how do we manage multiple online profiles

How do we manage multiple online profiles?

Kate Ho@kateho / kate.ho1@gmail.com

This is something that I’ve been thinking about for a while ... But still not quite figured out

But before we start ...

What you should do: Interactive talk – i.e. shout out, or post on twitter

Purpose: Looking for ideas and start a discussion

Just to differentiate, I’m talking about Personal rather than Business

Social Networks are amazing

They allow us to share links, give our opinions, connect with people that we do know and we don’t know

So whats the problem?

Multiple Social Networks

Lots of social networks:

Problem 1:There are different etiquettes associated with

different networks

IMO: Twitter expects more updates than facebook statuses

Problem 2:They serve different audiences

Serve different Audiences

Blogs Twitter Youtube Linked In Facebook

Public Broadcast/ Public

“Friends” and Public

Business and Professional

Friends

Public

Open networks

Private

Closed networks

Intended Audience == Actual Audience

LOSE

Intended Audience != Actual Audience

WIN! LOSE

Problem 3:They serve different purposes

Facebook/ Bebo

Twitter Linked In Youtube Blogs

Sharing with friends

Short comments(providing valuable links / content, brief news broadcasts)

Providing an Online CV

Sharing videocontent

Long(ish) pieces of prose

A form of journalism

This is an increasing problem ...

Especially in the Future

For example: Opinions change

Your opinions when you were 13 will be different from when you are 23 ... Or 33 ... Or 43 ....

So the big question is

How do we manage multiple online profiles?

What are the solutions?

Solution 1: In your head and be Disciplined

Step 1. Make Coffee Step 2. Sit down and write down the social

networks you’re inStep 3. Set down some rules about what you

want to do, whereStep 4. Publish your rules and Stick to it

But thats hard work

Solution 2: Social Aggregators

3 types of Aggregators

1. Force you to have a unified profile and push that out

Facebook

Bebo

TwitterYOU

2. Collating content that you have on the different profiles

3. Helps you keep track of your friends (Friend Feed)

But I’m still not satisfied by this

And I think we can do better

How?

Want to design a better social network aggregator

What would the feature list include?

Some ideas ...

Grouping similar tasks

Sharing items on similar platforms (e.g. photos on Facebook and Bebo)

But excluding others

Having multiple updates

Fast moving (Twitter), slower moving ones (Facebook)

Group Social Networks by similar functions

Linkedin for Business, Bebo for Personal

Any more?