Think MTV: Can You Have Too Many Sites Doing 'Good'?
Posted by anastasia on 09-21-2007
I read the news yesterday that MTV's first implementation of Flux would be a social network built around its pro-social efforts (Think MTV) with a mixed reaction. There are already a couple of amazing sites connecting youth activists in the non-profit space like YouthNoise, Do Something and TakingITGlobal. Part of me wanted MTV to just sponsor Think MTV sections on all of these sites (and they still can) vs. launch yet another social network young people have to build a presence on. I also wonder if duplicating efforts works against the spirit of what activists are trying to achieve. Does having so many different communities around similar causes actually work against the cause itself?
I've been thinking about this in the education space as well. Google has a program for educators. Yahoo! is launching its site for teachers and Microsoft does its thing in the ed space as well. I can't help wondering what the impact of a powerful singular initiative led by all of the tech giants together would be on getting teachers up to speed vs. each company launching its own specific program and trying to get teachers on board.
This is a challenge when commercial entities try to do "good." They want their brand attached to it, their products to be used in the process and their domains to get the traffic and users. So we end up with lots of duplicate efforts vs. collaboration. Maybe I should just be glad they're doing good at all and say "the more the merrier" (and to a large degree I am. I would rather have them doing something than nothing). What do you think?
September 21st, 2007 at 9:42 am
Ain't that the truth. That dilema is everywhere….
eg. BlueRay DVD or HD DVD
The larger companies have an agenda and will never work together.
I find your take on Microsoft interesting especially in the classroom. If my memory serves me correct, between 1985 - 2000 Microsoft had spent nothing to see how their technology worked in the classroom.
September 21st, 2007 at 2:22 pm
I'm a little biased, because I work for one of those social networking sites, but I agree with you completely.
If they don't want to collaborate, then supporting a lot of the innitiatives that are already out there would make a huge impact.
As a side note, seems to me MTV jumped on the bandwagon too late, and I am of the thinking that too many online communities just piss people off.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Yeah, Micro$oft is the worst at this. Always copying someone else's idea instead of being original on their own. Or, even supporting the great original idea in the first place.
September 24th, 2007 at 11:31 am
In my mind, it's all good. Good for MTV for putting their weight behind the issue, good for the competition since MTV's presence will act like rising tide for all the teen activism ships and good for teens who can easily lose their way in a flood of all consuming media options (TV, IM, video games, Facebook, etc.) And as a father of two teenagers, I can assure you that teens need every bit of inspiration they can get wherever they can find it.
http://www.marketingforgood.net
September 27th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Very interesting article and news. I found it by following a post on TIG, one of the social networks for agents of change you mentioned.
The more attention is brought to socially-responsible and volunteering projects, the better. At the same time, if volunteers' efforts and attention is spread on too many projects, our energies may be diluted.
It would be interesting to see how MTV Think users base overlap with the one of other social networks for change. My estimation is that MTV Think will attract a slightly different audience compared to existing sites, which would be great, because it would bring in people who likely would not be reached.
About existing online agents of change, I guess we will register on more than one community and see for a while how things go. Membership in one social network does not exclude membership in another, then of course we will all choose the 1-2 communities where we feel more confortable and where bigger results are achieved.
Anastasia, I will send you an email to see if you are interested in writing about our http://www.mypacis.eu/
December 14th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
There are good reasons to have different social networking sites for different causes for good. Not all non-profits have the same answer to promote good in the world - just like not all companies are selling the same thing (soda, t-shirts, music, etc.). http://www.genv.net launched earlier in 2007 because there was no social network promoting youth social entrepreneurism on a global scale.