Social Networking

and Partnering

Shelly D. Farnham, Ph.D. Social Media R & D Consultant / Founder

Waggle Labs / Pathable

StartupDay 2009

My Background: Industry R&D

Specialize in social media Social networks, community, mobile

Early stage innovation Extremely rapid R&D cycle

study, brainstorm, design, prototype, evaluate (repeat)

Career PhD in Social Psych from UW

7 years Microsoft Research

4 years startup world

Personal Map

Waggle Labs: Social Media R&D Consulting and Incubation

CoCollage (Strands)

Swaggle (group text messaging)

Zillow community

Teen Focus

Group (MSR)

Social Web 2.0

Pathable

Trusera

Reality AllStarz

Facebook

analysis

City of SeattleTwitterdinks

Pathable

Social networking

and community

tools for

conferences

In limited time

available at events,

optimize opportunities

to meet the *right*

people

So You Want to Be a Startup

Core problem:

How do I go from being a

person with a specialized

skill in a large company to

a successful startup

person?

You don’t….not alone

At Minimum, You’ll Probably Need:

person who makes it person who turns it into

a business

How Do You Get From Here to There?

Professional Networking

Increases access to valuable

information, resources and

opportunities

Correlated with finding jobs,

promotions, salary

Important for finding partners,

investors, customers Social capital:

level of access to resources

through people

Participating in “the Community”

"I define "community" as networks of interpersonal ties that provide

sociability, support, information, a sense of belonging, and social identity.”

– Barry Wellman (2001)

Cupcake

Society

Why do You Care About Community?

Sure!

Hey, I’m a

member of the

Cupcake

Society too!

Can I

borrow

some sugar?Sure!

Take

my

recipe,

too!

Community groups enable transitive relationships

Powerfully increase social capital through simple act of joining

community

Communities of practice: group of people interested in content

domain, shared practices increase effectiveness of members

Tips for Networking and Community

#1: Be Authentic

#2: Know What You are Looking For

A partner?

What skills required for successful business?

What don’t you have? Be honest!

Customers?

Investors?

Colleagues with good advice?

#3: Seek Diversity

#4: Hang Out (in Bars)

Informal, serendipitous

conversation

#5: Give Away Ideas and Knowledge Freely

The Love Cat Way

Be a Love Cat!!

#6: Participate in Related Projects

Volunteer for

events, hacker

spaces, seven

hour startup

Find people

you enjoy

working with

#7: Play Nice

Reputation

spreads like

wild-fire

#8: Sign up for Email Lists, Blogs,

Groups Seattle Tech

Startup

Seattle 2.0,

TechFlash

NWEN

Tip #9: Go to Events

Face to face matters

developing trust

informal idea and knowledge sharing via conversation

Events for people like you

Social support, community of practice

StartupDay, nPost, Seattle Mind Camp, BarCamp

Seattle, Ignite

Events for your clients and customers

Give talks to increase exposure

Tips for Partnering

Ok, so you think

you might have

found someone…

Interview

Do they have a history of

success?

Are they committed for

the long haul?

Trust your instincts, and

if you don’t, have them

meet your mom

#1: Be Selective

#2: Practice Working Together

Work together on

low-commitment

project first

Good “Flow”?

Trust and Respect?

#3: Treat Your Partnership like a

Professional, *Legal*, Relationship

Some successful businesses

with friends or couples as

partners

BUT, all the more reason to

treat it legally

Hire a lawyer

Include clear dissolution

strategy in your legalese

#4: Assign Roles

Assign roles, and give

ownership

Don’t get in their way

Clarify who’s “the

boss”, who gets final

say

#5: Communicate

Communication is

critical, but not just

business communication

Ensure you and your

partner are aware of your

burn out potential, risk

tolerance, enthusiasm

In Sum

Networking matters

It’s fun!

Developing a good partnership, is much like

developing a serious relationship