Ning is not new but I think it is going to get bigger and bigger as more organisations and groups feel the need to set up their own communities.
Organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce, IoD and other professional bodies could benefit from the ease in which a community can be set up. Events can be managed, connections can be made and knowledge shared.
Ning could play a central role as a customer retention strategy. For example, technology companies can keep customers engaged, by providing technical support through the site. Or the networks could be used as a thought leadership platform. There are a million and one other uses, but these were the first that sprung to mind.
I did a quick search using Ning and I found that there was a huge lack of organisations in Manchester using the site, making me think further of this site’s untapped potential. The top ten networks which came up using the keyword ‘Manchester’ were mainly made up of niche sports related networks. Therefore, the opportunity for businesses – corporate organisations in particular – to use this network are huge as the functionality is by far and away better than that of LinkedIn.
This presentation shows some of the basics of how it works, however the easiest way to get to grips with its features is to play around with it.
Tags: Chamber of Commerce, Conferences, corporate, Customer Retention, Events, Institute of Directors, IoD, Ning, Social Network, Thought Leadership Posted by
