Social networking has under gone 2 major shifts in the last 15 years of the world wide web. The first social networks came in the form of real-time chat services like ICQ and AIM. These services allowed you to talk to your friends anywhere in the world and provided a type of communication connectivity not seen before. After a number years as king, chat services declined, in terms of hype at least (I imagine the number of people chatting is still growing), and the second generation of social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, gained the crown as the hip place to hang out.

However, cracks in the foundation of the second generation have begun to appear. The rise of extremely powerful cellphones, such as the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android devices, are creating a 3rd generation social network as these devices become more than phones and email devices. They are the new social network. As these devices gain functionality that make them more general purpose computing devices than phones, you will see the rise of social networking applications specifically for the phone.

There is far more potential with these types of social networking tools. By 2010 most, if not all, smart phones will have integrated GPS. This will enable large scale, location based networking (i.e. meeting people in real life instead of over a computer screen) and advertising. Since the phone knows you are standing in Starbucks, a well done social network application will be able to provide the phone owner with a coupon for the tasty dessert in the display case with their purchase of coffee. That is the real value in the future mobile social network.

If you are looking to position your company for the future rather than trying to keep up with the present, drop us a line at info@downtowncartel.com. We can help you build the future social network.

Cody Marx Bailey, a partner in Downtown Cartel, was recently interviewed by our friend Lynn Bender of GeekAustin.org. As an integral part of the scene in Bryan/College Station, he has brought a lot of attention to what was traditionally a low-tech culture.

The Downtown Cartel crew try to make it over to Austin several times a month to attend different events, functions, and networking opportunities so keep an eye for us if you see us out and about.

When we started Downtown Cartel,  I was pretty naive about how to go about building a client base. The last several months have been a crash course in that. I have a lot to learn still, but I think I have made significant progress. Here are a few things I have learned along the way.

Make use of everyone you know

The last couple weeks I have been going through my GMail, Linked In, and Facebook contacts and finding a ton of people that I forgot I knew (sorry friends!). One by one I am going through and contacting them individually, catching them up on what I am doing with the business and letting them know we are actively seeking client work. It really amazes me, but the most unlikely friends and family can bring you some of your best business.

Be willing to do what it takes to gain the client

One of the quickest ways to sell yourself to a potential client is to make it easy for them to choose you. To do that be willing to help them cut costs on the projects they bring you. Sometimes that will mean cutting your rates a bit, or sometimes helping them identify the core features that they really need. Look for innovative ways to create extra value in their project at no additional cost.

Work for repeat business

When you begin a project with a new client often you are implementing just the first version of what their ultimate product will be. Make sure you work closely with them to achieve their vision of what the end product will be like. You can achieve this by giving your clients the opportunity to provide regular feedback on the progress of your work. If you are not giving your client that opportunity at least every 2 weeks you are probably doing something wrong. Alternatively, if you see that their vision is a bit misguided but there is great value in their idea, help them see a different, better vision for the product. If you can do this, you will win clients for life.