Social Networks for Business

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by: Idris Mootee

I was planning to compile a comprehensive list of social networking sites (complete with taxonomies) and it’s quite the challenging task. I started with "business" related sites (see the list below) and soon I realized it would be hard to differentiate between a business social networking site and a business "who’s who" search engine.

There’s already a social networking company Visible Path, which calls itself a "relationship capital management company," that’s improving its search capabilities. It signed a deal with business information broker Hoover’s to help salespeople using Visible Path’s software find and contact executives listed in the Hoover’s extensive business database.

The difference between search and social-networking sites is that users opt in to social networking sites, whereas search engines index online information until site owners opt out. And commercial data brokers collect information regardless of whether those in their databases object. And now, a new crop of web communities are taking the popular idea and customizing it to address the concerns of specific business needs. Sites such as Partner Up is designed to allow entrepreneurs and businesses to find people who are interested in being a partner in their business. These opportunties are traditonally brokered by accountants and commercial bankers. I think this is a great concept but needs a lot of refinement. A level of facilitation is still needed to make this model work.

Affinity Engines, Appiir, Business Parc, BusinessPartnerships.ca, Contact Network, Doostang, ecademy, eConozco, Eliyon, EntreMate, eXtremeNetworking.biz*, Friendly Favors, GoingProfessional, Growth Company, I’m Not From Here, InterAction, ITmob, ItsNotWhatYouKnow, Join Network PLUS, LLC, Kickstart-Connect, Konnects, LinkedIn, Link Silicon Valley, matcheroo, Mediabistro, Monster Networking, NetMiner, Netmodular Community, Networking For Professionals, Online Business Networking Resource, Open Business Club (openBC), OrderGenerator, PeopleThatClick, Point Relevance, Polypol, PowerMingle, RealContacts, ReferNet, Reunion, Ryze, SelectMinds, Senior Management Network*, Shortcut, Silicon Valley Pipeline, Spoke Software, Sullivan Executive Networking Community, Tacit – ActiveNet, TENG, Viaduc, Visible Path, WisdomBuilder, Zerendipity Networks, Zerodegrees.

Original post: http://mootee.typepad.com/innovation_playground/2007/06/social_networks.html