The simplicity of Social Networking...

Social networking - it really is no surprise that the interconnectivity of the web has brought upon this virtual social phenomenon. What is a surprise is how we (individuals, groups, businesses & brands) are quick to betray the simplicity of the idea and wonder why we get burned as a result.

In all their simplicity these networks work best when they reflect the way in which we have always built our own personal communities which are made up of
People (who I am)...
...with Friends (who I know)
...engaged in Activities (what i am doing)
...that are always Growing (in a state of persistence)

Not a new idea, but an extension of our societies, utilizing technology which empowers us in new ways. The technology helps us organize our own social structure and space while expanding our 'circle' toward the potential of a worldwide network. This is evolution in the purest sense of the word...and the technology is just in its infancy. Today, in order for the network to work for us, we need to first work for (it). But this will change as technology improves and AI (artificial intelligence) develops, at which point (it) will start to work for us.

Enough philosophy for now, but my point is simple - veer from the rules above, and you break the model.

Facebook learned the hard way this week with its abuse of Beacon. The good news is that it learned quickly and retreated from its initial plans for a "Beacon" marketing model that would track and published users' off-site buying habits. The lessons for other publishers may be obvious, but lets spell them out.

First off, Brands are remiss if they think that their users are such fans that the very nature of the Brand itself will drive us consumers to join or visit their enclosed social experience. Brands need to forget about 'Brand' and tap into the unique consumer insights that link their consumers. If these insights unveil tangible and unique values that would inspire like minded individuals to congregate you may have something. If not, don't bother.

It's about creating something around a conversations that already exists, it's not about starting a new, soulless conversation...get it?

If you are lucky enough to be the owner of a brand that does inspire these values, don't make the mistake of abusing it. Tell users of major policy changes before you make them, and give them the opportunity to opt-out should you make major membership changes. Even if you don't think users care about privacy online, you should act as if they do. Just because word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing it does not mean that the consumer wants to be a brand evangelist.

"They love our Brands, they identify with our Brands, they can't wait to tell other people about our Brands, they will swap Branded widgets, they will write about us in their blogs...." We fantasize that consumers love our Brands so much that they will do our marketing for us. Beacon failed because there was no real benefit in if for the consumer and the consumer saw right through it.

We value real connections and this is why I believe that MySpace, unless it changes its ways, will ultimately lose against Facebook.

If you want your Brand to evolve and become part of the conversation, go deep, develop value and experiment with software that connects us in ways that contribute to our evolutionary cycle as social beings.

Software is a new form of media!

Widgets...those pesky little viral applications that spread...well...like a virus, hunting you down via email while simultaneously polluting your Facebook page. Gosh-darn-it, some of these applications are damn useful, like CareerBuilder that allows me to track the emerging job market in Asia, or Qloud that enables me to stream all of my friend's music for free. I mean, EVERYONE has Funwall! It won't be long before the Funwalls of the world are brought to us by brands like Staples or OfficeMax. Anyone send an Elf-Yourself greeting last year? Elf-Yourself widget anyone? Sure beats another vampire bite! Anyone know what I am talking about? Make sense?

So, what does this all mean? First off, the smart brands have finally acknowledged that they have to bring value to consumers in order to build the relationships they crave. But are they ready to move to the next step? Building software.

The notion of building value via software takes on a larger psychological & sociological shift in the way we view media and how we connect with consumers. Marketers have had to literally pay their way into the public space via the media buy, but what if they were invited in by the consumer - which would be nothing short of a sociological revolution! This is waaaay bigger than the 'Pull' vs. 'Push' strategy. Imagine if Brand communications were as valuable as the products and services that we, the consumer, are willing to pay for...a brand extension of sorts. A new 'soft' SKU?

Think about it? Brands have access to API's like any other developer. There is nothing stopping them from developing applications that will allow them unfettered and free distribution to the audiences of Facebook, Netvibes or the iPhone for example.

Now, I am sure that if Brands did start to go for this in a big way, that the Facebooks of the world would charge them a tariff of sorts. But in this world content is king and if a Brand is truly delivering something valuable to the platform's viewer base, it suddenly has bargaining power...much more than it has ever had in the past.

This is what Steve Ballmer means when he talks about the fact that the lines between media and software are blurring.

Confused?...log onto Facebook and make sure you get a vampire bite. The effects are immediate and the transformation is forever lasting.

Twitter - The next killer APP?

Twitter is a micro-blogging application. So, what is micro-blogging? Think of it as a snack sized journal that you post to using either your cell-phone via text or your computer via IM or though Twitter's website. Every-time you make a post, all of your friends can elect to be notified or they can elect to login and see everyone's location whenever it is convenient.

Why the hell would I want everyone to know where I am and what I am doing you may ask? Well, some of us 'older' folk may not, but the upcoming generations are all about connectivity and this is the start of where it is at. Think of this as GPS in reverse, but with a personality you can control. Pretty soon, all of us will be able to be located via GPS from our phones, in much the same way that we can find our location using a GPS device. With GPS, the world is a cold place and we are all just a number. With an application like Twitter, we have control over how the world sees us vs. letting the world define us. This is an extremely important distinction and big perception shift. We take control of ourselves as a brand, so be careful what you write.

This may sound crazy, but I have personally been able to spot trends and make stock choices based on watching the habits of users from around the world. If the music industry wants to find their way out of the mess they are in, they should start tracking Twitter chat. I'll leave it at that.

A sure sign that this is all catching on is the rapidly developing community of application developers who support Twitter such as:

Twitter Search: Search and compare what people are talking about or doing. Are there more Apple vs. Dell conversations for example?: http://twitterment.umbc.edu/
Twitter Maps: Watch chat real time around the world. Imagine if this came with a translation tool, could we diffuse misunderstanding?: http://twittermap.com/maps
Twittbin: Toolbar for Firefox: http://www.twitbin.com/
Twitteroo: Toolbar for PC's: http://rareedge.com/twitteroo/

To follow Twitter mash-ups see: http://twitter.com/mashable

So, why is this the next killer app? Simply because upcoming generations do not only want to stay in touch and be connected 24/7, but they want to continue to be in control over how others see and perceive them. This is the start of personal branding on the go...

For more specific information on Twitter, the blog Mediashift has written a comprehensive article on the application itself and all you can do with it. You can view that post here.

Check out Twitter online at: http://twitter.com/
Check out Twitter for mobile devices at: http://m.twitter.com/home
For the only true competitor to Twitter go to: http://jaiku.com/

If you are really bored and want to follow what me and my friends are doing, go here: http://twitter.com/sadude/with_friends
(I may be responsible for who I choose to be friends with, but I am not responsible for what my friends do :-)