OUAN502 - Networking:
To start the session, we discussed what different platforms of social media exist at the moment, which ones have stayed with us for a while, why they are so successful, and what we can get out social media as a whole. We managed as a class to identify masses of popular sites, apps, and ways of networking (as well as plenty of emerging and newer ones, too).
The most obvious of them if you were to ask a large group of people would of course be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, and so forth. These have stuck with us for a while as they are simply so successful in what they are trying to achieve. They are simple yet allow us to communicate with anyone in many ways. Skype allows you to call multiple people simultaneously, have web conferences globally, and connect people on a personal level from afar. Facebook is handy as an app and the main website, allows you to promote a business, yourself, and get in touch with anyone and everyone. Twitter is very much the same, however some consider it more professional...
Not all social media would be thought of as suitable for starting a business, meeting new clients and industry associates however. Xbox Live isn't a typical way of meeting professional people, nor is World of Warcraft and many other online RPGs, yet it does happen. Business specific sites such as LinkedIn may be your first port of call when looking for the right people - you are able to input your skills, area of work and practice, and note down your experience. There must be something that all these ways of networking have in common in order to be out there and so successful.
Entertainment must be the first port of call: if networking is made interactive, personal, and interesting to the user, word will spread and more people will use this site/app/program. The other must be function and ease of use. Twitter is so popular yet so simple, and that's why so many choose to use it. Celebrities and professionals will most likely turn to Twitter because of their busy lifestyles - they won't want to spend time trying to navigate a page just to share their thoughts with the world.
We came up with many viable reasons why people use networking and the many different things we can achieve from meeting new people in these ways. Getting your name out there, sharing your work, job opportunities, inspiration, competition, money, and guidance from professionals are all key parts of networking and will benefit the ones who actively choose to go out and look for people to work and socialise with.
No comments:
Post a Comment