As a result of the overwhelming response that I’ve received from the post I made on MyRagan’s forums last week, combined with Shel Holtz’s similar appeal for pro-MyRagan stories, I’m conceding defeat in this round. (UPDATE: I find it slightly disappointing that neither my comment from Friday nor any other comments have appeared on Holtz’s MyRagan blogpost. What gives, Shel?)
While I had thought that MyRagan was a backwater, the number of people commenting on my blog in favor of MyRagan showed me two things. First of all, it showed that there are a number of people who are passionate about the site, passionate enough to vocalize their opinions and defend MyRagan. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the number of people connecting from my original post on the MyRagan forums and Shel Holtz’s MyRagan blogpost was overwhelming, and proof that there is a very active community of communicators.
If you want to read through all the comments that I received, take a look at these two posts of mine (first one, second one). Some of the highlights:
MyRagan’s managing editor Micheal Sebastian points us in the direction of this article from the New York Times website with a ton of comments in favor of niche social networks.
In one of the most valuable comments, Valarie writes “I’m not a big networking kind of gal, but myragan has been very helpful to me as a professional resource. For example, my boss is working on a report about Internal Communications for senior management. She wondered where the Int Comms dept reports into in other companies (PR, Marketing, CEO, etc). Instead of spending ages on the web trying to research the matter, I put the question to a myragan forum. I received some good responses, including one from a Ragan staffer who recently conducted an Int Comms survey and could quote me exact percentages from his research. So I was able to retrieve some good information with a minimal amount of time invested in the research.”
It is her idea that we can get solid data and great ideas from MyRagan that has certainly made me think twice.
And another good argument in favor of MyRagan comes from one of their own employees, Benswetland (I don’t know if I should be thinking of that name as Ben’s Wetland or Ben Sweatland, but both are pretty sweet): “What I like about myragan in particular and niche social networking sites in general is that they allow me to show a different “face” or side of myself, something I couldn’t do if I was only on one site. I have a myspace site for my band, another for my friends, a facebook profile for my friends, and a myragan page for my colleagues.
In a very real sense I’m different people to each group, and it’d be silly (and bad for my career) to use the same profile for each one. I take it you’re on Facebook for professional reasons only, but you’re in a decisive minority there. Maybe someday Facebook will figure out how to show different sides of ourselves to different groups of people (a personal profile/a professional one) in some kind of intelligent way. I think it’s a major hurdle for a Facebook to solve. But they haven’t yet to my knowledge. Until they do I see social networking going the way of magazine publishing: diversified niches.”
Ben assumes wrongly that I’m on Facebook for professional reasons, however I do have a number of professional contacts on there. While I am able to use the limited profile setting to prevent them from seeing content that is, uh, ‘unprofessional’ it would be nice to have more content control over the content I’m sharing. Separate identities on different social networks such as what Ben suggests certainly makes sense.
There was also still some encouraging objectivity in a few of the comments.
As Richard Becker* writes, “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).” He goes onto provide some examples of this, and I urge you to take a look at what he has to say in the comments section of this post.
Donna Papacosta makes a similar statement when she suggests that MyRagan should have a better way of informing users about new content on the site.
I’d still like to hear what Jeremiah Owyang has to say about MyRagan (considering his views on Facebook), but in general I’m going to make greater efforts to involve myself in MyRagan. I’m still not 100% convinced that the site will make it to a successful first birthday, but if they do I accept the invitation to the party. I’ll be the guy in the corner eating a big serving of humble pie. In the meantime, add me as a friend on Facebook or MyRagan.
Thanks to everyone who commented or came over to BlogCampaigning to take a look.
Cheers,
-Parker
UPDATE: Take a look at what Buzz Canuck has to say about Facebook
*Love that moustache, Rich
12 Comments
I’ve not had much experience with MyRagan personally, so I don’t really have too much to add.
I’m on the road, Parker. Syracuse yesterday, DC today, Chicago tomorrow. Limited time for blogging and commenting. And I’m Shel, sometimes Sheldon (when my wife or mother are mad at me), but never, ever “Shelley.” Okay, Park?
Jeremiah- The reason I singled you out is because I thought you might have more of an opinion about niche social networks in general, rather than just MyRagan.
But I am curious as to why you haven’t joined MyRagan.
Shel – my mistake, and corrected.
Cheers all
-Parker
Parker, thank you for pulling out my comment. I might not be so ready to agree with you to concede a point to MyRagan. Although the e-mail I referenced did not say so specifically, it was a solicitation for comment.
Didn’t Ragan recently criticize Debbie Weil for soliciting comment? Right before they published her e-mail? Hypocrisy tends to follow the foolish. While I don’t wish for their downfall and still visit the service from time to time, any sense of community will fragment if they only communication is in defense of self-proclaimed leadership, a quality which is something to earn and not entitlement.
I see a big difference between Shel pointing us to this conversation about whether MyRagan will fail, and giving those of us who really like MyRagan an opportunity to chime into a conversation we might not otherwise have known about; and the Weil email asking people to go blog about the new diet wonder drug (but not to say she sent them).
Ragan isn’t selling its social network; it’s providing it, free, as a forum for communicators. I don’t have to buy their products or watch ads (which even MySpace puts me through)–I can just go and learn from and contribute to conversations about topics that are important to me. To compare that to the Weil solicitation strikes me as willfully unkind; the further comments about the defense of “self-proclaimed leadership” is just mean.
Here’s the bottom line: If you don’t like MyRagan, don’t go there. If you don’t go there, don’t act like you know what you’re talking about, or your “hypocrisy tends to follow the foolish” crack may wind up back in your own lap.
Sorry, I believe you’ve annoyed me just a little.
…Joan in Alaska
Joan,
With all due respect, the e-mail I referenced had nothing to do with Shel Holtz. It was sent by Mark Ragan and referenced in the other comment … basically it asked Raganites to come by and see Parker get flamed by other Raganites.
I also didn’t say that I didn’t like MyRagan. I was very specific in my comments about what I didn’t care for, including their take on Debbie Weil. But I will take your suggestion under consideration that you would prefer a MyRagan network that is never questioned or commented upon other than flattery. My comments have little to do with MyRagan as a social network and very much to do with how they and some “fans” sometimes treat the smallest critiques as you have just demonstrated.
I am not annoyed in the least. I respect your opinion though appreciate you might not respect mine.
All my best,
Rich
As a quick point of clarification, it was not Mark Ragan who wrote that e-mail but me (or is it I?).
Michael Sebastian
Thanks for the clarification Michael. My apologies for misidentifying the author.
Best,
Rich
Fascinating discussion,l though really quite ridiculous to attack Rish like that. Makes MyRaganites look like MyKarlRovites.
I personally opted out of MyRagan, though I may come back at some date in the far future. Disinterested in the content and approval mechanisms in the recent past. Just not for me.
However, these comments and quotes indicate that blood loyal community is developing. And that’s great. It’s really what social media is about.
GL
Thanks for the backup, Geoff and Richard.
Like I said earlier, this is only the first round.
I’m still not entirely convinced in the power of MyRagan, but I’m much more willing to give it a try.
Hell, at the very least it got people talking on this blog (and elsewhere) which, as Geoff says, is what social media is about.
-Parker
Hi Parker,
I’m new to this conversation so please forgive me for having to do some catching up. But you mentioned something in your admittance of defeat above that for me captured so much of what MyRagan.com is about and that’s passion. People with a passion for communications, technology and the human connection.
I am a member of multiple social networks, each for a specific reason personally. None of these networks has provided for me exactly what so many of the commentators before me have so eliquently described and defended.
I wear the “myragan slut” badge with honor and look forward to many, many birthdays.
Take care,
-Anonymous
Good Lord. I just Googled myself and found that one of the first links to my name involves wearing the quoted “badge” in my earlier comment on your site. Reminder to self: Don’t comment on blog posts at 4:00 AM unless you’ve had ample amounts of coffee.
I will be an example for the power of SEO and online reputation management. :-) I still stand by myragan and the value niche networks hold, but have found that I am tending to gravitate toward a very select few and fostering the relationships in smaller groups.
Humbled by SEO,
-Anonymous