What’s your gut reaction? Seriously, don’t think too hard. Just go with your initial thought. Are there too many social networks? Personally I think no. However, opinion among attendees of London Silicon Roundabout’s SocMed Meetup was divided. Roughly half thought there were too many social networks, while the other half would happily welcome more.
The expert panel, however, were united in their opinion that there weren’t enough social networks out there. First up was Christine Beardsell, brand content and social media consultant. Her reasoning was that people expect all websites to have some sort of social media capability and, speaking from a marketer’s perspective, it is essential brands offer this. I’m so-so on this one. Is this a good enough reason to support the need for more social networks?
Peter McCormack, CEO at Bantr.tv, believes there are too many generic social networks, trying to appeal to all, but not enough niche communities. Last week, Twitter unveiled a rather familiar new design and that’s the problem with networks that try to appeal to everyone. They all start to look the same. Twitter feels more like Facebook feels more like Linkedin. The conversation becomes banal; finding something relevant a thankless task. As the ‘big three’ dumb down and people get bored of trying to ‘connect’ with as many people as possible, niche networks will start to emerge.
Last up Fred Caballero, social media strategist and lecturer in digital marketing, was much in agreement. Social networks are very much in their infancy so what’s happening right now is representative of that. People rushed to sign up to Facebook to avoid ‘missing out’. By 2020 he expects that it will be standard to be a member of 12 smaller social networks rather than three large ones.
So what did the audience make of all this? Well, some maintained their stance that there are already too many social networks but many actually changed their mind. Perhaps already suffering social-networking fatigue and attracted by the idea of more niche and relevant communities? Truth be told, no one really knows how social networking will evolve over the coming years. And moreover what the knock-on effect will be for brands. At this stage, all theories are welcome.
Saying there’s too many social networks, concluded Peter McCormack, is like saying there are too many pubs. You wouldn’t try to go to all of them, just the ones you like. He’s right of course, although if pubs had only been around for a few years, I’d probably be trying to sample as many as I possibly could.