Social Media Revisited (and why SM workshops rock)

Last week I heard an industry colleague soundly dismissing the concept of social media workshops and training, with the view that people should “just do it”.  Well, I’m defending social media workshops because I really, really believe in their value.

There’s the kind of value that some of us recognise as a given – the opportunities these workshops provide to learn, share ideas and focus energies, for example. But the beauty of this activity is the unexpected stuff it brings to the fore too.  Looking at social media through fresh, un-practiced eyes can be very enlightening.

Yesterday, I ran a social media workshop with a brilliant client who have a small, young and very smart team….and they wanted to know how to use social media better for their business. The general level of familiarity and competence in social media in the group as low – these are busy folks who focus, focus, focus on their highly skilled and absorbing roles.  So we started pretty much from the beginning.

Rethinking the concept

Try explaining the concept of social media again, what Twitter is and how it can help business, how the unofficial Twitter ‘protocol’ works, how LinkedIn can provide great benefits beyond straightforward networking, why YouTube is so powerful, blogs and wikis, user groups and discussion groups.

It’s a really interesting exercise.  It makes you think about what is worth spending time on, what you personally get out of social media and what you don’t, what your own personal social media boundaries are, what you share and what you don’t, where you share it and why.

Some of the team at yesterday’s session asked some really searching questions, which I think were totally relevant.  For example, the issue of trusted content – do people mind using shortened URLs? And what’s the ideal balance of content on a company blog (in-depth, short opinion posts, pictures, humour etc)? How personal can you be, and where?  Is Twitter really worth investing time in – won’t there be something newer and better before too long?

What’s my motivation?

For me, it made me consider my social media motivations – and I realised there are many.  For me, it’s a genuine desire to connect with a group of like-minded people, to share what I think is relevant and useful info, to float ideas and gauge feedback, to ask questions and keep up to date with my industry and reaction to news and developments.

It’s different for everyone when we think about our motivation. It might be about personal branding, or to consolidate relationships through frequent exchanges, or to simply observe.  But the unexpectedly great thing about sparking this train of thought was that it caused me to revisit my social media activity and consider whether I really am doing all I can to support my motivations and objectives (needless to say, I was not).

The case for Social Media workshops

Whether engaging with non-users, new users or seasoned users of social media, any opportunity to explore these areas, to question and challenge your current social media behaviours and to look at the world with fresh eyes has to be worthwhile.  Social media changes fast – our approach and attitudes need to keep up. And not only that, much as we’d love to think that social media and beautifully spontaneous and organic (and it can be), in reality we need a bit of a plan because after all, we all have a core business to worry about.

PS: Here’s my gardening / social media analogy

Social media is like gardening.  To get the best results you need preparation, time to nurture and patience.  Find your patch, decide what you want to grow and prepare it.  Plant seeds, see what grows (you might be surprised), and don’t forget to feed and prune.

Kate Spiers is founder of Wisdom London. She is a rubbish gardener, as it happens, but considerably better at social media.  Follow Kate @wisdomlondon

Can niche social networks compete with the big boys?

It’s hard to believe that Facebook turned 6 this month. I mean, hasn’t FB always been around? And what did we do before, when we wanted to tell the world what we’re doing at the weekend? Can anyone remember?

I met with entrepreneur Ivan Massow this week to take a trip down memory lane – 10 years back, to the start of the millennium when life was increasingly moving online. It was then that Ivan founded Jake, one of the first online social networks, and aimed specifically at providing a network for gay professional men.

Ten years is a long time in cyberspace, we agreed, as we looked back at the inception of Jake. Was it a given that Jake would be online, I asked. According to Ivan, yes. The idea of online groups, bringing together friends, colleagues or simply those with a shared interest was taking shape (remember Friends Reunited?) and as a rule, states Ivan, the gay demographic are early adopters. So Jake was born, providing a safe (paid-up members only), filtered (professional) and vibrant online space for business connections to be made. Added to that were – and still are – face-to-face networking events, special interest groups (media, culture etc) and a messaging service, JakeMail.

So far so good. In the past 10 years, Jake has attracted around 40 000 members and a whole host of high-profile sponsors and advertisers, mostly in the luxury and lifestyle markets (think Porsche, Mulberry, and so on).

But, I wondered, how has the advent of social media as a business communication norm changed things? The market is now very different. The behemoths that are Facebook and LinkedIn dominate – ubiquitous, constantly evolving and, critically, free. So how does a niche social network like Jake compete? Does it need to? And can it compete?

Well, the answer it seems, is not so clear-cut. First and foremost, Ivan said, Jake can compete for the very reason that it’s niche. It fulfils a very particular requirement that many other social networks do not. For a start, it’s an open book once you’re a member: all members are gay professional men. So, suggests Ivan, a certain amount of pre-qualification is already done. You know the score. Unlike other social networks, for example, you don’t need to be ‘introduced’ or ‘friends’ or a ‘connection’ before you can start to network or contact new people.

On the other hand, however, the tech-savvy business world demands more from their social networking these days than they did 10 years ago. It’s not a case of choosing one social network or another to be part of. Not only do we belong to multiple networks, but we increasingly expect them to interoperate, to better suit our needs. So that’s where Jake’s going as it’s functionality is overhauled: LinkedIn and Facebook functionality will be introduced, along with iPhone and Blackberry apps. And basic membership will be free, with members paying only for specific business services online.

So, it seems, competition is not necessarily the key. All social networks offer something different and the chances are, we’ll happily consume all that they have to offer, so long as it suits our needs and especially if it’s for free. There’s space for all of them so long as they do their job and make our lives easier, more interesting and more connected. As Ivan pointed out, we’re all fundamentally the same as we’ve always been, even when we were running round in loincloths. We want the same things. We still need to forge bonds, build communities and connect. That much won’t change.

Wisdom’s 3 factors for success: Niche online networks

1. Actually be niche. Do it well, stick to it, build on it, don’t deviate. Your ‘nicheness’ is your richness.
2. Create a specific, niche world within your network by choosing the right affiliations for advertising and sponsorship, partnerships and services, that reflect your target membership’s aspirations.
3. Constantly notice how your members interact, both within and outside of the network. What do they need? Do they have to go elsewhere for certain functionality – and could you provide that?

Image by Astrid Harrisson

What are your experiences of niche social networks? Will they survive? How many social networks do you use? Are there any niche groups that need their own social network? We want to hear your thoughts!

With thanks to Ivan Massow, Astrid Harrisson and Sarah Killick.