The best of both worlds. But it’s not for everyone

I was first introduced to linkedin.com after an exchange of business cards at an NYC Ad party back in 2005. Admittedly, I gate crashed the party but since then I don’t seem to be able to live without it. As a marketing tool, I dabbled for a very short time in MySpace (registering under the ‘film’ category of members, when P2M Productions were about to get the ‘Green Light’…Grrr! bloody mail order brides) and, along with the masses, I have fallen victim to facebook, managing to pick a stalker along the way. Enough said.

However, there is another networking site that has been added to my daily routine of logging in. A Small World sits very comfortably in the middle between linkedin.com (professional) and facebook (social) — and I do believe ASW (to its members) has been going for a little bit longer than both. TBC, I will check on that.

I think ASW is terrific, but to the untrained eye it can come across as an incredibly pretentious network. Part owned by the Weinstein Brothers, ASW is a ‘by-invitation-only’ site, and they ‘…have imposed certain criteria in order to keep the network exclusive. To join, you need to be invited by a trusted member’… and in October 2005 I was invited.

The central theme that runs thoughout the site is trust, and there is a structure and set of guidelines that keeps the integrity of the site high, with every user I have come across abiding and respecting its terms and conditions. Inside, is a wealth of forums of dicussion ranging from travel guides (including hotels and cities), ‘what’s on’, a ASW marketplace and a very useful Business forum — all sharing a common (excuse the pun) entrepreneurial theme throughout.

Of all the networking sites I have come across, ASW appears to have got it right — not too personal, not too professional, and has maintained a clear positioning as a true place to network, to seek sound advice and guidance from those who have actually made it.

As my status hasn’t yet reached the level of ‘trusted member’, unless you are already an ASW member, you will just have to take my word for it — of course, not forgetting to invite me to your network of contacts.

DD