Social Network is more than just "Connecting"...

Social Networking is more than Facebook, MySpace, Ning, LinkedIn and any others. They are considered tools in helping people connect with each other.

Social Networking was destined for the enterprise and Groundswell just reported how far into the enterprise it goes. Here are some quick facts:

* 91% of these technology decision-makers were Spectators -- the highest number I've ever seen in a Social Technographics Profile. This means you can count on the fact that your buyers are reading blogs, watching user generated video, and participating in other social media. Note that 69% of them said they were using this technology for business purposes.

* Only 5% are non-participants (Inactives).

* 55% of these decision-makers were in social networks (Joiners) -- despite as mature businesspeople and not college students, you'd think they'd be participating a lot less.

* 43% are creating media (blogs, uploading videos or articles, etc.) and 58% are Critics, reacting to content they see in social formats. Again the numbers are very high compared to other groups we've surveyed, and again the level of participation for business purposes is also very high.

Its not only finding its way into the enterprise; its becoming a standard in the overall buying process.

The part I like most about the report is when it says, "If you're a B2B marketer and you're not using social technologies in your marketing, it means you're late". Not "you still have time" but "LATE". The last thing you want is your company & products to be late to the game. Not taking a stance now will only leave you like Microsoft, who pushed out the Zune years after the iPod, only to see it slowly dwindle away.

Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption said it best, "Get busy living or get busy dying" or "Get busy being social or get out of the game".

Ben

Realization Through Learning

I pulled this together over the last couple of weeks. Little here and a little there.

I wanted to get it posted before this week since I'm taking time off. The slideware is me offering my thought on the importance of learning and communities in product creation. Just had a thought and figured I throw something together.

Hope you see what I see.

Ben

Realization Through Learning

View more presentations from 5tacos. (tags: learning product)

Thank you Mr. Ortega...

A couple of weeks ago I went to meet with my son’s class to talk about “Circuits, Switches, and Everyday Communications”. Here is the presentation if you’re interested. What a great time I had watching them LEARN about our topic.

Now remember, these are 9-10 year olds, so their understanding of communications and telephony is nothing like ours. We get most of it and understand how we got to these points in technology but they don’t fully know. They don’t know what internet dial up was, or what Crocket held to his ear, and most importantly what is in front of them.

What they do know is the DSL or higher internet experience, cell phone availability, wireless internet connectivity, and even Facebook. Yeah, one of them mentioned it as a form of communication which is what Jeff Pulver is arguing is a growing market right now at the SocComm meetup in NY.

The kids knew that these technologies were around them but they didn’t know how delivery was accomplished and as I started to dive into how the fundamentals of an electrical circuit and switch have led us to where we are today; their mouths dropped. They couldn’t believe it. The same thing happened to me about 9 years ago when I first learned how packet based voice works. I couldn’t believe it was done so fast.

Of everything we talked about, my highlight was when one of the kids said, “American Telephone & Telegraph is AT&T…now I get it”. It was so cool to see it come together and I think I was having more fun than them.

So as much as they’ve said “thank you” to me…I have to tell them, THANK YOU!

I can’t wait for our next session.
Ben