Creating “hotspots” – the nature of academici.com

Citation

ul-Haq, R. (2006), "Creating “hotspots” – the nature of academici.com", Qualitative Market Research, Vol. 9 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/qmr.2006.21609dag.001

Creating “hotspots” – the nature of academici.com

Creating “hotspots” – the nature of academici.com

Most physical social networking involves bringing small groups of people together with a presumed common interest on the chance that they may make a connection and this may, later, lead to some further activity. Too often the further activity does not materialise. Virtual social networks also use a common interest to bring people to the site. For example, Friends Reunited builds a connection though shared school, university, work experience, linked in through job search-based networking. Members of these networks build connections, but once the purpose of the connection (e.g. job hunting) has been completed the use the network by any one individual declines.

Professor Lynda Gratton at London Business School suggests that “hotspots” of creativity and innovation occur when those with common interests move to the action stage, start working together and create some output.

For knowledge-workers this is the “Holy Grail” – how to meet other globally located knowledge-workers, make an intellectual connection, decide to work together and uniquely use the platform to discuss ideas in subject forums or closed networks, find collaborators, review and co-write papers, initiate and organise conferences. Academici.com provides such a platform for currently, 17,000 globally located knowledge workers and, as the rate of innovation increases, this ability to convert an intellectual connection into a tangible output becomes critical.

Rehan ul-HaqInternet Research Editor