For some reason I've been ignoring MyGenius.com - the Southern African social network for business people. I have been a member since late 2006 - MyGenius's very early days - and never quite got in to it. I get the odd message from a MyGenius member wanting to connect but have spent little no time on updating my profile or adding content to the site.
Recently I decided to give MyGenius another go based on two realisations. Firstly, the value of social networking is undoubtedly found, or much easier mined, in niche communities. The quintessential example is Charl Norman's Zooped Up community for owners of modified cars and suchlike - completely useless for me but absolutely invaluable and addictive to people entrenched in that community. MyGenius cannot be compared to MySpace, for example, because it's not trying to be a globally dominant player. It's simply trying to do what it does well.
The second realisation is that I've been arrogant in my assumption that because MyGenius is not as technologically sexy or advanced as say a LinkedIn or Facebook that it cannot deliver an equally rewarding experience. But here's the thing - the simple fact that MyGenius is NOT Ajaxy, jargony or geeky in any way makes it all that more attractive to Mr and Mrs Not-so-geeky (read: normal). I have poured just a bit of extra effort into my profle and interaction on MyGenius in the last few days and have already seen benefits. Why? It's a niche community of people who aren't geeky by nature, but understand enough about the value of a social networking platform to be investing time and energy into growing it - and it is growing... fast.
I recently did a show on CNBC Africa about the power of social networking for entrepreneurs and the producers of the show used MyGenius as a case study, not LinkedIn. Why? It's accessible and easy to understand for the 2.0-uninitiated. What we Web 2.0 enthusiasts sometimes see as being current, sexy and improtant may seem totally of the wall and inaccessible to the layman. I liken this to the fashion industry. All fashion shows I see on TV seem excessive and weird to me. I don't get it at all and would feel like completely out at such an event. It's the same with the sites we use and build. We assume 'normal' Web users see things like we do - are drawn to the same things we are. This is simply not the case, hence why MyGenius is getting users that LinkedIn simply ain't.
All that said, I think MyGenius could be a killer platform for us entrepreneurial / small business-types with a few small additions to the platform:
1. Make it easier for me to create links with other people. The current format of having to send an email and receive one in return to grow my network is confusing, verbose and dated.
2. Let me import my existing blog posts into MyGenius with RSS - it's a waste of my time to have to constantly repurpose content for MyGenius when the very basic technology exists to import my stuff.
3. Maps integration - let me plot my location on a map and see where other MyGenius members are located.
4. Show a 'Most visited Profiles' top 10 list in the right-hand sidebar - it will help me filter through the masses of profiles on MyGenius to find key players.
5. Let me enter my LinkedIn and Facebook profile ID's under my profile - it won't detract from MG I promise, only add to it.
6. Pull in feeds from top news / business blogs and or sites, and allow members to rate and recommend stories for others to view. Make sure they're business related though.
7. Have a MyGenius Facebook app developed.
8. Offer free premium accounts (Genius accounts) to top bloggers and entrepreneurs, in exchange for them putting a MyGenius widget on their sites
What would make MyGenius better for you?
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