What communicators can learn from MyRagan

Internal communicators and PR pros can learn a lot from MyRagan’s experience as a professional networking site.

In a few months, the MyRagan networking site will celebrate its first-year anniversary.

Though many bloggers in the social media world predicted its fast demise, MyRagan continues to grow and now links 12,000 members from all over the world.

But MyRagan has also become a model for internal communicators eager to have their own networking sites, either as a tool to spur communication from the bottom up, or as a way to boost a company brand or initiative.

So what wisdom can we impart after a year of operating a social network site?

Here is a short list of lessons learned at MyRagan:

You may build it, and they may come. But will they come back?

Communicators often obsess about the technology behind MyRagan. How much does it cost? Is it difficult to administer? Can I build the technology myself? How does the “back end” work? All good questions. But the most important issue is very rarely raised: How do I make sure people use the site regularly?