Recommending services on GigPark

I was invited to join GigPark by Tanya Davis a few months ago. I am a social media junkie, Tanya is my friend and therefore I figured “what the heck, I’ll give it a try”. So I set up my personal profile on GigPark (quite incomplete I would say, because as I mentioned to the GigPark folks, I find the interface incredibly clunky – I still maintain it’s not very friendly). I still have to set up a business profile (and I guess I’d have to set separate for my academic work, my consulting work in environmental policy and my consulting work in social media – three accounts? phew).

Truth be told, I am pretty sure some people think I’m just annoying and I don’t provide real feedback. So here’s my specific feedback to both GigPark and GigPark users.

GigPark – the interface
I tried to recommend The Network Hub (full disclaimer – my office is located there, hence the reason for the recommendation – I really enjoy having my office space there!) and I hit what in GigPark they called a technical snag. Awesome feedback and very quick, fast and positive response from the folks from GigPark on Twitter (clearly they’re monitoring their social media outlets). You can read our conversation here.

GigPark – the process of recommending

It would be much more useful for me to recommend if there was a database to search from. I know The Network Hub is in the GigPark database, and there is no easy way to go, search/browse and then add the recommendation. So I have to go and type the information directly. Grrrr.

GigPark – the correct use and the (wrong) usage by other entities

I would say that the right way to use GigPark would be to recommend someone whose services you’ve already used (or whose services AT LEAST you know are solid). I know that Tanya recommended MJ Ankenman (a close friend of the both of us, who also happens to be a real estate agent). MJ was the buyer agent for Tanya and did a phenomenal job. Tanya recommended MJ on GigPark and I think that’s the RIGHT way to use it.

I’m going to be very politically correct and not do a screenshot of a company that appears to be recommending its own businesses, but I think that’s the wrong way to use it. Recommending your own businesses doesn’t seem to be very fitting with the purposes of GigPark.

Who gets recommended on GigPark?

I’m in a bit of a conundrum myself with GigPark. Getting recommended for services I’ve provided to my peers? That’s going to be kind of difficult since we are sort of in a relatively similar field. I mean, admittedly I’ve written a few guest posts on several different sites, and I’ve started to write more on TechVibes. I’ve helped some of my friends with some editing work, etc. Seriously though, in the social media community, who would really recommend the kind of stuff I do (in the same space)? I’d say that the social media community could potentially recommend me on the other aspects of my work (my research, policy analytical work, teaching, speaking engagements, etc.)

I would hazard a guess that I might need to email my clients (former and current) and ask them to throw a recommendation on GigPark on the environmental work I’ve done. Same deal for the social media stuff I’ve worked on. I would like that by the time I make that request, the GigPark framework interface becomes friendlier. I’m also excited by the fact that they’ve been acquired by CanPages.

Question to my readers – do you use GigPark and if so, what’s your take on the interface?

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1. Visiting the new home of @netchick and @iamajenius
2. Happy birthday Tanya (@netchick)
3. Happy birthday Tanya Davis! (@netchick)
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