ICAEW champions social networking for students
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I've been a journalist for four years, writing on a wide variety of topics from business and finance to travel, culture and celebrities. I began my career as an editorial assistant for Palladian Publications, a B2B publisher specialising in technical magazines for professionals in primary industries. I later moved into consumer magazines as a...
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This sounds like a great initiative and deserves to be a success
Many accounting students will already be familiar with online communities and very active on sites such as facebook and myspace. It makes enormous sense to tap into this world and to engage the students in a dedicated, focused and niche community.
There are some social web gurus who might suggest that there is no need for a distinct community and that much the same thing could be achieved (faster and more effectively) through the features and facilities available on facebook or LinkedIn. There's an element of truth in that view but equally there are communities such as ICAEW students who are likely to be far more comfortable in a dedicated, distinct and direct environment such as the one described above. And this benefits the ICAEW as it enables it to build increased brand loyalty with its students.
There is however one BIG challenge that awaits all those who seek to establish new online communities. The target audience has to have a reason to visit and REMEMBER to do so. As regards the students targeted by this new forum this means that they either need to receive regular prompts about the useful material they can access and how they can help each other - or they need to believe that their exam success will in some way be enhanced by regular visits to the new community site. That's probably less likely.
Has the ICAEW cracked this challenge as regards the new online forum for students? Only time will tell.
What about those who are qualified?
It sounds like a good idea.
When will there be an ICAEW community for those who have qualified?
They exist already Ken
Quite rightly, in my view, they are built around areas of common interest and there's a plan to roll out more and more - in response to demand.
For example: There's a Tax community where we can comment on tax news posts.
Here's a full list of the currently available online communities for ICAEW members (of which the student one referenced in this news story is only the latest). There are also links and guidance on how to join those communities of interest.
I stand corrected
Thanks Mark
Clearly, either I have been asleep during the past few months or else ICAEW don't publicise these too well.
What about clients?
I agree with the comments above but wonder why there seems to be no move by firms to provide social networks for their own client communities. We have recently launched one - at www.pearsonslive.com, and have had some forward-thinking clients sign up already - but as Mark alludes, there is now much work to be done encouraging participation.