We’ve regularly discussed the use of social networking software platforms integrated into business or corporate websites on our blog and talked about the benefits of building an interactive community on your website as against having a “one-way” website which simply pushes information out to visitors. There are several companies both large and small who have been able to successfully weave a social networking into their business website and use it effectively to draw stakeholders whether they are customers, peers within the same vertical or employees. The technology company Cadence is a great example of how social networking can be seamlessly integrated into any business website.’
The “community” section is linked as a prominent section of the website on main navigation bar of the website among “Products & Solutions”, “Services” and “About Cadence”. The main page is an industry-wide community for more general discussions around the industry happenings. Then, you’ll find a number of communities which each tap one topic or area of interest such as “Logic Design”, “RF Design” or “Custom IC Design” among others and each community has:
- Blogs
- Forums
- Resources
The blogs are a perfect example of how multiple blogs and multiple writers can still come under one roof (website) and create a single “go-to” resource for those within the industry. It’s a better long term strategy than having scattered blogs on different platforms where co-coordinating a combined effort is a lot harder.
The forums blend into the look and feel of the rest of the website, are well divided into topics and all the discussions have been kept active and alive once again making it a great resource for information on any of these topics. An important thing to note is the forums are well administered and moderated. This is easier to do when there is a centralized administration process in place and not as easy when using multiple forums software platforms.
Lastly the resources section, which has a rich supply of informative data sheets, white papers and other useful material simply adds value to the overall community resource and works as a great incentive for signing up as a member and having access to all that information. The “Digg” like feature which enables users to rate resources they liked makes it truly social media all the way.
Cadence is a fine example of how a social media platform for a business website can be used and used really well. There is virtually nothing to stop any business small or large from following in these footsteps and getting their own community section. The benefits are worth exploring.
