from friends and colleagues passing around the latest joke or outrageous video. Have you ever forwarded one? They spread like a virus, and when they are deliberately created to promote a product, that's when they become viral marketing. How can you do that for your business?
