Business Week ran an interesting article this week about the emergence of niche social networks. Imagine comparing niche social networks to cable channels. Man that happened fast!!
Anyway, before I comment on the article, I want to comment on Business Week’s Website. I subscribe to the print version of Business Week, yet when I went to post a comment on this article, I was told they would review my comment within a few days. Lame! They trust me enough to take my money, why can’t I sign-in and post a comment without moderation??
I realize this is a tricky issue, but seriously, why offer ways for the community to speak if you are going to censor it so heavily?
OK, I admit it. My comment on BW.com is a batant ploy to drive readers back to my blog. But is that so wrong? Wouldn’t it make sense that BW would open up windows for their readers to discover “niche” blogs that relate directly to the content of their periodical? Isn’t that adding value to their readers?? Let’s see if they post my comment.
Anyway, the rise of niche oriented social networks will be interesting to watch. Our Colts social network is certainly inside this wave, and we fully expect that niches will emerge even within our community. These niches will center on obvous things like geography, and we also think we’ll see psychographic niches (like fantasy footballers, or pet lovers) develop as well.
Our system will allow these “groups” to form organically. We believe this is a critical feature. While the Colts social network is founded on the fans’ common interest in the Colts, giving Colts fans more ways to express their uniqueness / differences will be the key to the community’s longevity.
Hi Pat,
I think that the comment moderating issue is a critical one for a social network success.
There are some different ways of how to make it ,but you sure need to have some type of moderation, i will explain why..
The example you gave of your hidden agenda of generating traffic by posting a comment in their website is not a bad thing, but how could they now it without moderating it?
In some of my other blogs i am getting a lot of spam, people that are placing comments that say,”uhhh what a great blog, come and buy Viagra” or some other bullshit like this.
I would suggest to you to Plan a moderating system for the colts social network, you can hire moderators that scan each new comment or post, and can edit or remove it if they find it inappropriate.
Thanks for good post! Thats what i’ve been looking for.