Egypt Lately & what we can learn from it...

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

3 Great Social Media Policies to Steal From

3 Great Social Media Policies to Steal From

5 Social Media Trends to Watch Right Now

5 Social Media Trends to Watch Right Now

My Interest in Social Networks...



Having completed a research proposal prior to this research which covered the topic of social networking, I was aware how much talk there was, especially among particular sectors of the community, regarding its potential possibilities. I had utilized alternative SNS services beyond the typically associated Facebook that showed me a slightly different perspective from such interactions, yet the potential room for larger benefit was more explicit. The first was couch surfing, (an overview of which can be found in the glossary) which I have participated in as a host, a couch surfer myself during my time in South America, and local representative at the weekly drinks meet-ups. A site like this holds great significance for me personally as travelling and experiencing cultures which vary from mine is something I am passionate about.

However the other SNS which I almost unconsciously recognized early value from, was a local initiative, 'focused on connecting the community through local food' (Russell, 2010). Ooooby (which is an acronym for “out of our own backyards”), is both a social network online and a social enterprise in the community. They facilitate and run a market stall at the local Farmer’s Market which provides a venue for people to buy, sell and barter home grown and locally produced food. They also operate a workshop (known as an “ooooby-versity”) which uses the knowledge of one network hubs to be collaboratively disseminated. share and teach other members of the community, this has also seen the discussion of the replication of these user-driven collaborative learning workshops, not only throughout Auckland and the rest of New Zealand but also internationally, with some initial efforts underway to expand the Ooooby network into the USA. (references from Ooooby home page.)

These initiatives are demonstrating the incredible potential which can be afforded through the innovative and clever adaptation of SNS tools and services. By linking the “virtual” with the reality they have taken a step closer to innovatively making technology work for them. Pete Russell set up Ooooby in 2008 and the services are hosted on a free network and hosting service Ning, on which I also have a SNS enterprise hosted. I have been exploring the concept of SNSs in various forms over the past year. Having had some potentially effective ideas about how such a network would looks, I started initially attempts of business development to create these. I rallied a collective around me and set out to emphasize the benefits in doing so.