Social Networking Architecture Project

June 25, 2007 · Comments

Social Networking Architecture Project You have an account on LinkedIN, one for Facebook, a Twitter and a Flickr page, not to mention the other thirty-dozenty-twenty sites out there doing social networking.

Fool With a Tool

But what value are they? How do you USE them? I know one human alive who makes the most out of every social network, and his methods suit his business very well. For the rest of us, I still predict that there’s something we can be doing better in the space of making use of these social media tools to develop further relationships.

Someone at Supernova 2007 said that most of these social apps make him think of the phrase that tools in the hands of fools make for fools with tools. Monkeys. Hammers. Right?

So, how do we take these tools and use them to, say, promote a specific action, drive a requested outcome, better develop our casting net for potential future jobs? How do we use these tools to press a virtual DIGG button and get the exposure some posts deserve?

Whatever the end goal, and maybe we make some use cases for end goals, the idea behind this project is to plumb up the pipes, and then use them to direct a certain desired action. Can we measure the results of the action? Is it sustainable? Does it have to be?

Project Lead

So when I say I want a project lead, this isn’t a job. It’s not a technology (though it could be). I want someone to volunteer their blog, a sliver of their focus, a fraction of their time, and some of their interviewing skills to finding out whether the existing social media tools, when harnessed and dashboarded, might make some kind of formidable tool in the world of drawing attention, establishing a relationship, and then driving part of the relationship’s actions towards an outcome.

Sounds like marketing. Maybe it is.

Can Jon Swanson use the same method to promote his church organization’s actions as Matthew Ebel uses to sell albums? Can these tools get me attendees to Video on the Net and get Phil Campbell a sustainable flow of business to his Internet project farm?

What ELSE can we do with this? Can we convince Jonathan Coulton to come to Boston and do a double-bill with Ebel at the PodCamp Boston2 party?

Are You In?

Beyond a lead, we’ll need people to attempt some of our stunts once we plumb things all together. I need the lead to organize, but once we get it, the “call to action” will have to be answered by SOMEONE. Is that YOU?

And what do you think about all this?

Summer of Projects

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  • sopnonill
    hi i m a student of computer science.we have a project titled "on going social networking architecture".we have to complete within a week.we paid our attention to the facebook.so can u guys help out there with some useful material as follows:

    1.how they maintain there large database?
    2.what is there management system?
    3.what kind of mechanism they use during chating,notifications,mainting huge number of pictures,applications,games etc?
    plz help me or tell me whr i will find my answers?
  • I'm in. Count me as a stuntman.
  • I found myself at the start of this year full of energy and ready to go, then all of a sudden ways of processing information online and in networks of people changed rapidly. I had to break through it all - build myself a place one location that had all those resources in one. I renamed to me.dm quickly because i realised to save myself and the stress of trying to adapt to all these new ideas and ideals.

    I've still not got there yet but at least i have my eggs in one basket yet spread out over many sites. I think the biggest job skill in the future is the one of being able to adapt and react to progress instead of absorbing and getting frustrated with things.

    Thanks for the mention btw. As for the sustainable flow of business, it's not really about the business it is about people having access to all the sides of my character, from twitter to flickr, to facebook. The SAVVY information person can build up a profile of me for themselves from all these "mediums" because after all your really interested in ME as a person to DO the job. The job does not do itself, i do the work. ..

    Am i the type of person you WANT to work for you? - having all these social networks and connections enables me to sidestep the awkward nature of business and get back to basics.

    THIS IS ME, WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER - fun, play or work. It's simple.
  • Chris,

    I think a big part of this is going to be what I call the Robert Putnam/"Bowling Alone" question. I like to say that Putnam got it wrong when he said that America's social fabric was falling apart -- it's just that bowling leagues have been replaced with Facebook groups and World of Warcraft guilds, to name just two.

    But the issue that we (meaning my organization -- click on my name for a link) are struggling with right now is how do you convert a virtual network into a real one. We're trying to do just that by getting our social network to lobby their elected officials. But will it work? We don't know.

    I would love to hear what others thing about this and what they think of our efforts as well -- I only wish I was able to be the lead you're looking for!
  • Rob
    I thought I was the only one who liked taking and posting so many pictures of myself. Looks like I'm not alone now.

    Chris, I've got a post for the 100 comments project. Where do I list it?
  • Chris,

    I'm exploring these very questions right now, doing research not only for two of my blogs (http://CreativeSage.wordpress.com and: http://CathrynHrudicka.wordpress.com), but I've also suggested we do this as a kind of demographic and psychodemographic study, and marketing/biz dev study, as a Social Media Club project. I have been a project lead many times and will be glad to discuss the scope and requirements with you, or in any case, collaborate. Please email, call or Skype me if you want to discuss further: sage at CreativeSage.com. Skype: CreativeSage

    ~Cathryn Hrudicka, Chief Imagination Officer
    Creative Sage™/Cathryn Hrudicka & Associates
  • Do you have a facebook group for the project?
  • Chris, I know i'm not a lead but i'd like to help. I think the idea is worthy of the effort. bad thing is that I'm at the airport sans laptop so I cant do a lot of reading up on the idea. That said, what I read above has my curiosity piqued.
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