4 questions with Greg McHale

Greg McHale, founder and chief executive officer of Good2gether, discusses the impact of social networking and where newspapers fit in.

How has social networking changed over the past few years?

Some say social networking is still in its infancy and from a business perspective, it is. However, adoption rates continue to increase, as has utility. More than 57 percent of active Internet users ages 16 to 54 globally have joined a social network, according to a March 2008 study on social media trends from Universal McCann. For younger generations, who spend as much or more time online and have more online friends than real friends, social networking is entirely ubiquitous, barely lagging behind search as the primary online activity.

Demographics aside, the biggest change is simply in the fact that social networks are everywhere. New social networks crop up almost daily; the major players boast tens of millions of users, and the trend, if we were to plot it, is an upward moving curve. Not everyone has joined a social network yet but virtually everyone has heard of them; and global brands, nonprofits, even government agencies are identifying useful ways to embrace this technology.

So I think it’s fair to say social network is changing the landscape profoundly — and yet, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What future trends do you see with social networking?

Certainly, we can expect some consolidation among the players and much better integration between networks. Right now, many of the social networks are silos. They’re competing with one another, and from a user’s perspective, managing multiple profiles is challenging. For some, social network overload is the barrier to true adoption. To solve this problem, social network aggregators like NetVibes and PageFlakes will most likely continue to improve their offerings, and others will likely crop up as well.

But I think the biggest trend we’ll see emerging is in the way folks share and discover information. Over time, I expect it to be less about generic search and more about discovery through the network. Why do a generic search when you can get warm leads and actual recommendations from your trusted circle of friends, family and colleagues?

We’re already seeing a massive shift in the way companies and individuals are communicating — amongst themselves and with one another. Social networks are driving a more transparent, consumer-driven, vibrant two-way dialog. And the newspaper industry is beginning to embrace and encourage that, which I think is a very healthy sign of things to come.

Why is it important for newspapers to implement social networking features?

Newspapers are beginning to adopt a more holistic view of their businesses. It’s not just about the news anymore; rather, it’s about being the go-to resource for how to live in their community.

Enabling their readers to discover and share hyperlocal information about the things they care about — like causes and local nonprofits — is vital to building reader loyalty and engaging new readers online.

Additionally, newspapers are becoming more aware of the notion that not only is content king, but content that is hyperlocal, dynamic and user-generated has more stickiness and gets more mileage — and both of these things are vital to a newspaper’s success. Stickiness, page views, loyalty, time spent on site — all these things, of course, drive online ad revenue. So it makes perfect sense for newspapers to embrace and enable social networking as a means for both creating and perpetuating content online.

What are some of the more popular tools used on social networking sites?

The ability to share information of interest with your friends and contacts is essential, whether it’s e-mailing a link, posting something to your Facebook or MySpace profile or using a social book-marking tool like Digg or del.icio.us.

Of course, folks love to share their opinions and experiences with others, which is why tools that enable and encourage comments, reviews, ratings, or uploading one’s photos and videos, relevant to the site content, are also key. Widgets are another popular feature on social networks that allow users to identify their passions and engage with the community.