The Club Entrepreneur Network
I don’t plug websites, and I don’t want any of my posts to come across as such. However, I ran across this site called the Club E Network. I’m going to start off by telling you what this is - then I will go to everything I don’t like about the site - then I’ll finish this off with what I DO like about it. Again, I would rather you skim the bad stuff to get to the good stuff instead of being blinded by the good and ignoring the bad.
Club E(ntrepreneur) Network is a website created by a small group of entrepreneur, business owners, and a whole mish-mash of other people. One could technically say they are ALL entrepreneurs now, but let’s not get into semantics… I’ll leave that to them - “Club E is a group of ambitious trailblazers who gravitate towards one another by the magnetism of their collective vision – the passion of entrepreneurship. ” I guess that’s better than saying “The color of money is universal.” Kidding… KIDDING! Anyways, Club E is a social networking tool for people to meet up with other entrepreneurs. I think it is a real effective tool to put all of the entrepreneurs under one roof. Basically, Club E gets people to start “chapters” in their area. These chapters serve as a networking, learning, and teaching outlet.
_____________________The Bad______________________
Now I will start with everything I don’t like about it - if you have had enough bad news for the day and want to skip to the “good” part, skip this section and start reading after the line. First of all, I think the style isn’t edgy or engaging. It is more web 2.0verkill and it drives me nuts… bland. Uploading profile pictures is like solving a puzzle. Galleries and profile picture uploads should coexist in its own domain. Having two separate but equal galleries just gets confusing. Having a built-in blog was nifty 3 years ago - now everyone has their own. I think if they put a built-in RSS reader for peoples’ personal blogs ALONG with the option to make one there, it would really be breaking some new ground (in terms of social networking tools). Another thing I don’t like is that the interface and personal pages look like every other networking site out there.
The bottom flash thing on the front page confuses me. I don’t really know how it is relevant because after it is clicked I am taken to some profile page. It says “Gurus giving Gratis!” Gratis = Free. They’re giving me “free.” Okay, assuming it does mean they are giving gratuitously, but I can’t find it. Maybe they should link us to the free stuff instead. Wow, I am cynical. Anyways…
_____________________The Good______________________
I like this site. I think it has a strong team behind it (though they DO have some human factors issues to work out). They have someone new registering every half hour, so the community is growing and is beckoning you to come in. You couldn’t find an easier tool to use for entrepreneurial networking (no, I am not contradicting myself). Once you have registered, you can post on the forums, customize your profile, and it even has a little “Visibility Meter” that was totally stolen from LinkedIn. Whatever, though, I like it.
It’s hard enough knowing in the back of my mind that I am technically unemployed (does it really count as a student?) - it beats the dead horse when they tell me I’m not cool enough to hit 100% because of the fact. I digress.
I’ve looked over so many networking tools for entrepreneurs - this one is the best, hands down. You can search for people based on their interests, what they look for as a business partner, and even what kind of music they like! So if you haven’t joined already, it is a young community and I would recommend getting in before this is old news. Find or even START a chapter in your community and start making connections… I know I will. So sign up and add me to your “People” list!
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POSTED IN: Networking, Young Entrepreneurs
2 opinions for The Club Entrepreneur Network
Merlin U Ward
Dec 13, 2007 at 11:45 pm
Jim,
Thank you much for your review of our website! You’ve done an excellent job of pinpointing the needs the Club E Network should be fulfilling for the entrepreneur community.
I would like to clear some misunderstandings. First, our site in BETA. We’ve only been up for 2 months, and we hurried ourselves so we could connect our ever expanding local chapters. With currently near 800 members you can’t say we’re doing too bad. By the way, if you haven’t attended a local Club E event, you should. They’re great!
Second, the site has a ways to go, but will be something truly unique for entrepreneurs and expand beyond a “social networking site.” We have a full WebTV channel with a variety of original Club E shows coming in the new year. We’ll be launching these along with some featured entrepreneur videos from a few other resources.
There is going to be some really exciting stuff coming up so I encourage you to stay tuned in to check it out. Thank you again for your feedback! I appreciate your praise. Please keep us posted on ways you feel we can help you connect with other entrepreneurs.
Oh, and don’t forget to stay active on the network to increase your NVI rating (which by the way is based on your activity on the site, not the number of connections) :)
Merlin U Ward
Club E Network
Jim Gordon
Dec 13, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Thanks a lot for the comment, Merlin! Personal interaction with users is also a big ++ in my book! You guys have done a great job on the site, and it can only get better :) I mean… unless you take it down… or if you ban everyone…
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