The Private Social Network: It May Be Just What Your Company Needs

There are many reasons for businesses to utilize private social network systems, rather than trying to fit their efforts into one of the rather limited boxes provided by services such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+, not to mention LinkedIn.  A private, internally-managed social network system allows for better security, better control of user options and behavior, to say nothing of the obvious, though often misunderstood necessity of owning and controlling one’s own data assets! introNetworks knows a thing or two about private social networks, as that’s been our core business for the better part of a decade.  We came across this excellent article on Forbes.com a few days ago.  It was published in October of 2012, but the principals remain true in 2013. Enjoy!

Most of the buzz about social media concerns Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like, and how they can drive traffic and revenue for consumer brands. That social marketing hubbub is exciting, but it drowns out the quieter but much larger impact private online communities can have on business-to-business firms and their customers. In these intimate online venues, customers and companies can convene to plan and build for the future, collaborating in ways that will never happen in the public eye. Private online communities offer secure spaces for customer intimacy programs, product innovation summits, and peer-peer idea exchanges. Small groups of people with common interests come together to share information and support complex decisions, such as who are the best lawyers in a specific legal niche, or the proper steps for installing and rolling out a complex H.R. software package, or where to train employees on presentation skills. Key benefits for their sponsoring organizations include generating ideas and information that fuel business innovation and customer satisfaction. As businesses and individuals discover the strong operational returns they can get from these communities, they are creating a quiet but powerful social business revolution.

Read the rest of this article on Forbes.com HERE. Author Credit: Vanessa DiMauro, the chief executive of Leader Network.