This guest post is authored by Ben Eubanks. Ben is an HR professional from Huntsville, AL. He lives much of his life online. Don’t believe it? Catch him on LinkedIn, Twitter, or via email. His blog, UpstartHR, is about many things, including HR, leadership, and zombies.
Should SHRM Connect be publicly available or an exclusive platform only for members? To free or not to free, that is the question. While Shakespeare wouldn’t be thrilled about me mangling his “to be or not to be” line, the question is a valid one. There’s been some interesting chatter recently about SHRM Connect, a social media platform exclusively for SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) members. I have argued for them to open it up to the public, but I can also understand that they have reason to keep it closed. I’ll lay out both sides of the issue, because I think it will help you to make up your mind as well.
3 reasons to make it free
Using SHRM Connect to bring in new members would be pretty easy. With all of the current member-only offers SHRM has on the table, allowing potential customers to test-drive the tool would naturally convert more participants. The second reason the platform should be free is that it would draw more participants. More participants means more value in the social media space. On the business side, SHRM has the opportunity to gather data from the participants and market targeted services to the members. Finally, if it’s supposed to be a social media “training wheels” experience, then you’re going to need some hardcore social media fans to assist. They can help the newbies to learn the ropes and fully explore the possibilities of the platform. However, when they can access half a dozen other networks for free, why would they pay to join?
3 reasons not to make it free
From the conversations I’ve had with some HR professionals, they would prefer SHRM Connect not to be public. That’s because they have conversations that they don’t want their coworkers, supervisors, employees, etc. to be privy to. The last two reasons to keep it exclusive fall are good for SHRM. First, they can position SHRM Connect as a member benefit. They’re obviously already doing that. Second, the exclusivity of the social network enhances its perceived value. If only a select group of people can participate, outsiders will naturally try to get into the group however possible.
As you can see, there are good reasons for each choice, and it will be interesting to see what SHRM comes up with in the end. What are your thoughts? Should it be free? Private?
January 12, 2010 at 7:50 am
Ben,
It’s only a “benefit” to the members if people actually use it. And from what I’ve heard, far too many people don’t even know it exists.
You also noted: If only a select group of people can participate, outsiders will naturally try to get into the group however possible.
That only applies if outsiders consider it valuable and worth “trying to get into.” Quite frankly, I don’t think people outside of SHRM (and many in SHRM) consider it worth paying for. After all, I have access to an incredible network of professionals already, for free, through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and my blog.
Free or not free? I don’t think it matters!
January 12, 2010 at 8:45 am
I signed up for SHRM Connect and promptly forgot about it. Twitter has such a dynamic HR community and in my opinion, it’s where most of the action and new thought are happening.
But if SHRM Connect openrf to nonmembers, there could be some nice cross-over of the two audiences, and the presence of the Twitter crowd might shake things up in a nice way.
January 12, 2010 at 10:37 am
While you and I may see the value in the free offerings, I’m sure that there are a lot of people holding off because of all the “using social media gets you sued” articles you see these days. The closed option may satisfy their need for privacy.
January 12, 2010 at 10:38 am
Krista, the blending of the two groups is what I had in mind when I mentioned hardcore social media fans.
I know we could make it rock if given the opportunity.
January 12, 2010 at 11:02 am
My feeling is that there is a false sense of security in a closed community. If people are afraid that their boss might find something they post online, a closed community only encourages them to post more damaging info that their boss could later find. Bosses can join SHRM with ease, bosses can setup fake profiles on restricted forum, etc…
Once information is online, it is out of your control. That include closed communities as well (if you don’t own it, but even then there are certainly risks).
The closed community argument as well as “it’s a benefit to our members” argument are the ones SHRM uses as well. I’ll propose two alternatives. First, most of their members have no interest in social media. They like their little forum. It has a lot of people, its own political hierarchy, reputations established, etc.. Second, SHRM connect isn’t very good. If your goal is to connect with HR folks in your field, there are niche social networks and the more general ones that can do a much better job at it.
January 13, 2010 at 4:37 am
I’m not sure the tool warrants this level of debate. I’ve found nothing about SHRM Connect that adds value. Literally nothing. In fact, if this were your first exposure to social media it would serve to devalue how social networks can drive personal and professional connectivity. Open or closed, SHRM Connect needs a defined value proposition and strategic direction or it will simply be an embarrassment for the association.
January 13, 2010 at 4:47 am
I agree with Mark. SHRM connect is too time consuming when you sign up. Busy professionals do not have time to jump through the hoops to find people to connect with- at least I don’t. Twitter has already connected many of the HR people and it’s growing every day. It’s easier to connect without searching and sending specific invitations. I’ll just read my HR Magazine when it comes and forget about connect for now. Hopefully SHRM will make some improvements if they really want it to be a tool for members.
January 13, 2010 at 8:39 am
Actually, what should happen is that HR professionals should be agitating SHRM on a regular basis to step up the social media game on their web site. For example, take Trish’s comment on Twitter allowing people to already be connected.
You mean to tell me that if SHRM had the funtionality to add followers from twitter easily, or from your email book,you wouldn’t want to extend those contacts to SHRM Connect from twitter?
If nothing else,it would be a great way to extend the usefullness and functionality of twitter further into the HR professional community, and get us HR early adopters a bigger echo chamber.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to have an expectation that the leading professional HR organization should be doing something more to be leading the way in putting these types of social media tools to work more effectively.
We shouldn’t have to do it from the outside in.
January 13, 2010 at 8:43 am
Mike,
I think you’ll find, unfortunately, that most of SHRM’s big supporters argue that you should join SHRM and change it from the inside-out.
My position is that with the free tools already out there, I already get what I need (and more). I don’t want to join SHRM and improve it because it would give me anything I don’t already have.
To your point, SHRM should be leading this conversation – not it’s individual members.
- Chris
January 13, 2010 at 8:53 am
Chris – I already belong to SHRM. I understand your point. I guess my point is, SHRM could be doing more to lead on this front. I have already contacted them about taking some action in this regard. We’ll see what happens.
January 13, 2010 at 9:00 am
Mike,
Sorry for the confusion on that. I guess I have two points:
1. As someone not in SHRM, I shouldn’t have “join and change from within” to make it the kind of place I’d want to join in the first place.
2. More to your point, it would be nice if SHRM took the lead on this, rather than individual members pushing for something better.
- Chris
January 14, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Great post Ben!
SHRM Connect has a lot of faults but it also does have a lot of potential. Part of the problem is technical and partly philosophical.
1) Simply put, the platform sucks when you compare it to Twitter, Facebook and other mature platforms. Mark, Trish, and others are right-it’s too difficult to get things to happen.
2) The walled garden approach doesn’t work. If we want HR pros to be innovators then SHRM needs to hand over the reins to its members. Mike VanDervort spoke about it here: http://www.thehumanracehorses.com/2009/11/30/why-shrm-should-offer-shrm-connect-for-free/
That being said, if SHRM is smart it will make it better. SHRM Connect’s only 7 months old! Remember when Linkedin was brand new and you were trying to figure it out? That’s where SHRM Connect is now.
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