Corporate Facebook
I’ve often commented about the number of social networking websites, and the ability of these different websites to survive will be almost entirely based on their ability toÂ? create their own unique niche to fill. WallopÂ? thinks they have “a golden opportunity for Wallop to change the face of social computing.” Of course, the people at Wallop won’t give any details before they launch, and they don’t seem to be open for business just yet, so the buzz around the company is mostly to do with Microsoft IP Ventures being a part of the company.
After announcing it really isn’t for saleÂ? and raising $25 million in VC funding, Facebook has announced an ambitious move to expand on its current high school/college-based users. Although a completely different market, corporate social networkingÂ? is virtually untapped byÂ? theÂ? social networking giants. I mentioned in a post recently that MeetupÂ? may be the social networking site that has the best potential to do something unique, however, this bold new move by Facebook could prove to be key to their continued growth.
The strategy Facebook will use for it launch its corporate site is similar to the way the original Facebook was launched - staggered, first to Harvard students only, then spreading around to specific locations from there. This time, 10 companies and 1 non-profit organization have been chosen for the product launch. By focussing, the company can look to alleviate any bugs quickly, and focus on the needs of specific vertical markets. Requests from Gap will likely be different than those from Apple, and it will be important to compare and contrast those needs effectively.
The list of companies is quite impressive, and for a company that holds the net-spotlight like Facebook does, the official release of Corporate Facebook has to be a calculated move. It will be important for the company to keep the two groups separated - corporate America and college America are probably about as good to mix as milk and scotch. But I think the key to the overall success of this move will be allowing a smooth transition for those finishing college to move to the corporate social networking side to establish new,Â? industryÂ? contacts.