Comments on: Filling the Connection Gaps with Konnects http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/09/23/filling-the-connection-gaps-with-konnects/ Rebooting the workforce Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:02:02 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: aliza sherman http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/09/23/filling-the-connection-gaps-with-konnects/#comment-305380 aliza sherman Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:35:35 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=3965#comment-305380 Dan - I don't think I dismissed BizNik as regional or niche. If you look at the home page, it lists out several cities and when I joined BizNik, I opted into the Seattle community. I see that as added value. Clearly anyone from anywhere can join BizNik but being able to zoom into a regional area for true online/offline networking is brilliant. Also, by niche, you've clearly defined the reason you started BizNik in the first place - you and your wife were working independently and wanted to connect with others in the same situation. Also brilliant. You aren't really looking to serve someone in a huge corporation although they, too, can get value from BizNik. But to bring us indies together is so great. By being so focused, I think you'll end up being incredibly successful. Dan – I don’t think I dismissed BizNik as regional or niche. If you look at the home page, it lists out several cities and when I joined BizNik, I opted into the Seattle community. I see that as added value. Clearly anyone from anywhere can join BizNik but being able to zoom into a regional area for true online/offline networking is brilliant.

Also, by niche, you’ve clearly defined the reason you started BizNik in the first place – you and your wife were working independently and wanted to connect with others in the same situation. Also brilliant. You aren’t really looking to serve someone in a huge corporation although they, too, can get value from BizNik. But to bring us indies together is so great.

By being so focused, I think you’ll end up being incredibly successful.

]]> By: Jim Crabbe, CEO Konnects http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/09/23/filling-the-connection-gaps-with-konnects/#comment-305310 Jim Crabbe, CEO Konnects Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:58:03 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=3965#comment-305310 I thought I should clarify Dan McCombs assessment of the traffic coming to Konnects and also explain key differences between the two business models. I think the explanation will also underscore why free web tools are helpful, but have flaws and limitations on how they portray data. As Aliza commented above, Konnects has a Ning element allowing organizations or individuals to create their own white labeled professional community with all of the feature sets you see on Konnects.com. The Konnects.com URL houses these communities. The site you see at Konnects.com is the global portal for all members who wish to be viewed and interact with others on an international level. Some users however join the platform directly into a community or "walled garden" residing on the Konnects platform. While these function as seperate entities, Quantcast lumps their activity and data together under the Konnects URL. Konnects has a number of such communities for different countries, industries, etc. As such, we cater to an entire ecosystem of business networking sites. Think of us as potentially thousands of uniquely branded and populated professional communities around the globe. Each with differing levels of activity, growth, and interaction. Depending on which communities you choose to become involved with, your experience will differ in activity. The Indian community or <a href="http://www.indiakonnects.com" rel="nofollow">IndiaKonnects.com,</a> has grown faster than other communities riding on our platform. It is a very vibrant, fast growing community. When viewing the data at a site like Quantcast, you are seeing an aggregation of data skewed toward the fastest growing and most active communities in the ecosystem. To illustrate the differences, I suggest visiting both <a href="http://www.IndiaKonnects.com" rel="nofollow">IndiaKonnects.com,</a> and <a href="http://www.konnects.com" rel="nofollow">Konnects.com.</a> If anyone wants to talk to me about this, please feel free to contact me on Konnects. I thought I should clarify Dan McCombs assessment of the traffic coming to Konnects and also explain key differences between the two business models. I think the explanation will also underscore why free web tools are helpful, but have flaws and limitations on how they portray data.

As Aliza commented above, Konnects has a Ning element allowing organizations or individuals to create their own white labeled professional community with all of the feature sets you see on Konnects.com.

The Konnects.com URL houses these communities. The site you see at Konnects.com is the global portal for all members who wish to be viewed and interact with others on an international level.

Some users however join the platform directly into a community or “walled garden” residing on the Konnects platform. While these function as seperate entities, Quantcast lumps their activity and data together under the Konnects URL. Konnects has a number of such communities for different countries, industries, etc. As such, we cater to an entire ecosystem of business networking sites.

Think of us as potentially thousands of uniquely branded and populated professional communities around the globe. Each with differing levels of activity, growth, and interaction. Depending on which communities you choose to become involved with, your experience will differ in activity.

The Indian community or IndiaKonnects.com, has grown faster than other communities riding on our platform. It is a very vibrant, fast growing community. When viewing the data at a site like Quantcast, you are seeing an aggregation of data skewed toward the fastest growing and most active communities in the ecosystem. To illustrate the differences, I suggest visiting both IndiaKonnects.com, and Konnects.com. If anyone wants to talk to me about this, please feel free to contact me on Konnects.

]]> By: Ian Hendry http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/09/23/filling-the-connection-gaps-with-konnects/#comment-305288 Ian Hendry Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:28:20 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=3965#comment-305288 There are other alternatives which allow unlimited networking, as surely online networks should. We launched WeCanDo.BIZ in May and are growing rapidly due to features like Biz Needs, which takes one member's urgent business need and presents that as a sales lead to other members. Tools like this help broker valuable new connections. Even if you join without knowing anyone, within days you'll have a whole heap of useful new connections. Our service is free for business professionals at http://www.wecando.biz. Ian Hendry CEO, WeCanDo.BIZ http://www.wecando.biz There are other alternatives which allow unlimited networking, as surely online networks should. We launched WeCanDo.BIZ in May and are growing rapidly due to features like Biz Needs, which takes one member’s urgent business need and presents that as a sales lead to other members. Tools like this help broker valuable new connections. Even if you join without knowing anyone, within days you’ll have a whole heap of useful new connections.

Our service is free for business professionals at http://www.wecando.biz.

Ian Hendry
CEO, WeCanDo.BIZ
http://www.wecando.biz

]]> By: Dan McComb http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/09/23/filling-the-connection-gaps-with-konnects/#comment-305279 Dan McComb Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:24:11 +0000 http://webworkerdaily.com/?p=3965#comment-305279 Hi Aliza, Great piece. I'm a little surprised, however, that you dismiss <a href="http://biznik.com" rel="nofollow">Biznik</a> as "niche or regionally focused." If you take a look at the geographic <a href="http://www.quantcast.com/konnects.com/geo" rel="nofollow">traffic data for Konnects on Quantcast</a> (both Biznik and Konnects are quantified so we're talking real data here), you'll see that by an overwhelming margin, most of Konnects' traffic originates in India. In fact, the United States is a very distant fourth on the list. Given those numbers, I think a compelling case could be made that Konnects is "regionally" focused, that region being Asia. At Biznik, we are focused on the United States (even though we now have members in 118 countries). Most of Biznik's traffic originates in the United States, where we have twice the traffic than Konnects has, despite the fact that Biznik has just 16,000 members so far, compared to their much larger (but as you observed, strangely silent) user base. I think Konnects has a great product. There's plenty of room in this growing market for products with different approaches to solving the business networking puzzle for different types of people in different parts of the world. I just don't like being unfairly labeled as "regional" when the opposite is true. PS It was great having you as a speaker at BizJam this year. We'll be posting video of your session soon at <a href="http://www.bizjamseattle.com" rel="nofollow">www.bizjamseattle.com.</a> Hi Aliza,
Great piece. I’m a little surprised, however, that you dismiss Biznik as “niche or regionally focused.” If you take a look at the geographic traffic data for Konnects on Quantcast (both Biznik and Konnects are quantified so we’re talking real data here), you’ll see that by an overwhelming margin, most of Konnects’ traffic originates in India. In fact, the United States is a very distant fourth on the list. Given those numbers, I think a compelling case could be made that Konnects is “regionally” focused, that region being Asia.

At Biznik, we are focused on the United States (even though we now have members in 118 countries). Most of Biznik’s traffic originates in the United States, where we have twice the traffic than Konnects has, despite the fact that Biznik has just 16,000 members so far, compared to their much larger (but as you observed, strangely silent) user base.

I think Konnects has a great product. There’s plenty of room in this growing market for products with different approaches to solving the business networking puzzle for different types of people in different parts of the world. I just don’t like being unfairly labeled as “regional” when the opposite is true.

PS It was great having you as a speaker at BizJam this year. We’ll be posting video of your session soon at http://www.bizjamseattle.com.

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