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Allyson Kapin 7 min read

The Social Networking Debate: Use Existing Social Networks or Build Your Own?

Is your non-profit debating between building a custom social network VS using popular existing social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or a niche social network like Eons, a social network for baby boomers? If you custom-build it, will they come and join you, take action on your issues and donate money? Does your nonprofit have the staff resources to truly manage the community? Or should your organization strategically focus on social networks that already have millions of people and a potential built-in audience? Lets examine the basic pros and cons.

Why Using Existing Social Networks?

Cost Benefits
Free social networks already exist. Building custom social networks from scratch takes significant time and money.

Built In Audience
Go where your target audiences are -  Are your members, donors, and potential recruits using popular online social networks like Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter? These social networks account for the top 10 most trafficked sites in the United States.

Heavily Used
Make it easy for your members and donors to be a part of a community by using the online social networks they frequent most. Many online social networks can be setup as private groups if privacy is an issue for your members (though you should research the Terms of Service which is discussed below).

Good Marketing
From a marketing perspective organizations should have a presence on online social networks. According to a 2008 Cone Study, 93% of users surveyed say a company should have a presence in social media. 56% say they feel a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment.

Cons of Using Existing Social Networks

Privacy Issues
No online social network is immune from lurkers. Social networks can be hacked and hackers can temporarily take over your organizations or users identity and misrepresent you. Also, online social network staff working on the platforms have access to your groups information and content.

Ownership Issues
Who owns the content and any posted items? Check each social networks privacy policies and Terms of Service before signing up. Many social networks have policies that they can use any of your content, videos, and photos for commercial purposes.

Legal Issues
Many organizations are developing policies that have strict rules about employees who blog or twitter on their own time. Mixing social networks could get muddled. 

Buy-In
Not all of your staff, members or target audiences will be comfortable participating in popular online social networks. They may prefer more niche communities that are tailored to them.

Limited Functionality
You only have access to the tools the social network built. You typically can’t add your own.

Lack of Control
Your organization can be thrown out of the online social network if they think you’re not complying with their rules or are spamming. For example, just last week several people who were tweeting from the Gov 2.0 Summit had their account suspended because Twitter's system automatically tagged them as spammers.

While some organizations maybe dazzled by the idea of building their own custom social network because they can tailor it to their members needs and own the data, it's critical that you calculate the return on investment including the resources it takes to build it and manage the community on a day to day basis. It's no small feat!

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Allyson Kapin

Allyson has been named one of "Top Tech Titans" by the Washingtonian, one of the Most Influential Women In Tech by Fast Company, and one of the top 30 women entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter by Forbes for her leadership role in technology and social media. As Founding Partner of Rad Campaign, she leads the firm's client and online strategic services. For over a decade Allyson has helped non-profit organizations and political campaigns create dynamic and award-winning websites and online marketing and recruitment campaigns. She works side-by-side with her clients to meet their web needs and maximize their online effectiveness to create real world impact.

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