Misconceptions Of Social Networking

Social networking is a term used for a long time to refer to friend networks like Friendster. The idea is that social activity would drive traffic and then lead to an increase in advertising revenues.

As written at CNet, Molly Wood says that Social Networking is just a passing fad. http://www.cnet.com/4520-6033_1-6240543-1.html

I tend to disagree. The question is… what do you do on the social networking site in the first place. The problem with social networking is that it has really kicked off for social activites and social hobbies, like music, videos, file sharing and a little bit of vouyeurism. The thing is, most social networking sites are flops not because of the concept itself, but because of a lack of a clear strategic purpose.

Mostly, I believe that social networks can be leveraged. In MySpace, if you are a model, you’d have millions of fans. If you are a musician, you’d have fans. But beyond this, people who come to the social networking site have failed to realize that there are many other aspects of the alternate reality that have given rise to a lot more possibility.

What do you do in OFFLINE networking? You get to know someone, you communicate with them, then you see if this person fits into your agenda. Then, it either becomes a social or business interaction after that.

The same case can happen for Friendster or MySpace. But – the issue comes back down to another concept called the target market. How you decide what market to work with will determine what you do with that market, and how the market will respond to you. Research strategies will vary, so you really need to consider how social networks help you or hinder you. It’s not difficult to create a network, but then again, it’s easy to lose sight of your vision. And, oh… does your network share your vision? That’s important. And it will determine whether your network shines or stagnates.