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Is Industry-Specific Social Networking the Way of the Future?
By Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk
Social networking sites come and go. Some last for a while then wither away. (MySpace anyone?) Others seem to be in it for the long haul. While they may do it in slightly different ways, they all accomplish pretty much the same thing. When it comes right down to it, each one allows you to interact with different people and companies and catch up on the latest news, right? But what if you aren’t interested in the ‘different’ aspect and want something a little more targeted?
Industry-specific social networking sites are beginning to spring up on the Internet, and they are gaining traction. Using LinkedIn for business networking is great, but you do have to wade through a lot of different updates and feeds to find things specific to your industry or navigate to your groups’ pages to see if anything new has popped up there. Industry-specific social networking sites allow you to interact with professionals from your industry and are focused on news and events that affect your business directly.
Because of this, these sites may be less distracting than regular social networking sites. You don’t have to hunt through pictures of your niece’s birthday party or your mom’s recipes in order to find that article your coworker suggested. For those that aren’t keen on using social networking yet, this could be a great opportunity for them to get their feet wet, since they’ll be able to participate in a “safer” environment where they are knowledgeable and comfortable.
What got me on this topic is the fact that the people who created iShade, the new social networking site for the accounting industry, approached me a few weeks ago. It’s currently in beta, and will launch to the public in late May, but you can join today if you want. It is targeted solely to accountants and the people that serve them, which is why I was on the list. In some ways, it’s similar to LinkedIn, in that you create both individual and firm profiles, add regular updates, join groups and connect with others on the site. They also let you create an online ad and marketplace profile for your firm for free. Where they really provide value is by offering onsite and online CPE courses. As a result, the site goes beyond social networking and becomes a place where accountants can get the CPE they need to maintain their licensing.
I think it has great potential, but it will only work if people join and participate. Like any networking effort, it can’t be the place where only vendors gather. (Admittedly, I’m one of them.) But the benefits of this site should draw social media-savvy accountants first, and then hopefully they will continue expanding to those who think Twitter is silly, but may give this one a shot.
How many of these industry-specific sites are currently up and running? I’ve found a few that look pretty interesting:
- Accounting – iShade.com (https://www.ishade.com/)
- Finance & Insurance – linkedFA.com (https://www.linkedfa.com/)
- Architecture – Architizer.com (https://www.architizer.com/en_us/)
- Real Estate – Glozal.com (https://glozal.com/)
- Small Business – Biznik.com (https://biznik.com/)
One more that should be mentioned, and this one is something special, is https://www.CDSocial.com, a networking site for Funeral Directors. My first reaction was, “Wha…really?” But they need to network, too, and it’s a growing industry. You learn something new every day.
Is this the future of social networking? Do you think people will begin to navigate toward these sites versus continuing to use sites like LinkedIn, or will they use them in addition to the big ones? I’d love to hear your thoughts and also if you know of other industry-specific social networking sites, add them in the comments section for everyone to see.
Very interesting read. I enjoyed reading about the different networks, how each industry defines its own distinct space in the overall business world. We have a few in writing as well. Bottom line: they’re more alike than what one might assume; and, each offers ideas on how to be ‘noticed’ in your field, no matter the specialization.
Very interesting. I had no idea that such specialized networking sites existed (such as for funeral directors), but it makes perfect sense. I have joined several sites over the years that focused on personal issues that I was dealing with at the time (pregnancy, being a stepmom to teenagers, etc). Everybody benefits from sharing ideas and it makes sense to go straight to a site where discussions are geared toward a specific topic.
Excellent article, as usual!
We run TankChat.com a special social network for the oil and gas industry. ISSM (industry specific social media) is definitely the way forward. The sites are tailored to the industry’s specialist requirements.
Interesting…. I can definitely see where these industry-specific sites could play a valuable niche role.
I’m researching industry-specific social networking for my dissertation, and this page literally made my day! Everything I need in one 🙂
Here’s another industry site: BuilderLink at http://www.YourBuilderLink.com. As you might guess it serves the construction industry and has about 2,000 registered users and growing. It combines an online community with online tools.
[…] Industry-related social networks or vertical social networks are not new but they are growing in popularity. They allow people to interact with professionals (or like-minded thinkers) and focus on news and events that have a direct affect on their lives. This is why some argue these sites are less distracting than regular social networks. (BBR Marketing) […]
I agree with the need for industry specific social networking. So a year ago, I built https://www.limsforum.com. The industry I am in is the laboratory and scientific professional industry. The industry has roughly 10 to 15 million professionals that make it up. My social network at this point in time has roughly 17K of those 15M. So lots of room to grow the community.
Absolutely. Honestly, I’ve been surprised that we haven’t seen more of these sites take off, but they seem to be faltering, possibly because people are focusing more on the larger ones and don’t have time to add in ones specific to their industry. I do wish you all the best with yours though!
https://bit.ly/3hMr3wT Go?