Interviewed by Ning: My thoughts on niche social networking …

I had an interesting opportunity recently to air my thoughts on niche social networking. Specifically, the shallow nature of “social networks” in general — and why business in this country is still hesitant and still searching for real value from the Facebooks of the world.

The interview came about as a result of our pioneering niche social network in the professional design industry — DesignMind. Ning has been featuring DesignMind on its home page as an example of an exciting implementation and upcoming niche network.

Here it is …

Howsit, Will … You’re speaking to Andy Hadfield, COO of The Virtual Works.

Why did you decide to create your social network on Ning?
At The Virtual Works, we’re extremely concerned that the shallow nature of large social networking sites is going to affect adversely its take-up in corporate South Africa. Therefore, we’re a firm believer in the value that can be generated by niche social networks. Ning provides that platform. Furthermore, we needed an open architecture upon which we could build widgets and query databases and have a large degree of freedom with branding and design.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve had on the network?
Querying, sorting or moderating thousands of members is tricky. The ideal of a niche social network is to create an ecosystem of relevant business stakeholders in a particular industry. For some it should be free; for others there should a charge to belong to this community and advertise their services. Trying to monitor this and keep control of “who’s who in the zoo” is challenging.

The other issue we’ve had is trying to keep out unfocused members (we’ve had a Russian bride and a porn star join already — tough to explain to a network of professionals like those on DesignMind). We have resorted in this case to approve members before they join — which unfortunately adds an admin hassle but is necessary to maintain the integrity of the network.

What are your plans for the future of DesignMind?
To serve the entire building industry in South Africa — an industry that is crying out for this form of online collaboration and communication efficiencies. Grow the member base and add real business value using a social networking platform. We’re among the first real niche business networks in South Africa — and we plan to leverage that pioneering approach! In the meantime, Lesley Upton and her design team, responsible for the incredible work you see online, will keep refining our implementation of the platform — especially looking to add database queries and functional widgets to the network.

How do you think DesignMind benefits from social networking?
Social networking allows people and companies to communicate and collaborate at a speed never before experienced. Speed is power — one of the only differentiators left for modern businesses and industries. The real trick is to make your network relevant and valuable. Social networking as a movement is drowning in its own shallow content. We have a real chance to create a network of interlinked, focused, valuable niche communities. Isn’t that exciting?