Sep 25, 2007 | blog
I’m frustrated with how Facebook handles relationships. Set aside for a moment that I think it’s inferior to a blog for social networking. If I was to entrust my social network to Facebook, I’d have a hard time to keep track of all the different types of interrelationships.
We all have family, friends, associates, co-workers, employers, vendors, suppliers, and so on that we deal with on a daily or weekly basis. Why can’t we classify our "friends" according to type of relationship? There should be more choices, like following relationship types: family, friends, followers, & associates.
Doing this would allow us to organize contacts to be more aligned with groups, apps, and sort out what each type of "friend" could access. I’m one of those people who want’s all contacts to "see" everything I do on Facebook – but I would still like to be able to sort my contacts by type.
This is one area that Facebook and the rest of social network services will have a hard time to provide PIM functionality that many people still use. That’s my $.02 – what do you think? What other types of relationships could be included?
Technorati tags: Facebook, Social Networking, Social Relationships
Aug 9, 2007 | blog
Before I get started, I’m not going to abandon my LinkedIn account – I’ve invested a lot in my profile and believe there is value to the service.
There has been a lot of talk recently about Jeff Pulver’s decision to leave LinkedIn and simply use Facebook as his lone social network. The problem in announcing something like this in a mainstream business publication like Jeff’s article in Business Week is how general business people perceive it.
While an adventurous few of these users are willing to try these services, the majority are just awakening to online social networking and, of course, find things like Facebook to seem unprofessional. You have to admit that LinkedIn comes across as a professional-oriented service that is designed to build professional relationships between its users.
This has probably helped cultivate strong feelings about Jeff’s switch…. that and most user’s anxiety to change. Also, most people work so hard on their professional image (i.e. Personal Brand) climbing the corporate ladder, that they cringe at the thought of using something that may seem less than professional.
Of course, I think the point of Jeff’s BW article was to stir the pot. Good!
Related Links:
P.S.
I can’t help but wonder if this doesn’t somehow tie into Robert Scoble’s announcement that he is no longer answering email?
Technorati tags: Jeff Pulver, Chris Brogan, LinkedIn, Facebook, Linked vs. Facebook
Jul 19, 2007 | blog
There is a growing group of professionals over on Facebook. Its a group called Grasshoppers, created by Chris Brogan (Facebook link), and is really a concerted effort in friendsourcing.
The concept is simple, everyone in the group is good at something, has a special skill or resource, and everyone may need something from time to time. As a resource to solve a problem, this is a group where you can ask for help with something and get a response.
Whether it’s just to answer a simple question or to help in a job search – Grasshoppers are there. If you’re interested in helping a friend, or need something, check out the growing Grasshoppers group in Facebook.
Technorati tags: Friendsourcing, Grasshoppers, Chris Brogan, Facebook
