Online networking opportunities and limitations

In this week's reading I see the opportunities and limitations associated with online networking. If someone is an entrepeneur and is looking for other people to start a business with or connect with, I think the gobignetwork provides a good opportunity to connect with someone to then have discussions with to see if there is a common interest in moving forward.

For someone who is just trying to use online networking like linkedin.com to find a traditional job, I see limitations. As noted in one article "How does one extract strength from such weak ties?", I see online networking as always being weaker than personal networking. Someone will always steer an employer towards a candidate that they know personally over one that they just know online. Actually, I prefer it this way....if we get to the point where online networking takes precedence over personal networking, I think there will be negative consequences.

Collaboration software: Productivity enhancer or not?

In this week's readings there, two authors had very different opinions on the use of collaboration software in virtual teams. A Business Week Author wrote about the use of an online collaboration software known as Basecamp, which helped a market research company improve productivity 300% over the old way of using e-mail and telephone in virtual teams, so the article was very positive towards the use of online collaboration software/tools. In contrast, Bernie DeKoven wrote about web conferencing and how it is primarily used for meetings that are informational and political in nature, and very little real work gets done in virtual meetings, as most work takes place outside of the meeting. He did not see coworking technology tools improving productivity, as he said that most work gets done "informally, spontaneously, and most often between a few people who share a similar interest in getting something done."

While the authors have different positions, I think the reality is in the middle somewhere and will gradually move towards improved productivity through using online tools as virtual teams become more familiar with them and they become more engrained in a firm's processes. I do agree that collaborative websites like Basecamp (or Microsoft Sharepoint - that I am more familiar with) do boost the productivity of virtual teams, but 300 percent is an exaggeration and there are still times when getting things done the old way as noted by DeKoven is more appropriate. DeKoven's view on web conferencing is too narrow, in certain situations, suchas reviewing a document or strategy, these tools can be quite effective. Web conferencing tools are not as effective at boosting productivity as online colboration websites (like Sharepoint) but can boost productivity if used appropriately in my experience.

Maintain a Good Online Reputation

The article "Startups Help Clean Up Online Reputations" states "In a recent survey, one in 10 hiring managers say they rejected candidates because of things they found out about them on the Internet." This is a bit scary if this becomes a growing trend. Of course we need more details behind this data as to what kind of jobs these candidates were trying to get and why they were rejected, but its scary from the standpoint that a lot of the information out on the Internet is not accurate, so if individuals are simply being rejected on Internet-based information, that seems unfair to the candidate.

Since this practice is going on, whether it is fair or not, it is a good idea to do what you can that's under your control to maintain your online reputation, because if you don't it could come back to hurt you at a later time.

Corporate Bookmarking - The Power of Networking

After reflecting on the list of "Fifteen Uses of Corporate Bookmarking", I can see the power of networking really being able to add value here. For example, one area is competitive research. It is hard for one individual in the company to keep track of all of a company's competitors and their latest product offerings and feature sets, but if a number of employees compile a set of bookmarks to information, the competitive information shared throughout the company really expands.

Tracking industry trends is another good example on the list. It is difficult to keep up with indutsry trends in today's fast moving industries and the current state of information overload. The key to making these uses of corporate bookmarking be productivity enhancements rather than productivity barriers is the quality of information, as poor information will contribute to information overload. Therefore, the compilers and users of these lists need to practice sel-discipline and group discipline to maintain the quality of the content.

Get a Real Life!

Based on the Slideshare summary and review of Second Life, it is hard to get excited about this form of networking. While it does have a number of different networking capabilities: chat, IM, group IM, and supposedly voice and Skype capability coming soon, do we really need to travel through a 3-D graphic “artificial world” in order to network? I don’t think so. Why do I want to spend time earning fake money to buy fake clothes, etc. for my avatar? Wouldn’t spending the time earning real money that can buy real things be a more productive use of time? I know that SL offers an opportunity for escape, but I can easily see people getting wrapped up in this second life and becoming not only unproductive in their real life, but neglecting their relationships with real friends and family.

The summary from the author says that is overhyped and the technical requirements are too high. What is surprising is the demographics, with 25-34 as the largest user group, not teens, because to me Second Life is only for people who don’t have much of a real life. The NY Times article discusses spending time shopping for clothes for your avatar. Anyone who has time to do that must not have much of a real life!