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Loading ...Podcast — Social Networking and the Value of User Communities for Technical Communicators
April 12th, 2008 | Posted in Blogging, Tech Writer Voices, social networking |
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Duration: 20 min.
In this podcast, I talk with Scott Abel about social networking, in particular The Content Wrangler community he started at TheContentWrangler.ning.com. Scott talks about this new social network specifically for technical communicators. But he also explains the value of social networks for your help deliverables. Social networks can help users connect with one another and also help technical communicators better understand their users.
Podcast Topics
Topics in this podcast include:
- Reasons why Scott started The Content Wrangler social network community
- What social networking is and how it contrasts with listservs, blogs, and podcasts
- One advantage of social networks — you can create subgroups based on more granular niches
- What to do after joining a social network
- The importance of member photos in social network interaction
- Why social networking is not limited to MySpace and music videos
- The ability for members to create blogs, post events, and do other innovative things
- How the social network allows users to connect with other users, connect with jobs, and connect with events
- General guidelines for using the social network: experiment and explore, you can’t break it
- Problems people encounter after joining the social network
- The preoccupation with tools that technical writers have, and why “Ning” itself is irrelevant
- Criticisms and questions Scott has received about the social network he created
- How content is featured on the main page
- What it means to be a group leader/moderator and participant
- The mistake some technical writers make in thinking they can be Miss Cleo
- What Scott has learned about his community of users, and how it influenced the content he publishes
- The global community of technical communicators that is part of The Content Wrangler social network
Resources
- Check out The Content Wrangler social network
- View Scott Abel’s blog
- Learn more about Ning
- Check out the podcast’s intro music, Velveture by Ocean Alexander
- Visit my page on The Content Wrangler social network (and feel free to add me as a friend)
- Join the Podcasting Group on the social network
- Join the Blogging Group on the social network
- Become a member of the Content Wrangler community
Contacts
To contact Scott, send an email to scottabel@mac.com. To contact me, send me an email at tomjohnson1492@gmail.com. I love to hear from listeners, so if you have feedback about the podcast, let us know.
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Tags: Ning, Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler
April 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
[...] Green Social Networks You Should KnowPodcast — Social Networking and the Value of User Communities for …Is social networking is right for corporate marketing? Two tests …Comment on I Saw The Future [...]
April 14th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Five Most Recent Posts I’d Rather Be Writing Looking for Corporate Examples of Web 2.0 EngagementPodcast - Social Networking and the Value of User Communities for Technical CommunicatorsGuest Post - From Blogging Veterans: Three Keys to Successful Blogging The Right Way and Wrong Way to Teach People WordPress: Notes from a Wordcamp Utah Planning Meeting at Applebees Podcaster Meetup at Doc Train West Conference in Vancouver
April 18th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
[...] Posts Hey all Content Wrangler community members, I interviewed Scott Abel for a podcast called Social Networking and the Value of User Communities. In this podcast, I talk with Scott Abel about social networking, in particular this new social [...]
April 21st, 2008 at 11:39 am
Hey Tom,
I just listened to this podcast and man, it was really good.
You asked Scott which tools are best to use for creating a social network, and his response was the tools don’t matter.
While I agree the tools shouldn’t matter, in the end they really do. For example; why did he pick Ning.com to create his Content Wrangler network? There had to be some conscious decision.
No matter what type of network you want to create, or blog to write, the tools do play some factor.
Scott also mentions wanting to give the members a bigger voice, which blogs don’t always give. For the most part blogs are linear in nature. You post information and then spend the time leaving comments. Most blog posts are not living breathing entities.
Anyway, this was one of the best podcasts I’ve listened too in a long time. Great work and good job Scott.
Thom Allens last blog post..World Horror Convention In Salt Lake City
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hi Tom and Scott -
Great interview.
I’m so glad you’re using the example of Harjot finding his long lost pal Rahul through your Ning site, it’s a really neat personal connection for them. It’s so interesting that old friends are finding each other online.
An interesting juxtaposition, in my mind, is that many of us are having to redefine “friend” on these social sites. My guess is that tech writers who are constantly striving for accuracy in terminology are having a tough time with the term “friend” - and that’s why we don’t always know what to on Ning when they get there. Their terminology doesn’t match what they’re used to doing with their friends.
Hardly any of my real life friends are on twitter, have a blog, or do any of these online networking things I do. But, my list of online “friends” (really, professional contacts) grows, and it all helps me become better at my job.
Great podcast, right in line with my current interests in conversation and community. Thanks to you both!
April 24th, 2008 at 6:37 am
[...] On The Content Wrangler site there’s a great post asking where does user participation fit in our world? There are plenty of answers, and my interest lies in the case studies that show the amazing power of what results when users actively participate. If you’re interested in user participation and social networking, check out Tom Johnson’s interview with Scott Abel about social networking. [...]
April 24th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Downloading as I type, but as I’m in the midst of building a ‘community’ website (not based on Ning, alas) I’m very interested in what Scott has to say.
That and I’ve no idea who Miss Cleo is so I’m double-intrigued!
April 25th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
The theme of your blog is great. Job well done. How to win at guilt-free network marketing: Burn your names list, ditch the Thursday night hotel Ra-Ra meetings and NEVER pay for another worthless opportunity lead again!
May 21st, 2008 at 12:10 pm
[...] Scott Abel podcast [...]
May 27th, 2008 at 2:17 am
[...] of participation Here comes everybody Clay Shirky talks about his book, Here Comes Everybody (vid) Interview: User participation and social networking [...]
May 28th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
[...] just saying the word “tool” brings up immediate negative responses. For example, when I interviewed Scott Abel about social networks and asked him about Ning, he didn’t want to discuss Ning because for him — and many others [...]