Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Could you be the Host for the Local Business Network?
Hi All,
I have these past 6 months made inroads into rejuvenating the Local business Network. Unfortunately my available time has shrunk considerably from when I started this venture. As a business owner, Mum and student, I am having to decrease some commitments. To this end, I am stepping down as host.
The Local Business Network has increased to 98 members, though only a core are active by commentating online, or participating in social events. Many members have skills that could benefit other users and in doing so, benefit their own businesses and it would be great if they could come forward and promote their own events and workshops on the forum.
My questions to you are:
- Does the Local Business Community wish to be rejuvenated? (I pose this question beyond the core participants, who have thus far participated)
- Does the community need a host?
- How do you see the host's role?
- Are you a member that just doesn't read the threads anymore?
- Should events and queries be posted in the main discussion page, rather then the Group page, where potentially, no one sees or seeks out posts.
Kind regards
Karen Fugle
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ian on
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Hi karen , it's been a long time since i recieved comms on this topic but it would also be best if such comms are sent directly to the group instead of a general purpose thread. My feedback has not changed and i would welcome a business group somewhere between the established BNI business network and the more socially focused group that was once the Haringey small business network. When you are busy working and developing a business it becomes a big ask to take out time within the working day to meet for a jolly. As stated before such informal networks evenually break up if there is no business focus that provides incentives to business owners. I think a survey of the group should try to identify who wants a business network to increase the bottom line of their company and who wants more socially focused. The requirements don't have to be mutually exclusive but it adentifies what people want and the percentages. Maybe 2 groups are in order and i would be willing to help design a more business focused group if there is enough demand. A business focused group would carry obligations by everyone otherwise as stated it does not work . Better to have 10 businesses committed to a business network and then grow that network of committed business owners than have 100 casuals with no commitement because the set up is also casual.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Fugle on
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Hi Ian,
Thanks for your interest. I also posted the same question on the Group's page - it has received 3 views as opposed to the 73 views on this main discussion page. I have in the past directly sent emails to the entire group, but this doesn't allow any room for feedback or ongoing discussion. I am also not sure that people would want a direct email every time, without their consent or anyway of opting out. Unfortunately few if any of the posts on the Group page generated a lot views, let alone discussion.
There has been a survey of the group - of which I hope you would have seen numerous posts and direct emails - that sought to identify what the group wanted and what aspects were most important. I shared this data in a thread on the Groups page here (10 views and no comments). 94.44% of the group (that participated in the survey) said that the group can help them with networking. Yet the majority haven't yet placed their work contact details on the groups contact page.
You've hit the nail on the head with 'obligations by everyone' for the group to work. I directly targeted several dozen companied to see if they would be willing to hold an informal business focussed workshop. Only several were interested (after a bit of pestering). The accounting workshop was successful; the hosts are known to be committed to networking and regularly provide informal talks this way. Others I contacted wanted to go to workshops, yet couldn't say what type they wanted to go to.
I also agree with you that it is better to grow a smaller network of committed business owners. In this regard it might be better to propose that those no longer interested in the group, leave it, or start a new group. Then the group portrays a true reflection of those interested and it won't be seen as time and energy falling on deaf ears.
How would you propose to 'see if there is enough demand'?
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Permalink Reply by Matt on
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Hi Karen,
Thanks for your attempts at this.
Having both of us have spent a lot of time trying to get HBG up and running, with it always being a half way group between social meeting up and a serious value adding networking group, maybe from now on it just needs to be a place for members to contact each other online and arrange ad hoc meet ups.
Best wishes,
Matt
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Thanks Matt. I agree, but to be of any real value, more businesses need to get their contact details up there.
I wonder what the recent meeting at the Wood Green Library (on how to help local businesses) generated. I have asked for feedback as I could not attend. Certainly the library is doing well at hosting more and more workshops (lots on marketing in November) and perhaps they might be the best portal to arrange these, with HOL just being an advertising/feedback medium.
Certainly look forward to ad hoc meet ups. I suggest an xmas drink!
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Hi Karen, Firstly I should thank you and anyone involved in organising such activities as from experience I know it can consume a lot of time that can go unrecognised. Given that the HSBG appeared to be dormant I fall into a category that don't check within the HSBG group if there are new post that may need a response. If people sign up to HSBG then it should also mean that all or discretionary selective post can be pushed to them. The weekly haringey round up by Hugh is an example and I am sure I would not crawl through the site looking for interesting post so Hugh's round is a really good tool (I can't remember if I subscribed to it or it is just pushed with an opt out facility). From experience and from my own personal business network I experience that business mostly starts first and then the social aspects follow through once trust has developed. I do business with lots of individuals without specific social arrangements but some business contacts also leads to friendship and social engagement. There are many platforms available today for social networking hence I don't think the focus should be social networking first if we really want to develop a small business network.
To see if there is enough demand you or someone would need to push the question to the signed up network members via email at first but with a link to the site for follow up replies if we don't want to flood inboxes with email. I think before an email is pushed there should at least be some from of draft proposal in regards to what a HSBG network should look like and how it would operate. I think most people would say yes to a HSBG hence the 94 members but not many may have a view on what it should look like and operate hence some form of leadership and design needs to be provided and then that makes it easier for people to add, subtract or make comment.
If you pushed emails to others in the past and there was no comment, then that is worrying but I am sure I would have made comment to pushed emails but may not have gone looking on the website due to above reason. If you want to talk off line, happy to do so.
Ian
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I sort of faded away when I perceived the group moving towards a meet up social networking group but having looked within the group now I see various post that I was never aware of. This may also be true for the majority of members, as most of our personal subscription services on line are push based as we are all busy. A push service / weekly round up push service should work as I only found this post as a result of a scan on Hugh's round up push.
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Permalink Reply by Emma-photo on
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Hi. I came to a couple of the early meetings but I don't check the HOL group page very often. I would prefer to receive regular emails about future meet ups / events. I think it would be great to keep the network active.
Emma
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Hi Ian,
I think the weekly roundup is successful too (I believe this is the domain of Liz), however it probably needs a reminder every week to Liz to list what to include in the round up, else it can be hit and miss. But I think this is a personal preference to receive it too, so there may be many people who don't see this either. Nice point about giving a link back to a discussion thread, in a direct email.
With an online group I think it's very hard to establish the business aspects before the social. You need to be very sure that people will attend the business side when there isn't the history. I thought it more important to meet people socially first (and without incurred costs) so that people can meet, develop trust, tell you what they really need, then follow through with business. Perhaps, as you believe the opposite, this might be an avenue that you can use to turn the group around?
Happy to talk to you offline, especially if you would like to take the group forward...
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Permalink Reply by ingo pless on
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I am opening a venue in turnpike lane, more or less at the head of the passage. An enterprise centre seeking to draw in small businesses and broker support, share resources and knowledge. Would hope to use this to reinvigorate the network and also add new members.
The agenda would be to add value as much as social networking.
Hope to launch a community consultation soon - we hope to have a display up in Paul Simon's in the new year.
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