I've just seen this blog posting about Facebook. Here's my reply about the relative merits of two social networking sites:
About a month after I joined Facebook - and found it great for both social and professional purposes - I got an invitation to Linkedin. I'd had them before, but I was now intrigued by my FB experience, so I joined and used the site to tell me who from my address book was also "Linkedin". I added them as connections, asking them to tell me whether they thought, as existing users, it was worth it. Everyone, out of about 40 users, said they'd joined but then found it passable at best. Most hadn't visited the site in the last year and couldn't see the purpose of it. They understood the idea - but in practical terms, it sucked.
Facebook scores because it fits my own personal maxim: "never do anything for only one reason". I'm not checking Facebook for professional connections, but my social network takes me back every day. Then when I need to find a contact for a feature (I'm a journalist) I can search groups, professions and companies and come up with people to get in touch with. and other people see more about me and my approach by understanding me socially.
My tiny poll also suggests that Linkedin (and the frankly scarily bad eCademy) fail because being on there just looks "pushy" and smacks of personal salesmanship. That's not as true on FB. Maybe the reticence to seem "proactive" is peculiarly British. But on FB, all my "friends" are Brits and they have no problem with "projecting"...
About Me
- Richard Young
- I've been writing about business since 1996, when I joined BusinessAge as a staff writer. After VNU bailed on the magazine, I spent 18 months - from launch to closure - as business editor on Business Computer World. I then became deputy editor at Financial Director magazine. When editor Andy Sawers was seconded to a web project, I was acting editor for six months. That resulted in me being headhunted by Caspian Publishing in 2000 to launch Real Finance magazine, also a title aimed at FDs. Since 2006 I've been a freelance writer and editor working with mags andh a number of companies on their comms. I also chair seminars and conferences for the business community and run training courses on better business writing. For three days a week I'm also the strategic editor for seven ICAEW Faculty magazines at their contract publisher PCP. These are aimed at accountants with specialisms in tax, audit, IT, financial services, corporate finance, management and reporting - so my beat remains as broad as ever.
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
No comments:
Post a Comment