I would like to thank all the people that commented on my previous post titled "Another Social Network for Development Cooperation?". For me, the contributions confirmed the need for (and non-existence of) the open social platform for development cooperation organisations that I am proposing.

I will need two blog post to explain why and respond to all the comments and questions that I received:

I am receiving some interesting reactions on the launch of my idea to start developing a social networking platform for all players in the development cooperation sector.

How would you like to be "friends" with Rigoberta Menchu, the Dalai Lama and Jimmy Carter? You might be able to if you join the newly launched social network, TheCommunity.com.
From the home page:

"Our social network just launched! November 26, we have just launched our new social network, to put you in touch with Nobel Peace Prize winners and other peace builders around the globe. Our site is just launching in beta. New material is being added daily. So we're hoping you will be among the first to jump in and grow with us."

One of the interesting things about social networks is that you get an insight in how people are connected with others and organized into subgroups of the total social network. Social networks make it very transparent how users are (or could be) linked to other users. These links can be made directly by the users (e.g. friends or contacts) or they can be established by the internet application based on the user generated data (e.g. people that share the same interest, location, organization, etc.). When these links and subgroups are established, the social networking application is then used to share and discuss information.

Thanks to Sean Silverthorne's post, Facebook in Pinstripes, I came across an interesting post by Andrew McAfee, an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, about why social networks, like Facebook, can promote innovation. In his article, The Impact of Information Technology (IT) on Businesses and Their Leaders, McAfee explains that when people with "strong ties" look for a solution to a problem, they may be looking within the same network of friends. If that network doesn't have the answer, they're out of luck.

On the other hand, if they go to people they have "weak ties" with, like on a Facebook group, they open themselves up to new groups of people with new ideas:

The European Cultural Foundation is an, "Amsterdam-based foundation that stimulates and promotes cultural cooperation and strong cultural policies across the broader Europe and its neighbouring regions." The ECF created Rhiz.eu, a social networking site for artists, journalists, filmmakers, writers, photographers, funders and arts organizations, to celebrate cultural diversity and to facilitate connections between cultural communities. The site is part of the Foundation's activities leading up to (and going beyond) the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

Have you tried Rhiz.eu? How did it work for you?

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