The chart enclosed in this post attempts to further define the differentials in functions and features between personal profiles vs. business profiles.
Much has been written about online branding for individuals and for businesses. Advertisers are flocking to social networks with the aim of insuring their presence within personal networks that have affinities to products or services offered.
The traditional advertising approach is aimed at attracting buyers through awareness and unique messages using different mediums. Business profiles enable businesses to reach consumers and other businesses directly rather than through traditional online advertising mediums.
Today's social networks are designed for individuals to create profiles categorized by meta tags indicating a taxonomy of affinities. A business has presence in a network through its people. Business 3.0 enables a business to have presence within networks by having its own business profile. These business profiles include a listing of its products and services, e-commerce engines for people to exchange products and services and links to the people in the network whom represent the interest of the business. The rules for business profiling will be different than those for individual profiles. The rules of the game will again change.
Social networks are ripe ground for businesses to directly market and sell their products and services to people and other businesses. While many may say that is already true today the difference is enabling businesses to have a direct vs. indirect presence within networks.
To enable businesses to connect with other businesses and to have their presence seen directly rather than only through people in a network that just happen to work for a particular business.
Enabling businesses to have and manage their own profiles within networks and to exchange goods and services may in fact be the process that further ignites the medium to be more than a "social network". Many business spend thousands of dollars to attend and have a presence at trade shows and conventions throughout any given year. Social networks represent a medium for a 24/7 trade show at a fraction of the cost of "physical trade shows and conventions".
Footnote: Since launching 48 hours ago Business 3.0 has over 400 Business registering their profiles and learning how to use the application. In addition the Business 3.0 application is now able to integrate with your personal profile, see my profile on Facebook.
Just think about the possibilities.
What say you?