Some thoughts about Social Networks, “community tired?”

A few times last month people were asking me about the future of social networks.
What will it be?

I read a lot about interaction online, as we talk here about “online social networks”.
People invite me for a lot of different networks on a weekly basis.

If we are counting the amount of Social Networks.. You can’t really, count them anymore.

An de Jonghe, Belgium, gave a broad overview in her book “Social Networks around The World” on what is happening out there. (read it!)

Currently my view is: we all like to have our own “online social network”, but are we not getting “community tired”?

What I mean by that:
All corporates like to have their own Social Network. Every event, likes to have its own Social Network. Every…. likes to have its own Social Network.

Of course it is good for creating Brand awareness, good for connecting to Alumni, good to connect to Customers, and of course to connect with own (future) employees. And once connected, you have an easy way of interact.
And yes it is a good forum to interact and share ideas.

But where a Social Network related to a Brand, was an extra 25 years ago, it now seems to be commodity.

You have a Social Network so you are, like I twitter therefor I am or I blog therefor I am.

Growing a Social Network is not easy either anymore.
But with tricks like: invite all your connections from “Plaxo”, “Linkedin” or “MSN”, to this new network, there will always be a kind of migration from one to another Social Network. Ah, and don’t forget OpenID

Next thing will be: let your network live… Most of the times you will see a network get more used, more attractive when there is lots of interaction between the members, Online but even more important OFFline.

Mobile and Recruitment Part II “Interact”

When I wrote a blog about Mobile and Recruitment Part I, obviously I was thinking of part II already.

Most of us come up with ideas on using SMS as you saw in my earlier post about this subject.

I do think SMS is still a very powerfull item in Mobile and Recruitment. It’s easy set up, clear and understandable for most of us out there.

But living in a 2.0 world where people like to interact in a different way.

I gathered this answers provided by some other creative Linkedin connections:

1. Rather than the traditional method of connecting by someone sending a resume to you, have them text through a .mobi address the answers to interview questions while they commute to the job that they hate – all in lost commuter time.

2. Social networking will become more ‘real life’, your mobile phone will show who are working at the company you are passing by, which coworkers are having a drink in that bar, etc.. Imagine LinkedIn with the ability to see who is where (if they wanna share).

3. One of the very promising streams is using PC2MOBILE technologies, where recruiter can conduct remote, visual and on-line interview with an applicant, using simple PC and WEBcam, while the applicant is using his 3G mobile phone and it’s camera which allows him to be interviewed from any location with 3G mobile access.

4. Part time actors can sign up for “casting calls” that fit their profile. They can get a text alert with a speed dial and location for the casting call. Soon these SMS alerts will include a mobile web link with more information about the position.

5. Recruiters can have recorded Caller Tunes which mention concise information on the openings in their Company. For ex. – is hiring software professionals with expertise in X. For further details visit www…..

There is a future for Mobile and Recruitment