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Free: The Future of Business
This is an old video featuring Chris Anderson of Wired talking about the idea of “Free”. His idea was so compelling that he wrote a book about it this year. He also gave it away for free when he first released it. In the video, he mentions numerous business models who give away a lot of their content or product for free. They subsidize this by selling advertising, or offering additional paid services, or any number of other revenue generating sources.
Free HR Community: the Future of SHRM?
Here is a suggestion for SHRM that takes advantage of this proven and successful business model for digital content.
Open the walls on SHRM Connect!
Let anyone with proper career credentials in the HR field have a FREE basic user account in SHRM Connect.
Why?
- It would create free access to SHRM that doesn’t exist today.
- It would enhance the value of SHRM Connect, which is lukewarm right now by creating a true open social network for HR professionals.
- It would create a safe zone for HR people who don’t want to do Facebook to dabble in social media, which is something many in the profession seem to need.
- It would provide exposure to the members of SHRM.
- It would offer SHRM the opportunity to offer premium member services such as research or the job board in different ways.
- It would increase membership over time
- It would force SHRM to think within a different paradigm.
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@sharlyn_lauby new post: Why SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://bit.ly/8ZUXAZ
@Victorio_M new post: Why SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://bit.ly/8ZUXAZ #SHRM #hr
Smart RT @MikeVanDervort: [New Post at The Human Race Horses] WHy SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://bit.ly/8ZUXAZ
RT @MikeVanDervort: @sharlyn_lauby new post: Why SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://bit.ly/8ZUXAZ
[New Post at The Human Race Horses] WHy SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://toast.tw/100a40
[New Post at The Human Race Horses] WHy SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/2009/1...
http://bit.ly/87r25T if you have to pay for it colaboration is limited. #fact #shrm #hr
Twitter: thelance
December 1, 2009 at 1:30 pm
SHRM Connect isn’t a very good platform. Personally, if I was an HR professional scared of social media, I would go to LinkedIn (the least scary social network) and join groups. When SHRM Connect is ready for prime time, maybe it becomes a selling point but right now, they should focus on improving it and getting more people on board.
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
December 1, 2009 at 1:43 pm
@Lance
In agree with you that SHRM Connect is not yet the strongest platform, but I didn’t want to bash them. Re: LinkedIn, I think people who don’t do social media are still scared of the “time, spam, people I don’t know” factor. My thought on SHRM-Connect is this could be avoided a bit, by playing in a smaller ppol limited to contacts within your profession. None of it is an ideal solution, but frankly, even if you get it as part of the dues package, right now SHRM-C isn’t worth paying for. Making it free might offer the inducement to improve it if membership actually increased – break a monopoly and let market forces prevail.
I have had a Twitter convo (as much as one can on Twitter) with China about this, and she mentioned two things: the advantage of SHRM Connect is the 250,000 members, and that content is driven by its members.
I am still wondering what % of the 250,000 members are on SHRM Connect, and what % who are on SHRM Connect are “active” (not sure what the threshold might be…# of connections, message postings, etc.) contributors?
I am also wondering what the plan is for SHRM with regard to SHRM Connect. At SHRM Leadership a few weeks ago, SHRM Connect was barely mentioned in the sessions attended, and had only a brief aside during the State of SHRM session with China. You had an audience of 750-900 dedicated SHRM advocates who would be ideal messengers for the SHRM Connect banner, and it was given short shrift. If SHRM is not doing a good enough job convincing its core advocates of its worth, how do they expect to make it worthwhile to the rest of the passive 249,100?
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
December 1, 2009 at 2:27 pm
@Matt akaBruno
It was suggested on Twitter last night that I should be the brand manager for SHRM Connect. There is even a hastag.
#MikeforBrandManager2010 What the hell – I have a fondness for hopeless causes.
Oh yes…I saw it. Best wishes on that endeavor! Ha.
If it is truly going to be member driven, I imagine it will have to be chapter based with discussion centered on what is going on locally. I’m not sure SHRM Connect is designed to tackle larger issues (or at least I am not convinced it is).
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
December 1, 2009 at 8:34 pm
That is a completely brilliant statement/idea.
Thanks.
I would also argue that if it isn’t part of the chapter planning workbook (aka SHAPE), there is little incentive for chapters to get involved with it.
Why SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://j.mp/6fy9yi
Just passed this along to my contacts at SHRM. I really like the idea of using SHRM Connect at the local level to build familiarity with the tool by leveraging it against networks that are already active live. It’s definitely a safer introduction to the technology.
Kris Lundin
SHRM Special Expertise Panel Member – Technology & HR Management
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
December 1, 2009 at 8:34 pm
This is an idea that seems to either really excite people, or make them go “meh”. Glad to see someone working with SHRM pay some attention to thinking outside the membership model. Even if it never happens, it is worth exploring! We should connect on SHRM Connect!
RT @MikeVanDervort Why SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://bit.ly/87wpjU
isnt it already free..to members? RT @BTarver @MikeVanDervort Why SHRM should offer SHRM Connect for free! http://bit.ly/87wpjU
From November 2009: @MikeVanDervort: Why #SHRM should offer #SHRMConnect for free! http://bit.ly/ikjufd
RT @MikeVanDervort: From November 2009: @MikeVanDervort: Why #SHRM should offer #SHRMConnect for free! http://bit.ly/ikjufd