Would Your Outsource Your Social Networking?
July 3rd, 2007 (12:00pm) Mike Gunderloy 9 Comments
We’ve written before (and had a lively debate about) the benefits of outsourcing the nonessential activities in your life - housekeeping, lawn care, project management, bookkeeping, and so on. Now comes the news, via a BBC reporter, that some people are actually making real money blogging and networking on behalf of others. Actively social web workers know that it can take a tremendous amount of time and energy to maintain a compelling blog as well as a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pownce, and whatever the other network-of-the-week is. But would you consider paying someone else to take this load off your shoulders?
On the one hand, it’s clear that having an active social network can be very beneficial to the web worker. If you’re looking for work or selling a product or seeking developers or hunting partners, being out and about and visible on the various sites and services is a great way to start. Just like any other PR or marketing or advertising activity, social networking helps to get the word out about your existence and activities. If you’re too busy to do it yourself, why not pay someone else to do it for you?
But on the other hand, you have to wonder about the wisdom of subcontracting something as central as your own identity and reputation to someone else. Politicians and celebrities get away with using ghost writers to pen books, but what would happen if a web worker got caught using a proxy to generate blog entries? Could you keep your story straight, or would there be awkward e-mail moments when someone referred to a Twitter conversation of which you had no memory?
On the whole, I suspect the original story - of making £1,000 per month networking on someone else’s behalf - to be a new urban legend. But perhaps I am naive. Can you see yourself getting to a point in your career where that’s a good deal? Or are you ready to hang out a shingle and assume the blogging duties for someone else? If you’re making a living at this, we’d love to hear from you.
9 Comments Post your own comment
Philip Calvert says: July 4th, 2007 12:08am
Great piece. What you are seeing is the start of Brands using Social Networks ‘properly’. I.e. instead of advertising AT consumers, they are now beginning to interact and engage WITH them.
The way they do this - and I have a service that provides this - is by setting up and running online business clubs or ‘mini social networks’ on the back of existing social networks. This is a far less costly and risky way of putting a toe in the water rather than buying or building their own social network.
Part of my role involves blogging on a company’s behalf, and naturally this requires me to work closely with them to understand their strategy and goals etc.
I currently run online clubs with Reuters, Zopa, Passion for the Planet DAB Digital Radio and a new one Simply Sales Jobs will start any day now. There are many more in the pipeline, with some very large household name companies making enquiries.
It works just as well for small companies and SMEs too. Everyone knows that if you can leverage the power of social networks, then you are on to something big. But the trick is not to try and sell your products within social networks. It’s all about adding mountains of value - and that’s what I provide for them.
I also speak at conferences on how companies and Brands can use the technology to engage with their target market through outsourced Blogging and Social Networking.
Philip Calvert
http://www.ecademy.com/user/philipcalvert&xref=53930
Entrepreneur Musings says: July 4th, 2007 12:22am
From what I gather from all of this, is that Social Networks can be used to generate gigs for freelancers. Maybe it is time for me to get active on social networks.
I have had inquiries about my services when I used to actively participate on tech forums. But unfortunately, none of them actually materialized as I was located in Sri Lanka and the gig was in US. There was no structured way of doing business.
But with stuctured environments such as oDesk and RentACoder I have been able to generate work for myself.
I guess it is time for me to hit the social networks with the intention of promoting myself as a brand!
lg says: July 4th, 2007 8:18am
Wanted: Body double. Must be 6″1, 80kg. Willing to attend trade shows, networking lunches, client meetings, social events. Extensive research and preparation required. Send applications to lg.9.anonymouse007@spamgourmet.org
sarabocaneanu says: July 4th, 2007 10:07am
For an activity so central to my identity - not just now, but pretty much set in stone forever - no way would I trust anybody else to be me!
Softcode Blog » Would Your Outsource Your Social Networking? says: July 6th, 2007 7:50am
[...] Fuente : Web work daily [...]
Tyler says: July 6th, 2007 12:46pm
The following entry was written by the ghostwriter of my forthcoming memoir, “I was on Friendster?!”
I think it makes a certain amount of sense. Since I was trained in programming and not writing, wouldn’t it be kind of absurd to assume that I can express myself with the same amount of flair and gravitas (read: improvisatory bullshit) as an artist (read: lazy trust-funder) who has all the time in the world to cultivate an image (no seriously, suck it) that they have probably tried overly hard to create in the first place? By forgoing the extra time and effort required to actually generate a persona, I used that time to, you know, make money and produce stuff. But seeing as welfare in this country has gone to shit, someone has to pay these tools a decent wage to justify their existence as freelancers/loaders.
-On behalf of Tyler K
PS: please check out my ghostwritten blog at http://www.bazoomercom.com
How We Do. :: Ari and I are both a bunch of dorks. says: July 16th, 2007 8:04am
[...] Our answer to the question: Would you outsource your social networking? [...]
Dawn says: July 25th, 2007 7:50am
Well, people drop in my estimation when I find out they aren’t writing their own blogs. I mean, sure, books? We all know Donald Trump can’t write. But when it comes to virtual networking, to me that’d be like going to a face-to-face event and meeting an impersonator instead of the actual guy.
my initials are :: TK :: Tyler Kremberg » Ari and I are both a bunch of dorks. says: January 22nd, 2008 7:41pm
[...] Our answer to the question: Would you outsource your social networking? [...]