Grou.ps allows users to create online "social groups," adding the features that best meet your community's needs.
Share photos, videos and bookmarks; create a group calendar; collaborate via a wiki; aggregate content via a group blog; communicate by posting to the community forum.
Despite being free, there's no branding and no ads. And there are more than 20 templates to choose from, all modifiable — only integrate the features your group needs.
Check it out and let me know if it works well for you.
One of the first things I do when I get to a party is to look around to see who else is there. Sure, there could be a great spread, good scotch at the bar and a DJ who knows what he's doing, but if the crowd sucks or, well, if it's just you and a host who looks a little embarrassed because no one else is coming, the party is never going to quite going.
Am I the only one? Probably not.
So, when there is yet another social network, I'm not interested in joining unless I know that, in addition to all the pretty features, there are some people in the network with whom I, well, want to be social.
Hope Equity, a new social network from Heifer International, brings people together who are interested in investing in solutions to hunger, poverty or the environment. Looks great, great organization, but who the hell else is using it? Will I be playing in the sandbox alone? Do I really need to create a profile before I see what organizations I can contribute?
As should be expected, women are using social networks differently — and more — than men. They have more "friends" on the sites, but they are less focused than men on "acquiring" friends and more on building relationships. The research comes from MarketingCharts.
Simmons has created social media consumer profiles, although a few of them sound a little pathetic, e.g. the "socially isolated" and "approval seekers." (via Ad Age)
There's been a huge jump in the use of social networks among the affluent: from 27 percent of affluent Internet users to 60 percent between January 2007 and January 2008 (via eMarketer, from The Luxury Institute).
40 percent of women Internet users are moms with kids under the age of 18 at home. Two-thirds of Internet users who are moms of young children use the Internet to research purchasing decisions (via eMarketer).
A survey of journalists conducted by Editor & Publisher found that 73 percent use blogs for their research, most often to "measure sentiment." On the flip side, 86 percent of bloggers say they are being contacted by PR folks (that number has GOT to be inflated). 24 percent of these bloggers say this outreach from PR folks never results in a post and 49 percent say this outreach results in a post 25 percent of less of the time. What are the percentages like for mainstream media pitches?
PatientsLikeMe is a social network that connects patients, enabling them to share lessons learned and get the support they need. The site organizes content by individual patients, treatments, symptoms and research. The site currently has a limited number of disease-related communities, but the folks behind the site encourage you to suggest others.
Politics I've heard a few Republicans smirk and make the comment that Democrats only stay Democrats until they grow up -- and become a Republican. Not so fast, kiddies. LiveScience reports (via The Huffington Post) that a new longitudinal study says that people become more liberal as they grow older.
Digital Advocacy From late January, here's an article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy about how nonprofits are using social media to engage supporters, promote their issue and raise money to meet their mission. Gone are the days (hopefully) when these organizations need to build expensive -- or crappy -- web sites to achieve these goals OR try to figure out how the hell to drive traffic to these sites, adding one more unvisited destination on the "information highway." As should be expected, the success of these efforts can be attributed to word of mouth. Gather.com's Tom Gerace knows what he is talking about when he says, "If you get contacted by a friend or colleague who points out a group doing great work, that can be (IS, Tom, IS) much more effective than trying to reach people with a random mailer that doesn't have the same trust factor."
If you don't believe ME that the promise of the future is NOT building more web sites, listen to Steve Rubel at MicroPersuasion who proselytizes about "the promise of small content that can go anywhere."
Word of Mouth Spike at Brains on Fire makes the argument that it's quality -- and not quantity -- that makes all the difference in word of mouth. Those few are willing to do some heavy lifting for your brand, your issue. Reward them, recognize them, help them to be the evangelists that will take the conversation -- and the love -- further.
According to Business Week, young people are starting to turn their backs on social networks, rejecting the "deluge" of advertising. Over the past four months, research from Comcast indicates that the amount of time that Internet users spend on social networks has dropped about 14 percent. What's an advertiser to do? Collectively, they're spending $1.2 billion in advertising on social networks, a number that is expected to nearly double this year.
Jackie Huba from Church of the Customer reports on new research from Global Marketing Insight that manages to take Oprah down a notch. From a list of 11 influences, African American book buyers are most likely to cite a recommendation from a friend or family member as their reason for buying a book. Miss Oprah is number 6.
I remember trying fruitlessly to find data on Internet use among Asian Americans a year or so ago, so I was pretty thrilled to see this recent research from eMarketer. You only get a taste, unless you want to cough up $695.
The Center for Digital Future has put out their 2008 report. One of the highlights is that, while just 15 percent of people use social networks (that number seems low to me, what do you think?), 94 percent of those folks believe the Internet has helped them to understand more about social issues and 75 percent are members of communities that have come together around social causes.
You Think Big of Yourself, Don't Ya? — Hillary sent me a link and Tony asked me what I thought of it. Big Think? I'm a sucker for smart people (Really. Me + remote small island + smart people = good.). Nevertheless, there's something rather antithetical to everything social media stands for when a site says, on its "about" page, "The Web has no shortage of self-anointed experts, and the Expert Network is our way of reclaiming a little nook of cyberspace where depth of knowledge and expertise still reign."
I DO like the fact that they're using the Errol Morris "technique" (Is it the actual Interrotron?), although no one comes across as quite so simultaneously intimidating and sad as Robert McNamara in The Fog of War.
What do YOU think?
Home Sweet Home — I have always been too obsessive compulsive -- and, alas, not punque roque enough (as Alejandro once said -- with love) -- to adopt the aesthetic, but the homes in Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy are pretty damn familiar to me (I can smell the odor of non-leather footwear and tempeh stir fry wafting through the air . . .) and, therefore, like home after all.
The Beat Goes On — 100 people, ages 1 to 100, playing the drums. Any further explanation required? (via the Portable Film Festival)
According to Omnicom's Brodeur, more than 75 percent of American journalists look to blogs for story ideas, to get a new angle on an existing story or to gain a better understanding of a story's context. Just under 70 percent read blogs on a regular basis, with more than 20 percent spending more than an hour each day doing so. Nearly 28 percent have their own blogs.
Micah Sifry is not impressed with the Clinton's campaign boast of a 1 million person mailing list because "the conversation is all one way." In a nod to the Obama campaign, Sifry thinks it is more powerful for a campaign to develop a network that will reach out to their own contacts -- moving away from an "impersonal mass email" to a "personal appeal from a friend."
The British Royal Family has launched their own YouTube channel. Tune in on Christmas Day for the Queen's annual Christmas broadcast. In the meantime, the thrilling (and three part) A Day in the Life of the Prince of Wales is riveting.
The League of Conservation Voters thinks that the Sunday morning news show hosts are neglecting the climate change issue when interviewing the presidential candidates. Head over to What Are They Waiting For? if you think 3 of 2275 questions just isn't enough. Sign the petition. Tell a friend about the site. Get more information. Donate. Keep the media accountable. Finally, the Pew Internet and American Life Project released their latest report on teens and their use of social media. Lots of good data (as always), but few surprises. The number of teens who are online and creating content is on the rise. Social network use is on the rise, as is blogging, with the latter particularly on the rise among teens from lower income and single parent families. Teens are posting more photos and video than adult internet users. And, whatever you may think, teens who are heavy Internet users are also active offline. And those who are most plugged in are the most communicative and social of all.
Kristen posted her annual End of Year meme and tagged me to do it as well. I have been posting these now for a couple of years, always prompted to do so by Kristen.
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make new year's resolutions. I make resolutions every day to take care of myself physically and emotionally. There is a reason I make these resolutions every day: I don't keep them.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
A whole bunch of folks had babies these year, but the person to whom I am closest was Amy, who gave birth to Jonas Aidan -- who resembles an old Chinese man more than most babies do -- on November 8.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
no
5. What countries did you visit?
I did less international travel in 2007 than I did in 2006. I spent a few days in Switzerland (Geneva) and a few days in England (London) in March and, in October, I went to Greece. All trips were work related and two out of three of those trips were with the great Johnny B.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
a social life that extends a little bit further than drinks at Smith & Wollensky
patience, but I'm not holding out any hope
hope for the political future of our country
7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I have a few . . .
I'll always remember June 16, the day I visited my grandmother after her apartment fire, because it will be difficult to ever get the sight and scent of her apartment out of my mind, as well as the sadness of seeing her on the balcony of her temporary living space, looking lost -- and old.
On a happier note, I'll remember April 8, the day Andrew and I met up at the Sackler. He was giddy (as much as Andrew can be giddy) about the pottery and I was giddy about spending time with him again.
Finally, I'll remember October 6, the day John and I explored Athens with Michael Darragh. I knew I was getting ready to move on, but I loved seeing something new with John, who has helped me to see so many other new things, often inside myself.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I really do think I grew as a manager. I wasn't always "nice," but I was always incredibly invested in giving my team the opportunity to strengthen their skills and, therefore, their value to the group. I think that's rare. Rarer than it should be.
Beyond that, and despite the fact that not being able to work with John every day SUCKS, I see the new job I will be taking on in 2008 as a big achievement because it is getting me back into advocacy work.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Folks, I ate like a pig.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
This year, it became pretty clear to me that I am getting old. Everything is falling to pieces. No major illnesses or injuries, but a general state of decay has set in. Lordy, it ain't pretty.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I love the brown jacket I bought at Anthropologie, but my Nikon D40x makes me swoon. Just ask Wyatt.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Al Gore for keeping up the fight, John Edwards for his populist message, Elizabeth Edwards for telling cancer (and her critics) to f*ck off, Wayne Coyne for continuing to have more fun than the rest of us, Jon Corzine and Martin O'Malley for fighting the death penalty, Heather Armstrong for her persistent honesty and humor. There are probably others. There are some good folks out there.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
How about appalled and angry? Ann Coulter is, and always will be, scum. She's just embarrassing.
14. Where did most of your money go?
eating out and clothes
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I don't think I got excited enough this year, but I got excited when I got the invite to go to Greece and I got excited when I met the folks with whom I will be working in the new year.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Don't give me a hard time, but Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks had the right amount of righteous indignation to get me to sing along every time I heard it. It was released in 2006, but I bought the CD this year.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you
happier or sadder? sadder
thinner or fatter? definitely fatter
richer or poorer? richer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I had taken care of myself more: emotionally and physically.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
read about Britney Spear's persistent downward spiral
updated my status on Facebook
20. How will you be spending New Year’s?
I think I will be at Julia's.
22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I was already there.
23. How many one-night stands?
zip
24. What was your favorite TV program?
I loveHow I Met Your Mother, although Kid Nation was a sincere source of fascination.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't hate people. I dislike a few, but they're irrelevant.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I honestly can't remember (what I did -- I am well aware of how old I am.) I'm at the point where I'm not a big fan of birthdays.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I could have used some more time with friends and less time working.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
This was the year of the headband.
34. What kept you sane?
That's awfully presumptuous of you . . . I guess Steve did the best he could.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I watched every episode of Homicide this year and I fell in love with Kyle Secor (aka Baylis). Someone needs to give that man (and Andre Braugher) a job.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
There's no one political issue that stirs me. I get riled up pretty easily day to day and there have been points throughout the presidential campaign where I was ready to impale myself, usually because of some ridiculously folksy thing Mike Huckabee said or because I can not believe that anyone would give serious consideration to Rudy Giuliani as President of the United States. But, I was thrilled with the recent Supreme Court decision to enable lower court judges not to follow federal sentencing guidelines for crack offenses, addressing the longstanding disparity between sentencing for crack cocaine and powder cocaine offences. That was one of those, "Wait, someone actually wants to right an injustice?" moments that comes so infrequently.
37. Who did you miss?
I missed Chris. But I took care of that, didn't I?
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I really like Cooper. He tells great stories (I like stories involving his son in which he adopts a voice that sounds like Beavis -- or Butthead, I can't tell -- with a lisp) and, in general, is just a f*cking charming guy. Plus, he was apparently a rock star in a former life. I hope we stay in touch . . . and I wish him the best.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Sometimes doing what's right for you hurts more than doing the wrong thing. (I think I knew that already.)
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I try to keep the house nice and neat I make my bed I change the sheets I even learned how to use the washing machine But keeping things clean doesn't change anything ("Hate it Here" by Wilco)
I'm tagging Kaitlyn, Qui and Samantha, although I am not sure any of them will do it.
There's a line in "Handmade 2.0," Rob Walker's excellent article in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine about the online craft business/community that hits the nail on the head for me, primarily because it gets at my frustration with what so many marketers are setting out to do within social media.
"I was (more) interested in what made Etsy seem different from so many current efforts to 'build community' online: the luck or genius of the site is that Kalin and the other founders encountered in the D.I.Y./craft scene something that was already social, community-minded, supportive and aggressively using the Web. It seemed to me that the company's future would depend not only on the success of its sellers but also on its reputation among them."
Find a community, provide a service to that community that actually creates added value, and listen to the community so that you are sure that the service remains valuable to them. Don't create community because you want to access a large pool of people who have no reason or desire to spend time with each other and are sure to see through your self interests. It may seem like a smart solution to your business objective, but you're destined to fail.
Update: Orli Sharaby at PSFK thought this section of the article was worth noting as well.
An old friend returns. Change.org tells you how to do it right. Greenpeace doesn't play games. Community is not one size fits all. Links abound for web designers. Japanese bloggers get covered in the Post. International Facebook users get covered by PBS, which also gives the 101 on hyper local blogs. And Steve Case gives away his money to determine how to get other people to do the same.
Digital Advocacy
Houtlust is back -- in the form of Osocio. All the best in advocacy campaigns from around the world. Inevitable jealousy for not having been the team that created the campaign is a side effect. Check out this great anti-drunk driving campaign. No subtle messages here, folks.
As the online community manager, Heather Mansfield at Change.org updates her Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations on a monthly basis to ensure that users are getting the most out of the site.
Greenpeace, fresh off their triumph against Apple, turns its attention toward gaming consoles with Clash of the Consoles. Not as rad as Green My Apple (swoon), but they're using a similar strategy: ask fans to take pride in the objects of their affection and get them on your side. In other words, don't alienate those that you need most.
Ben McConnell at Church of the Customer breaks down what "community" means, suggesting that size and the level of devotion of the community members are the defining factors. As a Maker's Mark Ambassador, I am happy to inform you that I agree with his assessment that it is indeed a cult.
Around the World (and in the Neighborhood) in Social Media
Bloggers in Japan do it more often, quicker, on the run, under the covers and they do it politely. Blaine Harden at The Washington Post lets us know that not everyone has Technorati ranking envy and is trying to strengthen their personal brand.
Mark Glaser at PBS' Media Shift looks at how Facebook users from around the world are using the social network -- and why -- and talks about, while the site may have universal appeal, there is no question that it is American through and through. (Poke.)
Mark also provides an extensive overview of hyper-local news sites: defining what they are, demonstrating different ways they gather their news and talking about the different business models that these sites are following. Plus, best of all, he provides lots and lots of examples. Thanks, Mark.
Web Design
I tagged this -- 455 Helpful Links for Web Designers -- as a "tool," which it is, for someone. I sent it to Samantha, but I just realized her blog -- Bad Ass Ideas -- is listed as a resource, so I'm guessing she knows about it already. Who's stalking who now?
Lots of good advice that you probably won't follow. A little bit of geek porn in the form of campaign promises. An experiment that needs some attention. Stories that need to be told. Great pictures, great video, great shopping and a bag that I want to buy.
Viral Video - Kevin Nalts shares his "Ten Lessons for Marketers Using Viral Videos." The list essentially hammers home the point that it's basically a crap shoot when you are trying to figure out what is going to capture consumers' attention and, even then, you still may not manage to actually turn those eyeballs into sales.
Photos - Square America is a collection of vintage snapshots, all of which tell a great story, even if you need to fill in the blanks. The photos remind me of a the "American Snapshot" show I saw recently at the National Gallery. Great stuff. Don't use the photos without an attribute. Give this guy credit (I think his name is Martin Johnson) for what he has put together.
I took this picture outside the Gallery when I went to see the American Snapshot show.
But I like this picture that I took at the National Archives better.
More Photos - Polanoid is working on building the largest collection of Polaroid photos on the planet. Send your pictures!
Storytelling - Polanoid and Square America are telling stories about everyday people, as is StoryCorps. I recently heard the nonprofit's founder, Dave Isay, on NPR talking about the publication of the StoryCorps book with a couple of the project's participants and cried like a baby. I'm a sucker for listening to people tell their stories, both because of the artistry of a good tale and the empowerment of believing that your story is worth being told. Don't tell anyone, but I think a few of you might be getting the StoryCorps book for Hanukkah or Christmas. Content - WGBH (Boston's public television station and home of Sesame Street) has opened its vaults, providing users with "online access to unique and historically important content," through Open Vault. I wish the search tool was a little more revealing as far as what was possible. It is a great site when you know what you are looking for, but sometimes it's just fun to browse, and it's not friendly to browsers.
The Media - Beat Blogging is an experiment. Thirteen news organizations, along with NewAssignment.net, are trying to understand how journalists can better use social networks to improve beat reporting. There have been no posts since November 20, so the first lesson they should learn is that consistent content is the way to maintain people's attention and engage them in your efforts. Hello, are you out there?
Politics - Barack Obama's campaign has released their "technology and innovation plan." Jon Stokes at Ars Technica doesn't think the document is close to perfect, but he's still pleased that Obama's campaign appears to be paying attention to what the technology geeks are saying, and that's a huge step forward from conversation about clogged tubes and "the Google."
Shopping - If you don't hear from me for a while, I'm probably sitting in my own filth in my apartment, buying things from Supermarket, where they sell fabulous stuff (clothes, bags, household stuff, and paper products) brought to you straight from the designer. Add the site to my list of reasons why the Internet is a fabulous thing.
Happy Thanksgiving, folks. A few links that I have tagged on del.icio.us over the past week or so. Stuff yourself.
Social Networks Militaryplanet.com is a new social network for members of the military -- past and present. According to the press release quoted by 901am, the site was developed in part due to the military's decision to ban service members from using other social networking sites like MySpace. If anyone has the chance to check it out, I would be interested in hearing about the size of the community, the conversation and the features.
Digital Advocacy Witness has launched "The Hub." The aim of the site is to allow individuals and groups to gather attention to human rights issues around the world by posting video, audio and photos; sharing educational and advocacy materials and to connect with others who are concerned about human rights violations. The site is in beta and, according to their "about" page, Witness has a number of additonal features that they will be rolling out on the Hub in the near future. They're looking for ideas and volunteers, so consider giving them some of your time.
Change.org has launched a social network for nonprofits and their supporters on its site. Nonprofit groups can use their profile to raise money, post videos and photos, list calls for action and blog; while visitors to the site can sign up as a supporter, review, share their desire for "change," or comment on the nonprofit. (Thanks to TechCrunch for the news.) So, do you think these nonprofit organizations have a bigger impact on sites like Change, where people are coming because they already care about the issues, or on sites like Facebook, where the reach may be broader, but the users may not have changing the world on their mind? Janet Meiners at Marketing Pilgrim covers new research from the Center for Marketing Research that says that a larger percentage of nonprofit organizations than businesses are using social media. Almost half of the nonprofits in Forbes' list of the top 200 charities say that they use social media as part of their fundraising efforts. What is it that puts nonprofits out front? Is it their need to utilize communication tools that raise awareness without raising their budgets? Is it about being less concerned about the impact of transparency? Is it the age of the folks running nonprofit organizations? In her comments, Janet indicates that she thinks the justification is money, while others suggest that it is passion and simply the respond to a demand from an increasingly socially conscious public that is putting nonprofits on the cutting edge.
Politics Compete has announced the launch of Candidate Facetime, their solution for measuring the effectiveness of presidential candidates' efforts to reach voters via social media. The metric used is the amount of time spent on each candidate's official web site. I guess, in the end, that's where the candidates want voters to end up (ideally, to make a donation), but what about the time spent with the candidates elsewhere within social media? Is it that they don't think it is as valuable or is it just too difficult to measure? What about a metric that combined time on the candidate's web site with the volume of conversation about that conversation within social media, along with their search visibility and links into their official sites? Any other metrics worth considering?
Search Searchboth.com lets you search both Google and Yahoo, Expedia and Orbitz or YellowPages.com and SuperPages.com at the same time in order to compare results.
Health I'm not sure how long it has been around, but DiabeTeens is a community site for young people with diabetes over at HealthCentral.com.
The Ladies I'm not thrilled about it, but, according to Comscore (and Mashable), CafeMom is the number one destination for women online. (I'm not thrilled because I think most marketers presume that women are mothers or want to be mothers and seem to forget that those of us who don't fall into that group probably have a little disposable cash that they might want to get their hands on.)
Worldwide, more than 2/3 of Facebook users are women. In the U.S., 60 percent of Facebook users are women. (Thanks to TechCrunch, once again.)
There's a new social network for caregivers, Agingcare.com (via 901am). The launch coincides with National Family Caregivers Month, a chance to acknowledge the efforts of the more than 50 million family caregivers. Agingcare.com features expert advice, news, polls and products. The "community" section of the site features message boards on everything from legal advice to hospice care to national and local events.
danah boyd is backing up her hypothesis that there are class differences between MySpace and Facebook users with some data, courtesy of Eszter Hargittai from Northwestern University. The debate is not over.
Grou.ps allows users to create online "social groups," adding the features that best meet your community's needs.
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