SocialGO Blog

by Nicky Jameson on February 7, 2010
in Social Media Networking

If you’re looking for a robust, integrated and “enticing” social network, with excellent customer service SocialGo is a platform worth considering. If there is something that’s not on this social network, they are probably adding it or it’s on the list to be added. I first thought it was Ning on steroids but after trying it out I thought it was much a lot more user friendly than Ning – and had a lot more going for it. You can be the judge.

With SocialGo you can not only create a great social network you can actually create an entire website around your social network, complete with customisable themes, chat, video Instant messaging and a whole host of widgets that leave you drooling. The chat widget is just in beta, but it’s coming.

Here is a quick overview of what you get with SocialGo and the things that really struck a chord with me.

Go IM – we mentioned this above you just install it from the Widget Store. Facebook Connect and Twitter Connect are available and you can import your Twitter status easily.

Visitor Radar – you can track visitors profiles and members can see who’s visited. Rather neat.

Lab Tunes – from which you can play music.

Lab ArcadeGames and more games members can play… also customisable. Given the popularity of Farmville, the use of social games in a network can’t be ignored.

Network Design – For those of us who are too busy to design our own networks – no worries. SocialGo does it all for you (yep, so you don’t have to). At $349.00 you get the SocialGo designers to design your own unique site and network. Or you can go directly to one of their 3rd party designers. And some of the designs are pretty darn coo – not that the pre-set templates are anything to.

Blogs and Forums - Easy to start both. You simply import your blog’s feed and you’re set or integrate your blog so it’s part of your SocialGo Site.

You can also run your own ads, use your own domain and include Audio, video and text chat.

What about making money?

There’s a member billing option (purchasable from the widget store), which means you can charge members subscription fees if you want.

White Label - You can remove all traces of SocialGo from your network should you wish, there’s a member option for that – plus you can create a public or private network and your network can also create their own networks.

Everything can be set up from your admin panel and really, you’re limited only by your own creativity. The interesting thing about SocialGo is that you can use it for any type of network, from a keep in touch with family community site to a fully fledged business network and shop.

Packages - There’s a free 30 day trial – which I took – which enables you to try out the features. The paid subscriptions start from around $40/month. With the Concierge version, if you’re really pressed for time, or don’t want the hassle of maintaining your network SG will manage your site for you on a monthly basis.

If I sound quite enthusiastic about SocialGo, it’s because I think in terms of social networking platforms, it has nearly everything one might need to get up and running in minutes. It even has Wordpress integration – a must-have as far as I am concerned.

In terms of ease of use and customizing it to your tastes it is very hard to beat (at least of the ones I have looked at). All this does come at a price – albeit quite a decent price. You’ll need to purchase most of the add-ons from the widget store. The billing component for example costs around $99. You also can’t upload files such as PDF’s so you need to link to those in the usual way. You can also buy themes from $39 if you don’t care for the free themes.

I think it’s a good idea to provide the basic framework while the individual add-ons are optional and can be purchased from the Widget store.

There’s a Free Trial. - As with anything, my advice is to check it out yourself with the free trial. These are my personal thoughts (I’m not getting any reward for writing this). They also hold workshops for network owners and a very helpful monthly newsletter plus their customer service is great – when I had questions I could chat online with them and someone even offered to call me back.

The key thing about having a social network is how you can make it truly social and the business model you adopt, that will differ for each user. If you’re tired of Facebook and other hosted networks and want to create something uniquely your own, with a rich multimedia experience - without it costing you your first-born – SocialGo is a worthy consideration. They make it easy… you can have all your social media collateral and social network all in one place in record time. Worth a look. I found a few examples of SocialGo Communities – most were private but Trikepilot is a great one for showing something of what’s possible. Of course yours will be different but it’s always good to see what others have done.

Having a social networking site built from scratch is likely to be astronomically expensive. There are a variety of platforms on the market that do most of the work for you, but Gregory, owner of TopNotchTrend.com has learnt that few are as customisable as SocialGO. “We needed a low maintenance platform since we don’t have many staff.” He explains, “It was either this or Ning but SocialGo got the edge because it’s more customizable.”

Gregory’s designers removed all the default css structure and styles then designed the site from scratch. Although many network owners choose to go with the default layout, it’s not too hard to change things, as Gregory reveals, “It’s really simple to tailor the site exactly how you want it.” The design team have done a great job on this new site, creating one of the best landing pages on the platform.

Being able to customise the layout and appearance of the network is not the only benefit that attracted Top Notch Trend to the SocialGO platform. Member levels and member billing were also crucial. “The member billing has by far been the most useful feature.” Gregory continues, “We are able to monetize our website more effectively and more efficiently. Our company does photography work but we discount our premium subscribers on shoots and event photography. We also offer free merchandise to premium members.”

Network owners who buy the GOimport Pro service are able to import up to 2000 contacts directly to their network from a database. Owners can also export membership details to another platform, this is great for owners who may be planning to sell their site. This functionality is made possible by collating membership details in a versatile database for the owner’s benefit. “We are able to create a database of the models on our site since there is a really simple system to export data.” Business owners who are looking for a flexible platform on which to build their online network, need look no further.

The fansite is a significant development in internet history. People naturally come together when they share a passion for something; whether that be an artist, a musician or in this case a football club. Using a social network as a fansite makes perfect sense, it provides all the information and news a normal fansite would but with the added benefit of an interactive community. ‘We R QPR’ has about 800 active members all of whom convene, make friends and share opinions and hundreds of photos related to Queen’s Park Rangers football club on their profile pages and forums. The owner has also purchased the GO chatroom widget, with which multiple users can share their thoughts on the latest match in a live discussion. This kind of feature really strengthens the bonds of an online community, as do others such as video chat and the groups function.

The ‘We R QPR’ network is consistently well branded, the whole site is a wash with the team’s unimistakable blue and white home colours. The network also matches the design of the official QPR site and provides image links to become a member of the official QPR fanclub. This kind of seamless integration looks very professional. Users surf back and forth between the sites without noticing a transition. This is a great example of how an existing fansite can be integrated with an interactive social network for fans.

A bit obvious, we know, but some may be amazed how powerful email invitations to your network can be, it made Facebook what it is today.  Make sure the content of the email is interesting, to the point and that it targets people likely to be interested.  To do this you can use the inbuilt SocialGO Invite Member functionality. Use your normal email account such as Google Mail or use a bulk email service like MailChimp.  You should regularly invite people to your network.

2. Encourage Members to Invite their Friends
If your members like what they see, then they can be the most powerful advocates you’ll ever find.  Make sure you enable “Invite Friends” in the Admin Centre so they too can invite their friends, who invite their friends, who invite their friends etc etc.

3. Create a Great Looking Network
Pictures speak a thousand words and if you have a great looking network, you are more likely to grab people’s attention so that they join up.  You have all the tools in your Admin Centre, with the Network Designer and CSS access, to do a great design.  Or you can get the team at SocialGO to do it for you with the GO Setup & Design module for $349.99 or the GO Logo module for $69.99, which can be found in the ProServices Directory in your Admin Centre at http://my.socialgo.com.

4. Import a Member Data Base
if you have an existing member data base, ie a business or a club, you can import their details into your network in advance of launch so it’s full of member profiles when you open for business.  You can do this by buying the GO Import module from GO ProServices in the Admin Centre.  GO import is $49.99 per 2,000 members.

5. Create Great Content
You cannot underestimate the critical importance of having some fresh, relevant and interesting content on your network.  Not only will your search engine optimization improve with better content, but new members will be far more inclined to come back and invite their friends.  So get blogging, stimulate posts in your forum and add some new photos and videos.  If you need some help there is the GO Content for $49.99 in the ProServices Directory in your Admin Centre.

6. Interact with New Members
When new members sign up, make contact with them on the network. Say hello, have an IM chat with them. That way they will feel welcome.  This is especially important in the early days when you are trying to seed membership.

7. Tweet Away!

Get a twitter account and start building a following on Twitter.  But remember you need to Twitter with intent, people don’t want to hear about what you had for breakfast.

8. Comment on Blogs in your Sector
Work out where the people you are targetting are congregating online, what blogs and foums? Then start engaging people via comments and posts, but be sure to be upfront about who you are and what your trying to do.  Honesty is the best policy in cyberspace.

9. Run an Advertising Campaign
Online advertising is always a great option to draw traffic to your network.  There are loads of advertising platforms you can use, but Google is probably one of the most user friendly.  If you would like some help, the SocialGO team can setup and run Google advertising campaigns for you with the GO Advertising Setup module in the ProServices Directory in your Admin Centre.

10. Create a Facebook Group
Or maybe join some groups that have similarly minded members.  You need to engage the community you intend to target and make them aware of your network.

For many network owners the concierge service is a god send. It can be frustrating when you have a fantastic business plan  but you lack the time or skills to develop it yourself and can’t afford the thousands of dollars it would cost for a private developer to build a social network from scratch. With our concierge service you get the ongoing support of a professional design team and are assigned a personal account manager who can show you how to make the most of the SocialGO platform and the many features on offer.

If like Dan Harris, founder of Taste Casting, you already have a website and simply require a social network to be integrated into it, then your personal concierge account manager can replicate the design and maintain a consistent brand aesthetic across your business’ online presence. If you have any existing designs or logos they can be incorporated, if you don’t then we can design them for you. It’s all part of the concierge service. What’s more you get the option to charge members for sign up and the removal of all SocialGO branding, all included in the plan.

Taste casting is a network for amateur food critics who get to attend tasting events in exchange for writing reviews and promoting restaurants. Events feature many different establishments and users must choose one to promote. Dan Harris finds ways of getting publicity for the restaurants through amateur food critics who use sites like twitter and facebook to promote them. A social network is easily the best way to monitor and manage an online community of aspiring food critics. The Concierge team have built this network to Mr.Harris’ requirements and to match the parent site Taste Casting.com, leaving him time to address other aspects of his business.

“Invent our community” says the title of the Yagg community network. Yagg communauté is a French speaking gay and lesbian network with thousands of active members from around the world. Users find their way to the network through it’s parent site Yagg.com. The two are seamlessly integrated. Users also discover Yagg from their friends who have made use of the Twitter and Facebook connection option.

The Yagg sites have enjoyed success because they offer a place of refuge for French speaking homosexuals who can “Communicate freely with other gays, widen your network of friends and meet political and cultural associations, parties and institutions.” The site is incredibly well designed, making navigation as easy as 123. There are three main tabs on the tool bar providing links to the parent site, the network and a blogs page providing links to all the member’s blogs.

The standard features provided for SocialGO sites are amongst the most valuable and are advertised as such on this network. People love being able to share opinions and experiences using blogs, forums, groups and photo and video uploads. By accentuating the obvious benefits of these features, Yagg has attracted and maintained a healthy online community. The blogging aspect of the site is enhanced by the WordPress plugin, integrating an existing word press blog with the social network. Owner, Xavier Heraud keeps close tabs on his site’s progress with vigilant moderation. This is assisted by the visitor radar widget which provides him with valuable analytic data about site traffic.The latest activity feed has also been important for him, “It has become central in our community. The users see it as something they have in common. We’re not a community where everyone is on his own, talking to his or her friends.” He explains. “A real community is born, bigger than the sum of its users. That’s priceless.” Xavier is one of many owners of non English language networks, it’s easy to set up, because, as he explains, “There is already a pack in French!” Xavier does not charge his members for signing up but he does make money from his network by providing ad space to relevant institutions and selling merchandise from his site.

There are plenty of hopefuls who try their hand at the Real Estate industry, but those who don’t know what they’re doing are going to fail. For property investors, few things are as valuable as a source of insider business tips and information. HIS real estate network lets you know the benefits of its features as soon as you hit the landing page. You are greeted by customised graphics displaying all the site features as well as an automatic video that informs potential users about the free sign up and 100’s of downloads available. All of this is arranged in the framework of a professional yet playful office stationary theme.

The network aims to attract property investors who seek communications with other professionals. There are about 500 investors, all of whom can make contributions to the community based on their experience. These contributing professionals are what makes the network valuable, justifies a sign up fee and makes membership an attractive prospect to new investors. These experts in the field of real estate provide their strategies and tips which are available on the downloads page. The forum is also used to disseminate industry tips to investors. There is a thread for investors seeking legal advice and another where properties can be listed free of charge.

If you work in an industry that depends on being in touch with the right professionals, then online social networking is an indispensable tool for your business. The more professionals stand to benefit from access to exclusive information, the more you are justified in charging for access to it. Find a way to isolate vital intellectual property into a restricted community, and your success is assured.

Educational institutions can benefit enormously from social networks. Lecturers can provide reading lists and notes for students online, upload videos or mp3’s of lectures and keep students informed about changing timetables using the events function. There is an obvious appeal to students who can use it to communicate with one another for social and study purposes. Eventually all universities and  colleges will make use of online networks as a crucial form of mass communication in the 21st century.

Another aspect of social networking that benefits students is the ability to stay in touch with their families while they are away. Ridley college parents network serves this purpose, as well as being a promotional tool for the school itself. This puts anxious parents’ minds at rest and allows them to socialise with other parents of students at Ridley and to form a community.

Parents are reassured of the quality of the institution by the appearance of this neat and professional site which has video advertisements explaining the benefits of the college and telling the story of its history. There are students from 30 different countries attending the college, so realistically a parent association which didn’t make use of the Internet would be impossible to maintain. The events function is great for keeping all the parents informed about activities and events at the college. Although Ridley college parents network is merely an informal way for the parents of students to learn more about their child’s education, it illuminates the startling potential that socialGO networks offer as an administrative tool for educational institutions.

SocialGO has just released a range of purchasable services found in the Admin Centre for all network owners. From creating designs to setting up domains, the SocialGO team will give a helping hand to any user that needs some assistance.

Head over to the Pro Services section of the Admin Centre to see more information about all of these newly released services.