Got you with the headline. Of course I don’t mean social networks are becoming less popular; quite the opposite. It seems that the number of members to the social network heavy hitters like MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo are increasing month by month. How many invites have you received from colleagues, friends or family to any of the above in the last six months? My guess is you’ve probably at least received one from all three. You’re probably a member of one them.
There’s no denying that all of the cool brands want a piece of the social network revolution too. Some are making plans to have a presence, while others are immersed in them and all their glories already.
And rightly so, if it’s done properly.
However, in my opinion (and I know I’m not alone here), we’ll start to see a fragmentation of social networks. The current domineering powerhouses will begin to see members migrate to niche social networks that are more relevant to them, their lives and their interests. Being an avid reader of Mashable!, ReadWriteWeb and Techcrunch, there’s certainly no shortage of more focused social networks popping up all the time. As an example, I give you:
IQONS: Big social networks are soo passé, dahling. Try IQONS, the social network for fashion enthusiasts
WiiTube: Got a Wii? Need a Wii? Enjoy having a Wii? Try this YouTube lookalike specific to the Wii
DoggySnapps: Love your dog? Enjoy taking photos of your dog? Then try DoggySnapps. It’s like Flickr except for um, er, dogs
Bikespace.net: Queen wanted to ride their bicycle, how about you pimp yours on Bikespace.net?
We’re going to see users becoming members of a number of specific social networks, as opposed to just one of the big ones. It makes more sense, but it’s something that will take a long period of time. MySpace members have spent too much time and effort pimping their profile, building a database of friends, and generally figuring the whole thing out to leave it at a whim. But over time they’ll seek out new platforms with more relevancy to their lives or possibly their area of work (LinkedIn for example).
So what does it mean for brands? Niche social networks can be tapped into for more relevancy in online engagement. For example, which platform makes the most sense for a brand like Pedigree? Bebo or DoggySnaps? Or which platform do you think bike manufacturer, Diamondback enthusiasts will be dwelling?
It’s still early days yet and not all of the niche social networks around today, or indeed the ones yet to be introduced, will survive. But I think it will become a case of identifying the most relevant social network to any given brand.
But identifying the right platform is just the minor part. It’s how you engage with the users in a creative, respectful and non-intrusive manor which will be the key to a successful online PR campaign. Maybe that’s for another post.
Sidenote: Read this post by New York publicist Peter Shankman. Very witty.
Stephen is a communications consultant based out of the UK. You can connect with him on Twitter or check out his LinkedIn profile. | Email Stephen
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Ian Delaney
I’m pretty sure that members of these ‘vertical’ social networks are also members of the BIG 3, with the exception of doggysnaps, which was deliberately made to appeal to people who’d find mainstream SNs utterly pointless. My perception, and maybe it’s wrong, or my own willingness to sign up to any old rubbish, is that people move in lots of different circles – that’s why there’s been launches of aggregators of this information recently, like socializr and also the rise of widgets to carry this into a central hub like your blog – to draw together a lifestream for people.
Maybe.
Daniel, Fashionising
Fashionising (which we launched about a fortnight ago) is another niche social network, similar to Iqons in that it appeals to a fashion crowd, we’ve built it for both those who work in the industry and those who love what the industry produces. We’ve tried to take a different route to the likes of MySpace, where the social side of Fashionising revolves around content and opportunities (we have a heavy focus and pairing up models with photographers, designers with stores, etc…).
We personally think that the niche s/ns will show more longevity, as people become tired with the clutter and lack of focus of the bigger networks.
Sav
This is the idea behind Andreeson’s new project Ning.com. He believes exactly what you are saying in your article above. As more and more people accept the social networking aspect as a way of life, the relevance of the community they belong to will be a factor.
Thank you for the insight.
Sav
Stephen
Ian: I think you’re right, I bet they are member of the BIG 3. But I imagine once the smaller social networks gain more ground, people will spend less time on the biggies.
Daniel: Thanks for the comment. Fashionising looks cool. Best of luck with it.
Sav: I’ve seen Ning and I love it. Great idea and I think it’s going to do really well.
Raj Anand
I believe that in that too. I think the future is niche social networks. I think good example of it are websites like flixster.com (movie lovers), flip.com (Vogue for teenage girls)… the list just continues.
What we have realised as a company (Kwiqq.com) is that corporates are very keen on the power of social networks. Instead of using a 3rd party software they want their own social network !
And Why not – just thinking from the point of view marketing, data, market survey (and maybe revenue) its an excellent tool.
Margaret
With site growing so large, its important to find a site that works for you. Its refreshing to see all of the examples in this article. The site I work for, haute.net, just launched and is so useful. The site is for professionals in the fashion industry and focuses on contacts, jobs, and creating valuable connections.