Ross Mayfield on the introduction of a social networking service by employment site Monster.com. The Monster execs are talking dating and alumni services as a comparison to their efforts, which I think is misguided. Finding employment is a process of introductions that can't be facilitated by semi-anonymous or anonymous connections -- yes, you can do that with dating, because dating is a process of discovery with a particularly compelling pot of gold at the end -- because when you need a job or want a job, you tend to move fast and find the most immediate source of connections, not begin a dialogue to get someone's endorsement. Jerry Michalski's piece on social networking was dead-on about this point: We guard our personal networks, rather than be promiscuous with them.
By contrast, we should be promiscuous with links precisely in order to foment discussions that lead to strong ties with other people and businesses.
Posted by Mitch Ratcliffe at October 20, 2003 04:43 PM | TrackBack