SIPA UK Blog

Kinda cool or pretentious self-indulgence?

Talking of avatars and creating an alternate identity for the online world (because we all need one of those, right?), I stumbled across this great site that helps you do exactly that.

If, like me, you've ever wondered how Shel Holtz or Lee Smith came up with cartoon-like adaptations of themselves for their blogs, look no further.

For the modest sum of $40-$50, you too can have a cartoon-portrait done of your self at IconizeMe.com

But which is it? Kinda cool or pretentious self-indulgence?

I don't know about you, but perhaps no-one's life is complete without one. Or should I just get out more?

Anyway, I'll show you mine if you show me yours! I'm off to spend a hard-earned $40.

Robin Crumby (cartoon-likeness pending).

Are social networks just a flash in the pan?

An interesting piece this week appears on The Atlantic implying that the growth of social networks have all the hallmarks of being a gold rush, reminiscent of the dot-com bubble.

In the article titled 'The Web 2.0 Bubble', Michael Hirshorn writes that:

In the Web hype-o-sphere, things matter hugely until, very suddenly, they don’t matter at all. Thanks to the unprecedented growth of MySpace and Facebook, “social media” matters hugely right now, but it is likely only another in a long string of putatively disruptive, massively hyped technologies that prove just one more step in the long march.

He's right in pointing out that social media has been around since the early days of the commercial web with sites like Geocities proving popular in building niche communities of like-minded users.

Suddenly, everyone 'needs' a social network to support their brand online. But do they really and how many of these will fall flat within months? Time will tell.

There are already social network floozies with more links and 'friends' than seems feasible. The article names the dubiously dubbed 'Tila Tequila' as the most popular with 1.5 million friends on MySpace

So, back in the business world, should we skip social networks and wait for the next bus to come along?Never have to wait long in Web 2.0 for the next fad.

I say no. Business social networks give most of us, not all of us, the chance to make the communities  that already exist around our brands more efficient. They are perhaps unlikely to create community where none existed before. Human networks exist in lots of unusual places. Even accountants like to network, improbable as it sounds. So online social networks just allow this to happen quicker.

But as Michael Hirshorn concludes, there are soon to be so many of these social networks, that fatigue will set in fast. People will either be forced to make choices about where they invest time in uploading profiles to either the most generic or the most niche, depending on your purpose. So there will be opportunities for entrepreneurs to link the networks together to be searchable (already some sites are starting to do this, like Wink, Minggl or Social Grapes).

Surely, it's just a little early to be writing off social networks while they're still in their infancy? Perhaps the mainstream generic sites will start to peak, but the niche sites are just getting started. People are still figuring out where these tools fit into the mix.

IBM and Cisco are smart operators. They certainly wouldn't be investing millions in developing business grade social networking applications. Would they?

Robin Crumby.

The perils of blogging and libel laws

Sir Martin Sorrell, founder of marketing services giant WPP, was in the London's High Court yesterday suing two former associates over a "bitterly hostile" campaign against him and his Italian chief operating officer, Daniela Weber via blog posts and e-mail.

It is alleged that Sorrell and Ms Weber were described as:

"the mad dwarf and the nympho schizo"

This is the first high-profile libel case in the UK to focus on comments made on a blog and the full report of the case can be found in today's Financial Times

According to the article, it follows a bitter press campaign against WPP by employees of FullSix. A lawyer acting for FullSix's Mr Benatti told a counterpart at WPP that the executive 'would be devoting the next few years to destroying Sir Martin and WPP.'

It again goes to show the importance of blogging guidelines for all staff, as reported in this week's issue of Melcrum's Social Media Newsletter. With examples given from IBM and Sun Microsystems.

As IBM rightly say:  Be mindful that what you write will be public for a long time.

Robin Crumby

Blogs help show a more human side to Microsoft

Really interesting post by Steve Clayton over at Microsoft about how blogging has lifted the lid on the so-called 'evil empire' and revealed a beating heart underneath.

Steve presented at last week's Social Media Forum hosted by Melcrum in London and shared a comment on his blog that brought a lump to his throat:

Steve, I am now beginning to enjoy Microsoft.  Previously I , and I suspect millions of others, perceived MS as a leviathan without a heart. No pulse or warmth. Not a human in sight except Bill in front of a cold global software assembly plant staffed by humanoids.  By blogging, you and your colleagues have opened up MS to reveal that the innards are indeed made up of warm, people with hearts, with families, have smiles and wow, you do have senses of humour!  This is incredible. Who'd have thought that a corporation like MS was human after all!? We do now. All because you are engaging with us at our level and this is a conversation I relate to and like very much. I hope many more do too.

His post is definitely worth a read. Brings a tear to the eye and makes the job of the employee blogger all worth while.

Robin Crumby.

The dark side to social media

Is it my imagination, or is there a groundswell of opinion that social media is a force of ultimate evil in the universe?

OK. I may be exaggerating a teeny bit, but social media is suddenly mainstream news. From spoof profiles set up by Oxford University students cruelly claiming a professor was a member of the Hitler Youth, to inappropriate photos taken unawares (this link has been duly censored!) on MySpace, education professionals are being harassed the world over.

Then there was every parents' nightmare, the teen party advertised on MySpace that drew hundreds of party-goers who promptly trashed the house, swinging from light fittings and baracading themselves in against worried neighbours.

Add to that the numerous stories of identity theft reported on social networking sites like FaceBook like the one reported on Canuckflack.com and the frankly, weird and illegal activies of some Second Lifers. 

Clearly social media is acquiring a big image problem. Whilst many sites are, to some extent, policed by their members, who alert administrators to inappropriate material, social networking sites are struggling to police the chaos.

So what does this all mean for corporations rushing to embrace social media?

Well, an employment contract makes a big difference to what people are prepared to do online. The threat of dismissal is enough to make most people think twice. And organizations have an established course of action to bring order to private networks.

Lawmakers are beginning to catch up and set legal precedents which will make prosecuting the offenders easier and deter the chancers.

But until then, social networks are in danger of being the whipping boys of the tabloid press and social media the poor relation of the more established media.

So, here's drawing a line under all this neg-head bull. Anyone know any human interest stories from the corporate world that can be told about how long-lost colleagues were reunited on LinkedIn or how social media 'saved my life'?

Robin Crumby