Whether you want to call it a Social Network, Community Site, Knowledge network, or a Professional network, the topic could not be a hotter topic right now (see Seans on Social Networking) in the world of Associations. For the purpose of this post I am going to refer to it as a Professional network. Associations and its members are seeing Professional networks as an opportunity to allow them to be more productive and gain more out of their Association. The notion of Professional Networking allows Associations to offer a community for its members that creates enhanced communication and collaboration. In the end the members will get a lot more out of their Association and most likely become more active.
Association members usually leverage the organization to create relationships to assist in succeeding and promoting their career. The Association also allows its members to gain a deeper knowledge of their field. A Professional Networking platform is a powerful tool which potentially could put more contacts and knowledge within the grasp of its members. We also see this platform quickly identify subject matter experts by providing them with tools to publish information easier and allow the members easier access to them. This in turn can circumvent the long and hard task of finding the answers to the difficult questions they might have.
SharePoint 2007 has all the tools required for a fully functioning Professional Network. The first major piece is the superior user profile that can be directly connected to your AMS. The profiles in SharePoint 2007 enable members to personalize their profiles and add in information about their organization. Combined with the information the Associations already have on their members in their AMS, you already have the foundation of a Professional network. You can then begin recommend member networking (colleague) opportunities based on profile information.
Association members now can begin building their network through the use of connections or in the case of SharePoint they are called colleagues. By allowing members to collect Colleagues, Associations are providing a way for members to actually create a list of members who are related in some fashion whether they are in a committee, co-workers, or a conference attendee. Members then display who their Colleagues are in a list on their profile page (my site.) The use of this colleague tool is essential for professional networks, since it is the solution that will allow members to find ways to connect with each other, and determine who the subject matter experts are.
One of the biggest benefits to Associations in standing up a Professional Network in SharePoint is the integration with their AMS. This information provides a deeper level of information about its members and facilitates members in finding the right contact. This integration does require customization but is such a huge benefit to Associations planning on standing up a Professional Network. Beyond the Profile though, there are many ways for members to provide their knowledge to the rest of the Association.