My Money On Social Networks

By | February 23, 2009

I want to write a post about social networks without talking about the biggies like Facebook and Twitter. Hard to do. But what I care about, what amazes me about these networks, is how they allow us to share relevant and irrelevant things with one another that make us smarter and more aware.

What gets me going is not what Mark Zuckerberg or Ev Williams had for breakfast this morning, but how all of the people are using these two services, using the status update, the news feed, and the “share” link, to communicate brilliance.

I’m talking about an org like Ashoka, which used the “25 Random Things” craze to tell us some details that we’d probably never get to on their website, and, knowing two social networks are better than one, dropped some seeds:

http://twitter.com/AshokaTweets/statuses/1232346019

http://twitter.com/SteveCase/status/1232364415

I’m talking about Richard Branson/Virgin (. . . one and the same brand) taking us with him on a trip around the world through his video diary. When Virgin Atlantic takes its already great service and enthusiam into social networks, it flies off the page.

You and I are able to grab a piece of their mission (. . . To grow a profitable airline… Where people love to fly… And where people love to work.) and take it with us . . . take it to others.

virgin

And I’m talking about two people who want nothing less than the best job in the world, but need other people to help them win it from 29,000 other applicants (scroll down in the comments to see this stat). Going social makes them standout, it makes the goal understandable, it draws in the right support from their network one ring, two rings . . . four rings out. The network amplifies their intention.

Social networks are most definitely not about throwing sheep. And they’re not only about friends connecting and hanging out, which is important and foundational. They’re about relevance, trust, and consensus. They’re a potent ground for our unique, personalized, and pinpoint transactions.

Hey, instead of watching the Dow deflate (down 3.4% today) why don’t we study and participate in all of the ways people, and entrepreneurs, and businesses are using social networks? There’s a ton of value there. They’ll be a big part of our next economy.