My Opinion of Building Effective Social Networks

I agree with Steve Hargadon's 4th and 6th point. If a network is going to succeed it needs to fulfill a compelling need. If it does not fulfill a compelling need then why would people use it? Why would I post my status on Fb if people could not read it? Why would I use BlackBoard if it didn't help me communicate with my teachers and classmates? A social network that does not fill a compelling need will soon be abandoned or forgotten because it simply is not a necessary, or even interesting, part of our day.

It is important to set expectations and lead by example. If you are excited about the topic and show members how useful and engaging the network can be they are more likely to join and participate. No one wants to read a lot of text and a picture is worth a thousand words. So, make sure to add pictures to the network to help get people interested.

It is not always necessary to engage someone's interest. Sometimes you only need to be the resource or medium needed. I would belong to a social network in order to be kept up to date on things regarding work, my child's school, local and national politics, policy-making committees, etc. but many of these things could be done equally well, if not better, as regular websites. Social networking is not the best medium for all things. If I want to know what time a movie is playing or a phone number I would rather go to a regular website than join a network and ask someone if they know the answer. However, if I am on a committee of more than one person and we have to collaborate, I would appreciate having a social network that we could be in together so that we could post ideas, comments, information, etc. and the others see it and respond without everyone having to make themselves available at the same time.

Steve Hargadon said it well when he said, "Being polite matters. Setting boundaries matters. Improving the network matters. You have to learn from the users, let them know you are learning from them, and make things better. Be transparent and authentic. Facilitate, help, encourage, console, understand, and support. Help to create a culture or feeling or tenor for the network." -http://www.stevehargadon.com/2009/01/some-things-ive-learned-about-building.html

If the site has a flaw or an annoying problem it is highly important that it be fixed. If a site is not user-friendly but fills a compelling need it will be replaced. If there are no boundaries the users can get lost on a tangent and turn it into simply a social site or the users could turn it into what they actually need and want instead of what was created. It is important that users feel comfortable with the medium and are encouraged to participate and have fun with it. The more confident people are with a tool, the more reasons they will find to use it.