Social networking is a trend in the web world that refers to communities of users making connections with one another through a website by sharing information and content such as text, images and videos.
For more information on how we can help you create a branded social network take a look at www.NetworkBranded.com
Crystallised in sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace, once registered, users can create personal profiles which are often customisable. They can then upload content and participate in the network through various community features which may include the following:
- Profiles, Customisation – Allows users to register and customise their area / space / account content. The increased control over content makes the site more relevant and boosts repeat visits.
- Content sharing, Galleries – Multimedia support and file sharing has become increasingly popular; examples include YouTube and Flickr.
- Forums – Users can discuss topics within specific areas of interest. Since the forums are normally viewed and moderated by the site administrator, a key benefit of this tool for the client is having a better understanding of users as well as more practical matters such as filtering content.
- Messaging – Private or group messaging systems can allow individual or collective communication with mailboxes and notifications
- Comments, Rating & Polls – Once content has been shared online, comments and rating features facilitate interaction on the site.
- Blogs – regular blog entries allow users to keep diary style records as well as boosting Search Engine Optimisation. Twitter is a good example of a (micro) blog.
- Groups – Within online communities, smaller more focused networks are often created organically. From a client point of view, these enable detailed profiling of users.
- Language translations, Geo-targeting, Localisation – the global nature of the internet means reaching and connecting people all over the world is possible. The next step is making the content that they see relevant, location specific and available in their languages.
All these social networking features ultimately provide a rich environment for the client to reach a wider audience, improve their understanding of the users and develop their products and services accordingly. Specific demographics can be targeted; opinions and feedback can be incorporated into research, and engagement with the brand is maximised.
All areas of the site are track-able; detailed analytics and statistics add a quantitative element to the qualitative information generated by user interactions on the site.
While many of the examples above are social networking sites that have become household names, there are lots of brands that have successful online networks. Examples include:
- Coca-Cola
- Nike
- MTV
- Nickelodeon
- Starbucks
- Martha Stewart
Brightlemon have specialised in developing social networking sites and have already done so successfully for a number of clients. With a full service from conception, design, build, content management, support, custom reports and training, Brightlemon have the experience to create social network success stories.
