I invited one of my employees at ExpertCEO, Nathalee Ghafouri, to be a guest blogger. Nathalee is ExpertCEO’s Marketing Manager and she is an integral part of our organization. In this entry, she shares her passion for social networking and how it can apply to both the academic and professional world.
Back in high school, my sister used to tease me for having “study parties” to prepare for AP physics exams. She called me a nerd, and
Whether for executives or students, peer groups can be powerful. From: Flickr UBC Library Graphics.
maybe I was, but I also knew that without those “study parties” I would be lost. I knew that I could handle the concepts of physics, but that I was awful at the math. By meeting with my classmates, I could explain the theory, and they could explain the calculations. It was all about give and take. I’ve understood the value of peer groups for a long time, so I am really passionate about building the community at ExpertCEO, an online network for senior executives and the community that inspired this blog.
Harnessing the power of the crowd is one of the chief tenants of Web 2.0 and even as we progress into Web 3.0 (or whatever is next), user-generated content is no passing fad. The world has definitely realized that the combination of peer groups and the Internet makes socializing easier and more fun-hence the explosion of social networks-but business networking online is just starting to become the norm. With LinkedIn profiles now ubiquitous, Yammer being named the king of the TechCrunch 50 and more and more companies taking advantage of Facebook and Twitter, the time is right for senior-level executives to put the trend to work in their everyday decision-making.
To go back to the study group example, imagine you’re at a physics study group, but of the five people there, no one knows how to solve a certain problem. If this was 15 years ago, you’d be stuck without an answer, or you’d have to wait for the teacher’s office hours. But with the rise of communities on essentially any topic, I’m confident that today you could find the answer by asking a peer online. The power to share knowledge is infinite. It’s this concept that drives ExpertCEO-if you can’t get the answer from your intimate peer group (or maybe you’re embarrassed to ask), you can capture the wisdom of the crowd.
Using advice from the site, ExpertCEO members have improved cash flow, avoided legal trouble and gotten advice on how to weather this current economic storm. The power of the peer group has been proven by students and is working for ExpertCEO members. Can you put it to work for you?
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