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Suggestion if you run a social network project
There are many people out there trying to create social networks around social change. I applaud this effort, but if you are one of them, I'd like to suggest that you do the following if you haven't already:
1. Write down what your project will provide that the "Facebook Causes" app doesn't.
2. Email Project Agape (which created the app) and ask whether they have any short-term plans to add the functionality under #1.
3. If you aren't going to provide something really, really, really big that Facebook Causes doesn't, consider moving on to another project.
I am speaking as someone working for a project that is NOT a social network, but that needs one. And it just struck me how enormous the gulf is between a Facebook app and any other kind of social network (I mean, a MySpace app would be good too, but you get the point) in terms of usefulness. My chances of getting a friend or interested party to join a Facebook Cause - which takes 2 clicks, integrates into something they already use, and provides a ready-made way to find recruits - are 300x as high as my chances of getting them to join something that's built on a more unfamiliar structure (such as Change.org).
Of course, Facebook Causes doesn't provide everything. In fact, right now it barely provides anything. I emailed Project Agape, upset at the lack of any mechanism for community dialogue, but they responded that they are actively working on changing this, so for now I'm sticking with this network and only this network.
It's very important, especially in the nonprofit world where people don't pay directly for what they use, to make sure you're not wasting capital by duplicating an effort. And right now, I think Facebook Causes has got 90% of the need for social networks covered. I'm interested in others' thoughts on this.
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Latest Comments
- Hear hear!
1 hour 54 min ago - excellent post
8 hours 8 min ago - for my part, i turn to sites
9 hours 30 min ago
Comments
Causes and then some
Hi all,
I'm in the process of writing up an article that compares the four Facebook fundraising apps: Causes, Fundraising, ChipIn, and Change.org.
The variety in functionality in just these four apps is quite astonishing, considering that the four apps intend to accomplish relatively the same thing.
Just as there shouldn't be one definitive fundraising app for Facebook, there shouldn't be one socially conscious social network.
The more merrier. Let's let the changemakers decide what's useful.
Holden's post sets Causes as the baseline from which all other networks need to be differentiated (and justified).
The position that we need to differentiate ourselves from Agape before doing anything with social networks and social change is like saying, "if you don't sell something that Walmart doesn't have, then you should consider another business."
I disagree.
By the way:
The biggest absence in Causes that I see is that only registered non-profits and/or u.s. politicans can raise money. The number of worthy projects and organizations out there is much much larger than we think.
To limit fundraising efforts to these two groups is a big oversight. This is one reason I like ChipIn -- you don't need to be a non-profit or a politician to get access to a snazzy person-to-person fundraising widget.
did you write article
peter, did you ever finish your article 'that compares the four Facebook fundraising apps: Causes, Fundraising, ChipIn, and Change.org.'? i'd love to see it. please post link if so...
-ben
Re: NetSquared, a project of TechSoup.org
your idea is so useful to me
Great Question To Spur Dialog!
Holden,
I certainly understand where you are coming from in that there is tremendous duplication of effort taking place in the Socially Conscious Social Networking movement. However, I think that a blanket statement saying Causes has it covered so stop what you are working on is too simplistic. I think competition is important and helps us all to improve and push ourselves to produce better solutions/apps.
For example, I don't think Causes will adapt my idea because I tell them I am thinking about doing it on my Social Networking site. However, if I implement an idea and it shows it has some legs then perhaps it will push Cause to grow and improve upon it.
I do think that there could be more collaboration in this space. Stay tuned I am working on something to help make that happen!
"a blanket statement saying
"a blanket statement saying Causes has it covered so stop what you are working on"
is not what I posted.
If your project can offer something tremendous that Agape can't or won't, go for it. I'm just pointing out that this something has to be tremendous, based on my own observation of how huge its advantage is in terms of adoptability/ease of use.
I love competition. At the same time, in social networking, consolidation is inevitable and necessary. I'm not saying that all other social network projects should cease operations, I'm saying that they should do so unless they have something very concrete and very, very important to offer that Agape doesn't. I'm also talking to anyone who's thinking of investing in one of these projects: you should demand to get that question answered, front and center.
Agree to disagree
I agree your questions are ones any prudent investor should ask.
I think consolidation is inevitable at the top tier, however I think there will continue to be niche Socially Conscious Social Networks that will thrive and do well. Just like there are many off-line organizations that concentrate on doing good in a particular area, I strongly believe there will be room for other on-line organizations that will do good and flourish in the same vertical as well.
IMHO, organizations with a strong local community foundation and presence both on-line & off-line will and should always have a place. It is a bottom up mentality that it just too hard to compete with, i.e. no one knows their community better or has more local passion than the people who live in it.
I have been aware of Project Agape for a while now, perhaps you know more specifically what they are plan to do besides Causes. If you do I would love to know more about it. It seems to be very hush / hush at the moment.
Agape
All I know about Agape is that it's dead simple to invite people to a Cause and to donate, and they're adding community dialogue features. But that's 95% of what you need for a social network. I haven't seen anyone come up with an extra feature that's valuable enough to me, as a network creator, to overcome the extra hurdle of asking my friends to join a new kind of network (create an account, etc.)
I'm not saying it's not possible. I'm saying it's the first question that needs to be answered for a lot of these projects. If yours has answered it, great. I believe many haven't.