The Seattle People Podcast Project: A Case Study and Discussion of DIY Social Networking with BuddyPress

Ever think about starting your own social network?  The technical part is easy. The hard part is getting people interested in your affinity group, the channels for participation, and the benefits of membership.

In this discussion-based session, we'll talk about how to position a new social network among the existing networks, and create a framework for attracting participants, setting ground rules, and generating excitement. Plus, there will be a brief tour of the BuddyPress extension for WordPress for the moderately technically inclined.

As a working case study, we'll delve into the Seattle People Podcast Project (SPPP), a brand-new community-based, participatory social network dedicated to the art of conversation and the craft of the interview. Instead of allowing participants to “friend” every casual acquaintance, SPPP asks participants to connect with people through a recorded audio interview  to be posted on the site as a podcast, with the goal of creating deeper interactions, richer personal profiles, and greater community engagement.

Ivan Schneider moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2006 and established his own writing practice, pursuing interests in foreign languages, literature and culture.

Ivan currently blogs for Enterprise Efficiency (http://enterpriseefficiency.com) and at his own site, ivantohelpyou (http://ivantohelpyou.com). His company, Tael¥en® LLC, develops case studies, whitepapers, newsletters, and multimedia presentation materials for global technology firms serving the financial services industry.

Ivan studied information and decision systems at Carnegie Mellon University and earned an MBA from Vanderbilt. He has worked as a database developer and as an editor with TechWeb’s Bank Systems and Technology magazine.