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Building Your Own Social Network

Written by: John Jantsch

Article Overview: Social Networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace are all the rage at the moment for the potential they offer some businesses. They do offer tremendous applications for building community and even building business but these giants also possess some real limitations for most businesses due to the overwhelming size and potentially unfocused nature of the community inhabitants. (Do you really want some creepy 16 year old reading all the private, intimate details about your products?)

Building Your Own Social Network

Social Networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace are all the rage at the moment for the potential they offer some businesses. They do offer tremendous applications for building community and even building business but these giants also possess some real limitations for most businesses due to the overwhelming size and potentially unfocused nature of the community inhabitants. (Do you really want some creepy 16 year old reading all the private, intimate details about your products?)

So, maybe you’re like many who think that the idea of building a community with lots of tools that help them share, interact, and create content that is focused on a single, perhaps very niche, topic of interest to all the members of the network is a great idea.

If so, you could easily find a developer to spend hundreds of hours hacking together a network offering just for you or, you could look into a growing list of tools that are made for people who would like to create their own social network branded just for their business or topic needs.

The leaders in this space are Ning and KickApps, but there are others as well. Ning wins the award for simplicity and boasts over 70,000 users. KickApps offers people with just a little bit of web coding skills the best option for creating a social network that integrates more seamlessly with your existing web presence in look and feel.

I am in the process of creating a Duct Tape community offering using KickApps that will allow Duct Tape readers to submit content, including video, share marketing stories, get marketing help and basically interact with like minded small business marketers. More to come on that!

If you have an interest in this topic you might want to start your research by reading this TechCruch article titled the 9 Ways to Build Your Own Social Network

Related Articles
  Social Networks... are they for you?
  How do I use Social Networks for Marketing?
  Social Network Marketing – Promoting by Virtual “Word of Mouth”
  How to Use Social Network Marketing Strategies
  Social Network Marketing and Social Media Marketing

Article Tags: all the rage, building business, business marketers, duct tape, giants, inhabitants, intimate details, kickapps, linkedin, little bit, marketing help, niche topic, overwhelming size, simplicity, small business, tape readers, web presence



Related Forum Posts
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas! - GT - thanks for the FYI - I'm not sure if we'll put a link back. Something to consider though! Trent - the new category is "Social Network and Media" which was put in to compliment the Online Businesses category that currently exists. Overall the new categories are: - Looking For, Networking and Events - Review My... - Social Network and Media - Brags and Rants These came as a result of Ringo doing research on other forums and thinking about what could be improved on ours to give a better experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy them! David, I'm looking forward to reading your Brag / Rant!
Re: 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report - [quote="Alan Mater":3vkduro4]Hi Terri, Interesting report. The stats are intriguing. Social media has come a long way, and it's almost essential these days to help build your brand. I would say Facebook and Twitter are my top two. MMO Social Network is starting to pique my curiosity, and it seems I can get some nice exposure to blog posts. It's important to find sites that work for you personally and then build up a profile on those sites. I believe it's here to stay and should be a regular part of our marketing efforts.[/quote:3vkduro4] I totally agree -- it's essential, and you need to figure out which network(s) work for you and focus on them. I'm curious...what is MMO Social Network? I did a quickie google search but only came up with Massive Multiplayer Online games...
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas - Hi, I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing. I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO. Jeff
Re: How can a social networking site make serious money? - Hi There, It is quite interesting, that some Social Networking do produce an income. I think testimonials are always a benefit to share. See one below: This Social Network has changed my life! Every night is a Friday night and everyday is a Saturday!! Because of it, I have been able to leave the workforce 10 years early.It has given me back my life. Many of us would like to retire early. I am sure there are many more. The point is of focusing with great determination. The ongoing challenge is to stay focussed and not be sidetracked into a newer scheme or so. Also I have read, during this financial turmoil, more people turn to Social Networking for various reasons.
Re: 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report - Hi Terri, Interesting report. The stats are intriguing. Social media has come a long way, and it's almost essential these days to help build your brand. I would say Facebook and Twitter are my top two. MMO Social Network is starting to pique my curiosity, and it seems I can get some nice exposure to blog posts. It's important to find sites that work for you personally and then build up a profile on those sites. I believe it's here to stay and should be a regular part of our marketing efforts.


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