In this context, I’m listing down some issues that emerged from the Informal Survey conducted on Ryze. Some very basic issues on the Ryze proposition I feel the Ryze owners and administrators need to address are :

• People seem to hesitate to invite others to this network .. I think a lot has to do with the fact that many do not perceive any ‘tangible’ benefit from being here … whether social or business rewards …. and this perception perhaps stems from the fact that the objectives of the community are not really clear … there’s little by way of intro from the owners … and the wide array of people and conversations makes it easy for someone to get ‘lost’. Here are a few comments from members :

“Three words that describe my experiences here … 'uneven': at first there was very little activity, now there is a great deal; 'tentative': sometimes I don't know what to make of it; 'hopeful': is this the way to build social capital?”

"I think everyone struggles to find the relevance that Ryze can have in their lives. Which is why they sign up, then don’t do anything about it. That relevance or personal context is key to making them participate. This can be done with more “proven case studies / successful partnerships / success stories” made possible because of Ryze – not just the “quotes” on the home page”.

• As a result, there seems to be little ‘pride’ in being a Ryze member … its interesting to see that a lot of people are on here and are working the system .. yet they would like to appear as if they’re not really so involved. This would link back to fears on digital identity and reputation … do I want to be ‘seen’ on Ryze ? What would others think of me if they knew I was ‘active’ here ? What ‘face’ do I present … if I go ‘soft’ will people take me too flippantly … if I’m a ‘suit’ will I encourage interactions or just contract and jobseekers?
• This could explain some hesitance to invite more people … and once again reinforce the fact that Ryze does not enjoy any clear brand image or vision … and a call to the owners to work at it … we need stats, we need incentives, we need ‘success stories’, we need evangelism. And if no one is asked or recognized for it (except for the no. of invitees you’ve brought in .. or the guestbook hits on your page .. which some dislike), there seems to be low motivation to do so.

“If I see too much of the banal chat that goes on if they pay too much attention to hits and # of message scores .. I would quit Ryze”

“We need success stories. I got a job when I did this, or so and so referred me to a new client. Creating customer evangalists is crucial, but some people do it naturally. Give them better tools! Reward them! Give them some incentives”.

• The question this raises is should Ryze project a certain image … and if so what is the desired image.Conversely, if it’s a network for people run by people … should this image evolve on its own … yet there’s need to ‘steer’ it in some direction, simply because it is not a homogenous group with shared objectives on here.Ryze claims to be a ‘business network’ – is it really that – or has it organically grown into something else?
• Link this back to the front page, to the ‘tone’ set by the owners, to the intros for new members, to the ‘welcoming’ protocol, to the networks .... there seem flaws in all these areas.
• A thought here .. for instance … could we have, along with networks … something along the lines of cooperatives … say a research cooperative, or a design cooperative, or a social interaction cooperative, or an ideation cooperative … where there’s stronger motivation to contribute … and some kind of financial model can be put in place. That would result in shared ownership … shared nurturance … shared rewards.

Perhaps its time to identify and prototype what could facilitate adoption and acceleration for different people at different levels of adoption with different goals and motivations - some matrix suggest themselves in the areas of levels of participation, expectations, roadblocks, new avenues, stickiness, perceived rewards,etc. Almost like doing a classical segmentation exercise … identifying and measuring segments, identifying drivers and exploring ways to sustain and build.

This type of information could be useful :

• To ‘feel the pulse’ of different segments … say, what are IT professionals or teenagers or designers or housewives in Manhattan or gizmo freaks talking about these days
• To better define and focus the Ryze vision – let it come from the people that make Ryze .. yet give it direction
• To provide access to knowledge communities – perhaps not in its current form .. but with some focus, could be a useful toolbox/incubation box/ideation forum …
• To provide an understanding of ‘tech’ needs by segment … two benefits … one .. can give rise to tech needs for which solutions may be sought and two … this human face may ease the adoption cycle of technology innovations …. for instance .. even a simple FAQs can be better designed, made more user friendly