-Parker

Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

Michael Sebastian
MyRagan managing editor

The ideas are not bad over there as much as the execution and attitude. I’ve seen a few niche social networks work well (just not one that seems to resonate with communication-related professionals). Social niche networks rely on leadership more than platforms.

If there is a challenge with MyRagan, it’s in the presentation of their own material and the lack of content leadership (as opposed to content management). For example, today’s e-mail read:

“We hope all of you in the Northern Hemisphere enjoyed an easy breezy summer weekend. Last week, a blogger said MyRagan “won’t even make its first birthday.” Ouch. Well, we will invite that blogger to MyRagan’s first birthday party. Log on to MyRagan to see his post and read how MyRagan members are responding. (Here’s a hint: They disagree with the blogger’s assertion.)”

The teaser was nowhere to be found. So I turned to the Ragan videos. Yikes! So I checked my IABC group (no new messages since Aug. 7). But what was this e-mail really? Transparency? Leadership? Or an invitation to flame a member. Right. An embarrassment to the profession.

You’re not far off. All my best,
Rich

I have maintained the value of traditional press releases in the face of social media enthusiasts who insist that a company need to nothing more than blog their news. Trust me; I am not a gushing fan of every social media tool or resource that comes down the pike. I look at each from a strategic point of view and in the context of the overall communication environment. That is, I work hard to be objective.

As for MyRagan (or Melcrum’s Communicator’s Network or other niche networks within other professions), I think you may be dismissing the idea too quickly. Yes, Facebook is a larger and has more features. But consider this: Why should anybody join a professional association when they can simply go to a park or a sporting event where tens of thousands of people have gathered? Surely there are some communicators among them and, if they hold up a sign, can probably form some groups.

The fact is that a dedicated group can attract more people and inspire some more focused discussions. As I noted, I spend considerably more time on Facebook than MyRagan, yet I am always impressed by the level of conversation going on there. Meanwhile, most Facebook groups I’ve joined have little activity. The focus on the profession adds some value, just as joining a professional association does.

Again, I’m reserving judgement; I am not convinced that niche social networks will be effective in the long run. But I’m not yet convinced they won’t, either.

Alright, at least we can agree on the fact that niche social networks might not be the greatest solution. However, I find it much more easy to dismiss the number of communicators that are on MyRagan. How many of them are still active in that community? I’m sure that you’ll find that a great deal of them eagerly joined in the early days as a way of exploring and finding out what’s new. Rather than than the number of total members, I’m much more interested in the number of members who contribute content (or at the very least log-in) at least once a week.

The fact that it is difficult to find communications-related media on YouTube probably has more to do with the searching ability on the site rather than a lack of available titles. Again, I’m sure that an easier solution can be had by way of dedicated Facebook-groups. Even using the existing MyRagan community (though I shudder at the thought) would probably be a better solution than creating a new site.

At the end of the day, I still feel that we need more objectivity and criticism about social media.

-Parker