Leading executives, managers, and experts from SMBs and large enterprises share their insights and perspectives with bMighty on a host of IT issues, challenges, and opportunities that small and midsize businesses face.
Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with friends, but as usage increases and the concept enters the mainstream businesspeople are asking: Is there business value here? To find out we spoke with John McCrea, VP of marketing for social network developer Plaxo. McCrea discussed the different phases of social networking, how the sites have evolved, how they can function in a business setting, and how they can contribute to a smaller business' bottom line in some subtle and some not so subtle ways. Most important, McCrea shared his thoughts about where social networking is headed and how businesses should position themselves to be ready for the Web of the future.
bMighty: Is there business value in social networking for small and midsize businesses?
John McCrea: There are a few phases to social networking. The first phase was Friendster, MySpace, and clones and it was pretty frivolous. Everyone connected as a friend. Strangers came together online. The second phase was about who you knew, maintaining and enriching your relationships. It was a way not to lose touch with people as you changed jobs or moved. The latest phase is an online representation of real world activity. Small and midsize businesses were always people who spent money on their Rolodexes and then on database software. They survive and thrive based on the power of personal networks.
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