Social entrepreneurs and social networks are both hot ... or is it cool ... topics, so let's put the two together. I'm interested, but do I want to join the new i-genius site when I get an email from Kim Bedi asking if I will add a link to my site, and put up a profile?
i-genius is a world community of social entrepreneurs and seeks to inspire a new generation of social innovators.
When I ask to know more, Kim sends me this launch release:
Top dating sites which enable people to establish networks for sex and relationships have helped shape the creation of a new website to support social entrepreneurs.
Established by i-genius, this new site seeks to create a world community of social entrepreneurs and inspire a new generation of social innovators.
Created by its founder Tommy Hutchinson and business partner Mike Ward, the site is driven by user generated content allowing social entrepreneurs to upload their individual profiles and through blogs and video blogs enable other users to follow their journey as they establish their social projects and businesses.
Speaking at the Global Entrepreneur Monitor conference today, Tommy Hutchinson said “Networks are crucial to the success of social entrepreneurs. i-genius has taken the very best features and technology of user-generated friendship and online dating networks such as myspace and Facebook to create a site which encourages social entrepreneurs from around the world to establish partnerships between people from diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds.”
The "sex and relationships" stuff has the feel of an agency desperate to get a "simple to understand" angle, as does the "Amazing People Doing Amazing Things" strap line. Tommy has a video about social entrepreneurship - and one blog post I want to work with people who turn me on from last month.
I would like to know more about Tommy's appearance at the Global Entrepreneur Monitor conference mentioned in the press release. The quote read to me as something said publicly, maybe even in a keynote, relating igenius and GEM. However, the GEM programme shows Tommy on a couple of panels. I'm interested in how Tommy worked the quote into his panel contribution ... or was it, well, more of an aside?
Anyway, I've registered to see how the site works and got the usual profile options of interests, the services I'm looking for or offering, and tags. I then get a personal page that enables me to post blog items. The pathway from registration to personal page is simple. That's a plus in appealing to people not familiar with the more arcane arts of blogs. On the other hand the term "user generated content" in the press release is not a good way to describe what social networkers do. It comes from the pre-networking world of publishers, readers and viewers.
So far I can't see how igenius does anything you can't get from Linked in, or ecademy, or many of the other social networking sites. I'm not sure if the promoters recognise that social networking needs more than "we've built the site, come and join". What about events? Oh, here's the i-genius World Summit:
The i-genius summit is bringing over 100 of the most creative and innovative social entrepreneurs from around the world together with leaders in government, business investors and NGOs to participate in a unique event.
Hosted in one of the world’s most environmental friendly hotel, the new Indigo Pearl in Phuket, Thailand, the summit will be provide an enriching experience to all the participants and an inspiration to those who will be viewing the proceedings through online media outlets.
Hmm, I get the style. Who's behind igenius? The About Us section of the site is very light on detail, but a little Googling - and a logo on the Home Page - finds Tommy and Michael Ward at Equator Media, which has the same address as igenius.
Equator Media is a social marketing agency. We work with our clients and partners to create positive social and environmental change. Integrity and authenticity will always be the core pillars of our work.
We want to inspire change on important issues. Africa, climate change, drugs, food, health, and social entrepreneurs are just some of the issues that we’re currently working on.
Equator Media lists Channel 4 as a partner, and says it is their "official agency". Equator Media are also partners with social media company caféDiverso "to develop channels and partnerships for their new book and media series 'Everyone has a good story'."
Tommy and Michael Ward also both feature here and here on a blogs and vlogs site about ethical and social concerns ... food markets and young people. Tommy is chair of the youth charity Kikass.
The igenius site has worthy logos along the bottom: Unesco, British Council, Ashoka, African Foundation for Development, Make Your Mark: Start Talking Ideas. No quotes from any of them, though in an email from Kim they are described as funders and partners.
I think about whether I want to be part of a network of people calling themselves igeniuses. I don't. I go to my profile page to de-register, but can't find how to. I have to write to the editor.
Perhaps I'm being cynical and unfair in my comments on igenius. If so, I'm sorry ... but the way it currently presents made me cross and suspicious. Igenius may be a totally worthy effort, launched in a rush, with lots more features and clarification to come.
Here - for what they are worth - are some suggestions:
- Update the About Us page to make clear who is behind the project, and the role of the various bodies cited at the bottom of the Home Page. Let's hear what they have to say about igenius.
- In future announcements make clear whether igenius statements (like the quote in the press release) really are associated with big players (like GEM). Otherwise it looks like an attempt at endorsement by association.
- Clarify in the Terms of Use whether igenius - or Equator Media partners - can use stories provided by those contributing to the site.
- Clarify the de-registration process.
- Start blogging - and reading blogs - to get more feel for the world of social networking. It's not the same as social marketing.
Hope this helps. I was approached by igenius to put in a link....
Great review... always worth being wary of things that celebrate greatness way too much.
Plus I never got that whole "Latest Members" thing on site front pages. What relevance is it?
Posted by: Graham Lally | January 19, 2007 at 03:52 PM
Yikes, it might be the best site in the world, but it doesn't seem to really chime with British social sensibilities. I'd go red at the face with the idea of adding myself to a site with a name like that. The hubris!
Posted by: Tom Steinberg | January 19, 2007 at 05:57 PM
Mmm...environmentally friendly hotel, great...have to fly to Thailand to get there. An unintended irony or more evidence of the cognitive dissonance prevalent in 'green' thinking these days?
Posted by: Carl reynolds | January 22, 2007 at 06:30 PM
I thought you were deeply diplomatic about it and respect your positive feedback, and love your narrative style; particularly as you uncovered that it is clearly a marketing agency marketing itself through a consultancy driven social network 'product'.
I simply *love* the Thailand convention idea; Chris Morris himself might have made it all up.
Which brings me to a bigger point which is related but not directly to igenius - consider it a reflection on the alarming state of 'The Green dollar':
The whole 'green as a market' thing is picking up so much pace that it is being stretched too far, the 'ethical' backbone to it is also becoming weakend - rabid entrepeneurialsim is using 'green' to drive wedges into new markets under the disguise of being good guys. It has Bill Hicks written all over it - 'there's a market in the angry dollar'.
This is deeply worrying as the sales people and their inane commission culture gradually sap the honesty out of 'green' and therefore 'ethical', hanging a 'brand' (for want of a better word but I mean brand in its true sense) out to dry, wringing the marketing potential out it and moving on to the next zeitgeist when it comes, leaving a hollow dis-illusioned hole where there used to be values, behaviours, benchmarks and beliefs.
Last week we saw that of all the carbon offsetting schemes springing up like mushrooms, only a tiny minority actually adhere to any benchmarks. Of these we are still wrestling with the fact that it encourages people to pay a ludicrously small amount of money (the marketeers tell the product managers not to put people off with the real cost I am sure). And those schemes focus on planting trees in the 'developed' world, let alone social development in the 'developing'... It's guilt assuation I'm sorry to say.
Anyone hear about Prince Charles flying to the U.S. with his 20 strong entourage to accept an environmental award soon? Does that sound like hip hop or UK West Country environmentalism?
Perhaps the bigger picture is why these ambitious (and I'm sure well meaning) marketing driven efforts ring rather hollow; they are 'solutions', rooted in commission culture, rather than organic, bottom-up, connected works sharing common values.
The more I see of what is going on around us, the more Chris Macrae's sometimes elusive stream of conciousness makes sense to me.
Posted by: Ed | January 23, 2007 at 09:21 AM
You seem to have completely missed the point about this website and what it is trying to achieve. First of all the name ‘i-genius’ may not be for everyone but most can see past that and just appreciate the website for what it sets out to do – enabling people around the world to talk to each other about a wide variety of social projects and initiatives.
Secondly concerning your cynicism of the background and other initiatives lead by the two directors – Tommy and Mike. Their collective experience only serves to justify the reasons behind their interest in setting up a social entrepreneur website. Aspects of the marketing / youth / health / drugs and social projects they have been involved with adds credibility to what they are trying to achieve with i-genius. I have met both of them and worked with them on a number of projects and their enthusiasm and altruistic passion for people and opportunities to network and share ideas always comes first.
And thirdly as the website is in its infancy there will always be opportunities to improve it and as the community grows so will mentoring and interaction with members.
I have already offered technical resources and environmental support to STEP via the i-genius site and would envisage that their conference in Thailand would be web-based with global users watching live links, asking questions and interacting with local social entrepreneurs and residents.
Posted by: Mark Elton | January 23, 2007 at 05:03 PM
Have been thinking about my comment and think I was being a bit over the top and 'December in the UK'ish; tarring everything with one brush. Haven't done any deeper looking into it, but wanted to say that - might have been feeling a bit jaded :-)
Posted by: Ed | January 23, 2007 at 10:25 PM
Mark - thanks for providing a more positive perspective on i-genius, and I'm really glad to hear about the connection you have made.
I don't doubt the aim of connecting people - I'm just not clear what i-genius offers that other sites don't - a point others have made.
Tommy and Mike do indeed seem to be involved in very worthwhile projects. But why is that not on the site, together with clear statements about partners and funders?
My initial cynicism was prompted by this lack background information, and a press release the style of which suggested those involved were not too familiar with social networking. And what seemed a spurious claim to be launching at GEM.
OK - maybe a bit too cynical, and as Ed says we can all get a bit grey. However, I think there are important issues in here, and I would really to have this discussion with Tommy and Mike. That's not possible on the site unless you are prepared to sign up and be labelled an i-genius. I think social networking is about conversations ... so Tommy, Mike, let's have one. Your place or mine.
Posted by: David Wilcox | January 23, 2007 at 11:09 PM
It's very interesting to read these comments especially when I've just started a site similar to igenius and am a member of igenius.
The reason we started network2012 was to help ourselves i.e. provide ourselves with an income doing something we enjoy, while at the same time helping others. We're a social enterprise whose profits through membership fees will go towards providing bursaries for, in the main, people who are financially excluded.
Now we may have a job convincing others our motives are honourable I accept that but people will be able to see through our accounts whether we do as we say with our profits.
Whether there is a need for such sites I think is obvious as we're here and will be tested in whether we become profitable or not by the members we attract.
I can't speak for igenius but I'm sure that if anyone wanted to remove himself or herself from the site it would only take an email to say so and that's not too difficult is it?
Also these sites are quite new and mistakes will be made as they are in all businesses. If we make too many too often then we go out of business that's the price we will pay.
Surely in the spirit of what igenius and network2012 are trying to do an email to discover the answers to questions would be more appropriate thereby giving people a chance to respond and perhaps rectify mistakes they may have made.
Call me naive but I believe in the good intent of igenius as I do in the good intent of myself and my business partner in starting Network 2012 and I'd rather contribute to the process of the growth of social enterprise than otherwise. Needless to say I found the original comment on igenius extremely cynical.
Posted by: Martin Murphy | September 15, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Martin - thanks for joining in this thread, and I hope you are able to develop a successful venture. I think that the key to balancing enterprise and social benefit is transparency, and that was one of the problems I had with igenius. On your site, I'm sure people would be interested in who Martin and Tom are, for example
Posted by: David Wilcox | September 15, 2007 at 12:56 PM
Thanks for the good wishes David and I think you're right on both counts!
Posted by: Martin Murphy | September 15, 2007 at 02:06 PM