Social Networks Compete for Professional Network of Choice

There are a lot of social networks out there. Some are special interest - connecting people who share a primary affinity (e.g. music lovers, writers, pet-owners, etc...), some are vying to be the the choice for the primary professional network or personal network.

We do a lot of work with various social networks. And there is a lot going on beyond the moniliths (MySpace & Facebook). At the WOMMA Summit, we brought together three of more interesting "focused" networks: Eons, Gather, and Bebo. (over 50, 40-ish smart people, music and entertainment, respectively). How many can we each belong to? That's another post. But most want to be the primary place users spend their time and energy. So they appeal to the most important affinities. In the case of Eons, it's the shared interests of people over 50. In the case of MySpace and Bebo, it's personally social and music/entertainment.

But the real shoot-out is happening in the "professional networks."

Yahoo launched Kickstart recently which aspires to helping college grads begin their professional networking experience and get those first jobs. That puts them up against Linked In (Yahoo would say that Kickstart provides a network for those who haven't established their professional network yet). It will also put them up against the evolving use of Facebook. And while they say that there 'position' is to be the launchpad for college grads who have not established a network, obviously they aspire to becoming the professional network of choice. They are trying to do it very smartly - by explicitly getting people on board at one of those special life-moments.

(note to Kickstart: please add high schools to your categories. My affinity for my high school is stronger than my affinity for my college. When a grad from my high school reachs out o me for profesisonal advice - I always respond promptly)

Remember when Facebook was for college students? Remember the magazine articles of kids horrified at finding their parents on Facebook? We are well past that. There are over 50 Ogilvy groups on Facebook. It has become a primary place for professionals to connect. I see smart people like Jeremiah Owyang and Chris Abraham 'working' it. And I realized facebook's "professionalization" most clearly when I visited our Dublin Ogilvy office back in September. We held a training event for our 360° Digital Influence team and clients. Bebo, MySpace and FriendsConnect had been the leading social networks in the UK - a place where social networks dominate some other social media activity such as blogging and podcasting. Turns out everyone in our Dublin network is now on Facebook - for professional reasons.

Facebook allows us to be more friendly than Linked In. This speaks to the strengths of both services. I love Linked In. It is simple. It doesn't beg for me to "feed" it everyday. I use it to find people to either recruit or pick their brain on something. I imagine I am using it to find more senior "talent." (I say "imagine" because I am not sure if the actual make-up of Linked In's membership supports this - it's just what I end up using it for)

But I also use Facebook for recruiting and networking. I feel there are more younger professionals there. There is more to do there with groups and keeping sub-networks connected.

It's hard to say who will dominate as the broad, professional networking network. It will likely vary by profession. Right now, marketers are joining Facebook in droves not just to manage their own personal brand but to understand a potentially powerful marketing platform. I am not sure chemical scientists are there in droves.

I love the simplicity of Linked In. I love the personality of Facebook. I am intrigued to see what Kickstart becomes. But which won serves to connect me best? The answer to that lies somewhere between how much they do for me and how much effort I need to put into them. My sense is that Facebook can ultimately "do" more for me if I am willing to do a lot more whereas Linked In accomplishes quite a bit without a whole lot of activity on my part. I will do more on Facebook as I learn what the benefits are to me. Whomever "wins" at the professional networks will do so by really paying attention to what features will help me (and everyone) accomplish more connecting. Clearly they must also maintain a solid critical mass of the right people to reach and maintain their tipping point. 

Via Richard MacManus over at Read Write Web - one of my regular reads -  I discovered a pretty good survey/study of social networks from the folks at FaberNovel Consulting. Soem of its basic and about the business of social networks.

See the full report. 

Comments

[Will Fleiss]

I agree with you that the simplicity of Linked In is very appealing. Could Facebook potentially lose some of its personality with the new professional take over? Younger users may attempt to "clean-up" their profiles in an attempt to present themselves to potential employers. I think Linked In and Facebook represent a fascinating parallel of generations attempting to connect. Linked In has seen growth as recent graduates try to establish themselves by networking in the working world. Facebook has seen growth as professionals attempt to tap into the younger social movement on the web. I think that somewhere in between the simplicity of Linked In and the personality of Facebook there is a space for Kickstart to succeed as a social network.

[Paul Chaney]

John, I see you failed to mention Plaxo and I was wondering why. Do you not see it as a viable candidate for building a professional social network?

I have to say, as much as I love Facebook, trust has now become an issue. LinkedIn just isn't versatile enough...I need more platform functionality for making connections.

Anyway, love to get your feedback.

[John Bell]

I don't know that stats on PLaxo. I don't use it. Once in a while I get an email from a colleague (or more to the point from their Plaxo account) to update my information - these feel like spam to me.

Anyhow - is Plaxo popular?

[John]

What about services like Spoke.com or Visible Path. They both offer special tools for making connections with other professionals. I guess the difference is that with Plaxo, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. the person you want to connect with must already be a member. But what if you need to find some one who doesn't belong to those sites, what then?