Invitation Only?
Posted: Thursday, February 21 2008
Social Networks are happening; you can connect to virtually anybody and have anything 'out in the open', if you like. Wouldn't it be nice though if it all could be a little bit more exclusive. Just as one could have an exclusive house designed by an architect or interior decorator, one should be able to have an exclusive personal site designed, where visitors can be shown around.
Uptil now the possibilities to do such a thing were limited. For different friends and acquaintences it is possible to join different social network sites and those pages can be personalized to a certain extent. Next to this, it is of course possible to make your own sites and open up certain parts to specific persons. This, however, feels like inviting visitors, giving them the key and say "have a look around" (while you yourself go on and do something different).
With the new initiative by Google named 'OpenSocial' this might change. It is their intention to simplify the exchange of information between social networks. Among others, Netvibes joins in by allowing you to share certain information with predetermined friends, while using it yourself.
VIRVIE's idea is to bring the same technology to personal sites, by which means specific friends and acquaintences could be invited to specific parts and functions of your site: so a 'private party' on your own website!
The same principal of course can be translated to corporate sites, which would make the interaction there both more personal and more social.
Network Effects
Posted: Tuesday, July 17 2007
The transition of the Internet towards Web 2.0 is coming full circle. Through the rise of social networks and personal homepages almost everyone and everything is connected in a distributed network. Getting connected is no longer the issue: there are infinite 'ways to Rome' now.The key to getting the most out of it is keeping a flow of information through the network. The messages you send don't have to be directional (see weblogs and micro/nanoblogs), but the option for conversation (bidirectional messaging) should always be there. The interaction through conversation between hubs, i.e. actual persons or services, determines how the message is directed over the network. The delivery of the message to anyone who is interested is ensured because of the existence of the connection; the speed and intensity is dependent on how and often to whom (see Alpha-user theory) you are connected.
What is interesting to see is that this new reality brings about effects and issues on a cultural and personal level (instead of technical or functional). On the one hand there is the (re)emergence of the gift culture, which develops from peer-2-peer into consumer-2-consumer; creating value by adding something before you pass it on and thus inclining someone to do something in return. On the other hand this stresses a persons need to feel a sense of 'belonging'. The fact that one is connected to a virtual network is bringing about very real need to participate and being involved in its flow of information.
C2B, CMI or Upstream?
Posted: Friday, May 5 2006, Updated: Tuesday, July 17 2007
The Customer-2-Business, or Customer Managed Interaction, or Upstream Marketing trend is a result of the functionality known as Web 2.0.The key is that customers can build up and manage profiles of themselves and distribute these to multiple suppliers. They in turn can match their offering with this profile and thus try to win the business. There is even the option of a Trusted Third Party that manages this new kind of interaction.
Although the developments in this area are still minor, good examples can be seen at Netvibes Universes and OpenID providers like Sxipper.