Comments

• 

  written on 05-Nov-2008

  julio.ferro says:

  I've been thinking for a while when I discovered Hugh MacLeod's "Global Microbrands". It's really interesting and I think Webjam is a perfect tool for building this microbrands. BTW, I'm pitching a prospect with this idea.
  
  http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archi ... .html

• 

  written on 05-Nov-2008

  SianMeades [http://www.webjam.com/sianyland/] says:

  This was really interesting... I think for a small, but well established business, it'll take up more time than it's worth to set up Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and keep them all updated.
  
  But for very new businesses and people starting out, it's a fantastic tool. It doesn't replace real life relationships and shouldn't be used for that reason, but if it's used well, it does enhance them. It makes you interact on a level with someone that is bordering between fun and formal.
  
  If I meet someone in this "giant cocktail party", by reading their blog, or I've heard of them through someone else, then sending an email is too much - it's too intrusive if you don't actually know them or you haven't met them in person. Getting to know people on Twitter means that you communicate on a different level without over stepping that mark.
  
  I don;t know a freelancer who doesn't use Twitter - I got my last job through someone I know on Twitter but am still yet to meet in real life. It might not work for all business, but it does help those reinforce 'inbetween' relationships.

• 

  written on 16-Dec-2008

  russell.volckmann [http://www.webjam.com/brandintegrity] says:

  Good post, Marcus...
  
  I agree with you both, Sian & Julio... First, social networking from a brand engagement standpoint is very labor intensive for most companies. It simply requires a lot of resources to maintain blogs, and the frequency of communication required for a large customer audience makes it prohibitive on a blanket scale. However, as Julio pointed out, SN can be ideal for managing microbrands... or for larger companies, a micro aspect of their grand scheme of offerings. In this way it can be manageable for large companies, and provide engagement with well-defined tribes—and therefore help reinforce their larger audience/ customer base.
  
  I also believe in certain situations, that SN can be leveraged and directly monetized in a sustainable way. I have some ideas, but I still have not seen any companies that get the whole SN thing well enough to take any more advanced steps in SN beyond the "straight micro"—and by this I mean a sustainable company/blog/member arrangement.

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