social networks

The United Kingdom's House of Lords plans to question Parliament this week about whether social media and Web 2.0 technology will help the government improve its public image in the wake of a recent expense claim scandal. Popular opinion seems to be that although Parliament already has a Web presence, it's not particularly compelling or engaging.

Many businesses using social media are discovering the charms and benefits of Facebook fan pages. It's a nifty little value-added service that allows businesses and organizations to build an interactive page inside the Facebook ecosystem to engage existing or potential customers. It's an intriguing idea, but does your company really need one?

Since its launch in 2005, social network-building platform Ning has been a beautiful bridesmaid, but never a bride. The site offers a terrific way for people to create a social network around a particular interest or hobby, but has suffered from a lack of useful tools and a rather bland choice of templates. While the site may have 1 million user-generated networks, many have little traffic or have been abandoned all together. Now Ning plans to offer a host of new apps and features that will make the idea of building a unique social network a whole lot more attractive.

I'd estimate that the vast majority of people using social media understand it's meant to be a communication tool to facilitate interaction with others. Unfortunately, there's a small segment of users who treat it as a digital megaphone for their own personal marketing plan.

There's some hand-wringing going on over the recent announcement that Intelius, an online background check service has purchased Spock, a people search engine, for an undisclosed amount. Some say there's a shady vibe that emanates from Intelius that may not bode well for Spock, but the big concern seems to be that this marriage signals a slippery slide toward an invasion of privacy.

One of the longest running jokes in the history of consumer electronics is that anyone over the age of 30 usually needs a kid to set the clock on their VCRs -- or, more recently, their DVRs -- because the older we get the more technologically inept we become. One logical implication is that the younger generation is so tech-savvy it is more likely embrace Web 2.0. I’d Tweet that to the Generation Y people I know, but it turns out most of them aren’t on Twitter, or any of the other new-fangled Web sites these young whippersnappers helped invent.

What’s at the top of your social media annoyance list? For many of us, it’s the hassle of maintaining and updating the assorted profiles we have scattered across several popular networking sites. Apparently the folks at Cliqset feel our pain.

Microsoft is road-testing Vine, a new type of social networking tool. It's designed for friends and family to keep in touch during times of crisis with the goal of helping people communicate in the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes, or pandemics. Oh, and if you want to use it for less gloomy reasons too -- messaging your entire softball team, for instance -- that's okay too.

If you’re thinking of signing up for Twitter or Facebook to give your company a competitive edge, what I’m about to say may surprise you. It’s not strictly necessary to be involved in online networking to succeed in the business world. Don’t get me wrong, social media tools are terrific arrows in your marketing quiver, but they aren’t the right fit for every business model. Before you wade hip-deep into the social networking waters, make sure you need to be there in the first place.

Twitter, Facebook and other high-traffic social network sites have all suffered embarrassing performance problems. But there are ways to build such sites better.

Last week I wrote about how rules of social networking are beginning to evolve as more people incorporate LinkedIn, Facebook, and the like into their personal and professional lives. Though I was merely looking at why and how these rules are emerging, some commenters wanted to know more about the rules themselves and I'm happy to oblige.

A hacked Twitter account is the modern-day version of a brick through the front window of your business; it makes a mess and is off-putting for customers. Twitter has fairly good security measures in place but once in a while, hackers sneak through anyway.

Remember back in the day when we worked from 9-5, nights and weekends were reserved for friends and family, and never the twain shall meet? Now social networks are blending our work and play lives together, and a new game calls for new rules.

Facebook, Twitter and bloggers are providing logistical support to saving Fargo, N.D. from a flood.

A new Web site pushes social media as the next big thing for B2B companies. Be very skeptical.