Facebook and Generating Wealth for Business

This evening Vijay Singh Riyait (of iQUBED), Toby Moores of Sleepydog and Shani Lee (NLab co-ordinator) will be sharing with us tips on using Facebook in business.

From the Facebook event blurb:
"Come along to this introductory event to learn how to use Facebook, a social networking website. Local business people will talk about the benefits they've gained from using social networking, and we'll take you through the process of getting yourself set up. Bring your laptop and register with Facebook on the night!"

Plan:
6:00pm - Registration, Refreshments (yum), networking
6:30pm - Welcome from Prof. Sue Thomas
6:40pm - Toby Moores from Sleepydog
6:55pm - Vijay Ryait from iQubed
7:10pm - Setting up on Facebook with Shani Lee
7:40pm - Questions and Answer session
8:00pm - Close


Sue began with a little introduction to the background of NLab as a way of building links to generate new ideas and business.

Toby is going to talk about what this means in practise.

Sleepydog is in the "content" business.
Even though some things on social networks might not seem to be useful, the fact that they are part of communication makes it interesting.
Facebook is better than linkedin, myspace etc...because it's conversational.

"what is really interesting is the news feed."

The news feed is a little way of getting a glimpse of everybody's day.


It also gives you insight into people. For example Toby didn't know Prof. Bob John liked basketball but now knows thanks to info on Facebook.


Facebook keeps the conversations going,

"it glues us a little closer together."

Trying to understand how people are conversing, how conversations are happening, and what software supports conversations.


Think of the trajectory of an idea...from the conversational end it is so easy for the idea to get lost but if there's a piece missing (video for example) the idea may die, but if someone in the network knows then they might be able to help.


As a business, how might software support the creative process at the conversational end.


For an example, check out the Bob Dylan application on Facebook:

(read techcrunch's post on the app. here)

***

Vijay - how do we bring small businesses into the IOCT and the university environment.

As a small business you really struggle to raise your profile and traditional marketing and pr might not be so well suited. However, with Facebook Vijay has been able to really raise his profile so his business has benefitted in those terms.

Toby asks Vijay - what's the difference between blogging and Facebook?

Vijay - finds more conversations related to his network occur on blogging because of the searchability but that is changing now with Facebook.

Vijay wonders how many people know that Microsoft has bought a stake in Facebook and what is interesting is that they are linking their CRM software to Facebook.

On Facebook people can sign up to your company and companies can make pages for products so that people can sign up to be a fan for each product.

But are certain things more suited to Facebook rather than others? (music was the example Toby gave).

Shani - what's quite interesting about the new business pages, you can sign up to be a fan but you can decide not to have updates. With the groups we don't have that option.

Workshop session - everyone on Facebook!!