Ever wondered what a Data Warehouse Architect does during a typical day at work? Meet Ulrich, our new colleague from the Product & Engineering department and find out about his first few weeks at XING:

Ulrich, Product & Engineering: The round of introductions on my first day at XING really sticks in my mind. I was shown around the company and introduced to all my new colleagues individually, including the CEO – something I found both unusual and impressive. I’m part of the Product team and as Data Warehouse Manager I devote my time and energy to the operation and design of the platform, upgrading the technical infrastructure, and data analysis. During my interview it emerged that two of my close team colleagues (Felix Menden and Johannes Mainusch) had both worked at my previous employer as well, the “Deutschen Elektronen-Synchrotron” (DESY), an institute for basic research. I wrote my doctoral thesis in Elementary Particle Physics at the DESY, before going on to develop and operate systems that are, at their core, very similar to the system at XING. Before joining the company, I was employed at a telecommunications firm. A headhunter found me on the XING platform and got in contact with me. What I particularly like about my new job is the opportunity to become actively involved in enhancing my department’s performance and the freedom to work creatively. 

XING currently has 32 job openings, from Product to Corporate Development. Take a look at our vacancies here.

Introducing yet another new addition to the XING family. This time round, Elizabeth our market development manager for UK & Ireland, tells us about her first few weeks at XING:

Elizabeth, Market Development: My first weeks at XING were sugar sweet – literally! On my first day my desk was completely covered with sweets and ever since I have been bombarded by cakes - there seems to be a birthday to celebrate every other day.
One of the other things that stood out was everyone’s willingness to speak with me in English; the team is very international and showed great interest in my Australian background. A fellow Aussie had left little Koala’s on the pot plants in our ‘block’ which made me feel at home :). Sweets and Koala’s aside, I am very impressed with the calibre of people I am surrounded with; everyone does their job with passion and positivity. In additional there is a real feeling of camaraderie which is exemplified by the fact that our CEO is sitting in the open office with us.
Before XING, I was working in the digital space in strategy and project management. I have had my eye on XING since I first arrived in Germany and am now very happy to be involved with such a great business. As market development manager for the UK and Ireland, I have the exciting task of working with the other XING departments to grow our member base in these regions. Watch out - here we come!

Would you like to work for us? We're hiring professionals who are passionate about what they do, whether it be market development or programming, and everything in between. Have a look here at our 35 current job listings.

This week, Mireille, our new Online Product Designer, tells us about her first few weeks at XING.

Mireille (Product & Engineering): I just received an email from a friend of mine saying, “You’re working at XING now? It never occured to me that a team of real people actually work there.” To be honest, it came as a surprise to me as well just how many people work here, and I only had a very rough idea of what over 100 employees did exactly. Of course, after four weeks in the job I have a slightly better idea, but am still learning so much on a daily basis. I work as an Online Product Designer and form the interface between Design, Usability and Product Management. It is particularly exciting in this interdisciplinary function to reconcile the broad range of our professional target group’s groups with our international focus. Cultural differences play an important role here. For the last 8 years I’ve worked on a freelance basis for various different agencies and clients. Not a day goes by when I don’t think how right it was to switch over to the company side – and end up working for such a great company. It is brilliant to see everyone working together in unison for the same goals.
Funnily enough, I found my new job through XING Marketplace. I studied Fashion Design – unbelievable to think that there wasn’ta computer in sight in many industries back then. I’m glad I chose to specialise in Multimedia early on, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be at XING now :).

Interested in working at XING? Have a look at our job site – there are currently 36 job openings.

In last week’s interview, Caglar spoke about the development of the Internet in Turkey and the Turkish online market in general. Now read what he has to say about the Dos and Don’ts of doing business in Turkey, Turkish networking habits and the cember.net user base.

1. Is there anything that non-Turkish business people who want to do business in Turkey and make contacts with Turkish business people should keep in mind?

Caglar: We love to help others, so when you contact a Turkish business person, he or she will definitely support as much as possible – this way you can find opportunities you never thought of before. Sincerity is also very important when communicating with Turkish people. Using a friendly approach rather than a formal one would help. Being humble is appreciated in interpersonal communication, so don’t talk big.

2. How would you characterize Turkish networking habits?

Caglar: Turkey is a Mediterranean country, and people are warm blooded. Then again, it is not always easy for Turkish people to set up the initial contact in real life, which is the basis of expanding a personal network. I think that’s why cember.net has been so successful in Turkey: It’s easier to take the first step online, and as Internet penetration increases and online habits mature, people benefit more and more from online networking.

3. What benefits can XING bring to cember.net users?

Caglar: The main benefit will be to give cember.net users the opportunity to network on a worldwide scale. Turkey's geographical position facilitates it to act as the bond between the western and eastern worlds. XING will be an excellent starting point for cember.net users by allowing them to tap into the potential of doing business between these two worlds. In addition, XING frequently designs new and advanced features, which will certainly benefit cember.net users.

This week it’s Johannes, our new Manager Business Intelligence:

Johannes (Product & Engineering): Before starting at XING six weeks ago, I was working as a consultant in the field of Business Intelligence – at a management consultancy firm. Although it was actually Sociology I studied at university, which is where I first became interested in analyzing social networks. This was a major factor involved in my decision to apply for the open position at XING. I was ideally looking for a job that unites both Business Intelligence and Social Networking – and now I’ve found one that really fits the bill exactly! In my eyes, XING is the top address when it comes to networks, and I’m really pleased to have been accepted for the position. What is it I particularly like about my new job? I enjoy the fact that I’m a part of something that is continuously evolving and being enhanced into something new. That’s so much more interesting than working, say, in the BI department at a company based around systems that haven’t changed for the past 20 years. I’m also glad that I was fully integrated into the team from day 1, rather than treated like an intern. I’m an outsider in one sense though: The only “Werder Bremen” fan in a team otherwise full of “HSV” fans! This hasn’t stopped me joining the XING football team though; the first training session is next week.

XING is currently offering 32 jobs, from Product to Corporate Development. Have a look at our job offerings here.

Last month, when we got the chance to meet Caglar and Nihan from cember.net in Hamburg, they filled us in a bit on the Turkish market. Now in the first part of the openBLOG interview, Caglar describes the historical development of the Internet in Turkey and the Turkish online market in general.

1. Turkey is the fastest growing economy in Europe – what role does the Internet play in the country's economy?

Caglar: Back in 1995, when I was working at one of the first Internet companies in Turkey, I remember that our clients could not get connection speeds faster than 10 bps (not kbps!). I had to tell customers to be patient and wait for a simple text page to load. As a result, not many people were really interested in this “slow and painful” connection back then.

Since then, the Internet has come a long way. Today Turkish internet users are enjoying connection speeds of a few megabits per second, thanks to ADSL and the recent introduction of fiber services. According to the Turkey Internet Report 2007 (only in Turkish) conducted by Beykent University in Istanbul, the number of internet users in Turkey now exceeds 16 million. This of course makes the Internet an important medium for simply everything, from doing business to education to socializing.

A lot of businesses have already adapted, starting to use email in the late 1990’s. By 2000, companies started learning to use the Internet for expanding their businesses as well. There have been announcements in the media that the new Turkish Trade Law will require all companies to have a website. If this happens, even the most traditional businesses will be drawn into the online sector.

ReadWriteWeb’s Emre Sokullu, in his great blog entry “What is it about Turkey” states correctly that the number of young people in Turkey exceeds even that of the most populated countries in Europe, and also that Turkish people have very social characteristics. This is why world’s leading social networking sites and applications have been very successful here.

There is also a significant effort on the e-government side: According to the Global e-Government Report 2007 conducted by Brown University, Turkey’s government websites were ranked 8th out of 198 countries worldwide. With this ranking, Turkey surpassed a lot of EU countries, including Germany and Ireland.

2. How is the Turkish online market currently developing?

Caglar: When Turkish Telecom started providing ADSL service a few years ago, the number of Internet users increased dramatically. This of course affected online business as a whole: Services that require higher bandwidth have been launched, people started shopping, recruiting, ordering, and paying taxes online. And it's not only the younger generation: My mother is a retired teacher, and she checks her emails every day, pays the bills online using the bank’s payment system, and IMs with me and my sister. A lot of companies, both local and foreign, are seeing a big opportunity in Turkey and new investments in this market. The online advertising budgets are increasing rapidly as well.

Read part 2 of the interview next week, when Caglar will tell us more about the cember.net user base, Turkish networking habits and the Dos and Don’ts of doing business in Turkey.

Lutz Emmerich recently started working as the XING Country Manager for Spain, and is responsible for heading the XING team in Barcelona. Not one to start slowly, Lutz has already assisted in the migration of Neurona members to the XING platform. In our interview Lutz, who has lived in Spain for over eight years, talks about the potential of the Spanish market, why XING meshes so well with the Spanish networking culture, and how he used XING to read up on his new coworkers.

1. You've been working in online marketing for the last 12 years, and have lived in Spain for eight of those. What is this market like in comparison with other European countries?

In comparison with other European countries, Spain is still a very young market. In 2006, only 40% of the Spanish population was online; in Germany the figure was nearly 60%. This means that there's a terrific growth potential in Spain, such as in the e-commerce segment: More and more Spanish Internet users regularly shop online, and are increasingly using the Internet for daily tasks. This also includes making business contacts online, and expanding their professional and private networks via Internet networking.

2. In your opinion, which advantages of the XING network do you think will be particularly important for Spanish professionals?

Spanish professionals place a great deal of value on professional networking, and that's exactly what XING offers. Getting advice and sharing experiences with professionals from around the world in groups and forums is part of this. Already there are over 400 groups on XING in which Spanish is spoken! Plus all the offline events - last year in Spain alone there were nearly 500 events organized over XING. I don't know of any other network that caters to the traditional Spanish networking culture with such a range of comprehensive and well-designed features. Finally, for many members, XING serves as a bridge from Europe to North and South America. The platform is not only available in Spanish, but in 15 other languages as well, making it perfect for interacting with users in other countries.

3.  You mentioned the traditional Spanish networking culture: how are you planning to incorporate this culture into the online world?

We'll communicate the practical benefits of XING as a daily tool for business to Spanish professionals in all industries, and help them discover the range of services and features contained in the platform. We'll be assisted in this by the fact that XING actively supports the connection between offline and online networking – many XING groups meet in person, and conversely many 'real life' events are organized online via the platform. 

4. What attracted you to XING and your new job here?

I've known XING for years now, and from day one was interested in the technical capabilities of the platform and the professional gains it brings to users. For example, before I joined the team, I used the platform to find out more about my future coworkers ;-). When I met the people behind XING in person, I was impressed by their professionalism and their fascination for innovation. This attitude really gets me motivated.

Desde hace poco, Lutz Emmerich es country manager de XING en España. Dirige el equipo español de XING en Barcelona y recientemente ha intervenido en la migración de los usuarios de Neurona. Lutz lleva más de ocho años viviendo en España y, en esta entrevista, nos habla del potencial que ve en el mercado español. También nos explica por qué considera que XING encaja perfectamente en la cultura de networking que existe en España.
¡Bienvenido a XING!

1. Llevas unos doce años trabajando en el área del marketing online y viviendo 8 años en España. ¿Qué ofrece este mercado frente a otros mercados europeos?

En comparación con otros países europeos, España es un mercado bastante virgen. En el año 2006, sólo un 40% de los españoles se conectaba a Internet, mientras que en Alemania ya era casi un 60%. Por eso, España tiene un potencial muy grande, por ejemplo, en el campo del comercio electrónico: cada vez son más los internautas españoles que hacen compras por Internet y usan este medio en su rutina diaria. De la misma manera, cada vez se establecen más relaciones profesionales por Internet y se recurre a esta herramienta para multiplicar los contactos profesionales y privados.

2. De las ventajas que ofrece la red profesional XING en todo el mundo, ¿cuáles crees que van a tener mejor acogida en España?

Al español le atrae el networking, sobre todo, en el ámbito profesional; y eso es precisamente lo que ofrece XING. Uno de los aspectos más interesantes es la posibilidad de intercambiar opiniones y experiencias con profesionales de todo el mundo a través de los foros que hay en los grupos de debate. Hemos de tener en cuenta que existen más de 400 grupos hispano-hablantes en XING. Tampoco podemos olvidarnos de los eventos de networking que se organizan a través de XING. Sólo el año pasado se celebraron casi 500 en España. No conozco ninguna red social que responda a las necesidades de la cultura de networking española como lo hace XING. Al mismo tiempo, XING establece un vínculo importante entre Europa y América (norte y sur): la plataforma se puede usar tanto en español como en cualquiera de los 16 idiomas en los que está disponible la plataforma.

3. Ya que mencionas la “cultura de networking” española, ¿cómo se puede trasladar a Internet la cultura de relacionarse con otros profesionales?

Vamos a presentar a los profesionales españoles de todos los sectores las funciones y ventajas de XING como herramienta profesional de uso diario. Una de nuestras ventajas radica en que XING apuesta claramente por la estrategia de unificar el networking por Internet con el networking en directo: muchos grupos de XING se reúnen en eventos reales que se organizan online.

4.  ¿Qué es lo que te resulta más atractivo de tu nuevo desafío en XING?

Conozco XING desde hace años y desde el principio me impresionó la madurez técnica de la plataforma, al igual que su gran utilidad práctica: por ejemplo, usé XING para informarme sobre mis futuros compañeros de trabajo ;o) Cuando conocí al equipo y las personas que están detrás de XING, me gustó, sobre todo, su profesionalidad y su gran espíritu innovador. Esta mentalidad es una de las cosas que más me motivan.

This week it's Andreas from the finance department:

Andreas (Finance): After just two days at XING I was given the chance to take part in a training seminar on “Advances in Tax Accounts and Auditing”, so my newcomer status meant that I gained new knowledge at the same time. I have now been at XING for three weeks and would describe the atmosphere as being both lively and face-paced. Work processes are characterized by one thing above all else: speed. The lack of hierarchies means that time-consuming feedback loops are avoided. I have really noticed this, as the companies I previously worked in were much more hierarchically structured and colleagues generally addressed each other more formally. This is not the case at XING. The entire team is very open and friendly, and there’s always someone you can talk to as a newcomer. In the Finance department, I particularly like the fact that each person has different areas of expertise and skills, and that everyone complements one another. I’m taking care of the basics of daily business at the moment, before starting on the end-of-quarter accounts at a later stage. I’m interested to find out what future responsibilities lie ahead for me!

XING is currently looking for committed employees for most departments, from Engineering to Marketing. Click here for the current job listings.

Introducing yet another new addition to the XING family. This time round, Christopher looks back on his XING story so far:   

Christopher (Engineering): I started at XING as Junior Manager Engineering two months ago and when I look back on my first week in the job it feels as though it was the steepest learning curve I’ve ever experienced! I have never been confronted with so many new terms in such a short time, had to take in so much new information and meet so many new faces. I was really impressed by just how qualified and skilled my colleagues are. It’s amazing just how good my team is. And I don’t get treated like the baby although I’m the youngest by far – they always take my suggestions and ideas as seriously as anyone else. We all work together: My superior sits two desks away from me and their superior sits another four desks along – which makes for a pleasant and communicative atmosphere within the team. We’re all friends with each other too and often stay a little longer in the evenings to play a round of table football together. XING is a diverse and cool place to work, and I think its really fitting that the office is located in a city like Hamburg. There are so many different characters working here under the same roof who all get on with one another despite these differences. I couldn’t imagine XING being based in Munich...

Are you looking for a job and think you might make a valuable addition to the XING team? If so, be sure to check out our current job vacancies here.

Happy Birthday Kristina! Today we have the pleasure of introducing a new colleague on her birthday. We asked her how she's enjoying her new job and how her first day at XING has turned out: 

Kristina (Assistant to the Executive Board): Even before I started on my first day I’d already had the opportunity to get to know all my new colleagues at the office christmas party – I thought it was a great idea and it has really made my start at XING much easier. I have been particularly impressed by the relaxed atmosphere in the office and the thoughtful way in which people treat one another. Everyone is very friendly and open, so I haven’t had any problems asking questions whenever I wasn’t sure about anything. My new colleagues come from such a wide range of different backgrounds and have a wealth of different experiences. In the past I have worked in sales and the hotel industry, and now I am able to put some of these international experiences to good use in my new job. I have been a member of XING for a long time and am also an active member in several different XING groups. I have made useful contacts over the years and managed to generate one or two business opportunities for my former employer through my network.

If you are interested in working for XING please have a look at our job vacancies -  we are currently looking for 27 new colleagues.

The XING team seems to be getting bigger every week, and in the spirit of open communication, we want to keep introducing new colleagues to you via openBLOG.

Jörn (Market Development): "My background is in finance, and up till now I've always been one of the youngest employees wherever I've worked. When I started at XING, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I'm right in the middle: 32 is the median age of the team! The advantages of a young team became clear right away: The atmosphere at XING is natural and uncomplicated, and there's no focus on status among my coworkers. I applied to work at XING because I've always enjoyed working in an international context, and as Manager Market Development, I can do just that. My first big project sent me to Turkey, and let me know just how much responsibility XING gives its new employees from day one. You're right in the middle of things, and that was very motivating for me."

Would you like to work for us? We're hiring professionals who are passionate about what they do, whether it be programming or marketing, and everything in between. Have a look here to see our current job listings.

We just keep on growing - every month, we welcome new coworkers to the XING team. It's time to introduce another new colleague and to ask him about his first days at XING, and how he enjoys his new job.

Horacio (Member Relations): "I was born in Argentina, and since then have lived all over the world, have come into contact with lots of different cities, people, and cultures. The XING platform really helps me keep in touch with my contacts. I became a XING member long before I started working here, so I can identify with the "product" completely. I studied International Relations, and am now responsible for supporting the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities, which fits with my qualifications. From my very first day in the office, I heard my mother tongue spoken--from the lips of my dear colleague Joaquín. Right after that I saw another coworker drinking an Argentinian Mate—he turned out to be a great fan of my country (Viva Sönke Martens!). It was then I knew I felt at home in the Company.  I noticed two things in particular about XING: how committed the employees, and how quickly ideas are implemented. Everyone in the team wants the best, everyone is looking towards the future. That's my motto, too! No one just does his job. That impressed me about XING, as did the tempo of the place. A feature is planned, and the next week it's already on the platform."

XING is currently looking for committed employees for most departments, from Engineering to Marketing. Click here for the current job listings.

The XING team just keeps on growing and growing. There are now over 100 of us, and at last count we have a total of 21 different nationalities all working under one roof. The past few weeks have seen a fresh wave of new employees start at XING. We caught up with them and asked: How have the first few weeks been, and what do you like best about your new place of work?

Daniel (Member Relations): I’ve been really impressed by the overall work culture in the XING office. I received a very warm welcome from everyone, and they have all taken the time to help me out in the first few weeks whenever I had any questions. It’s not tough being the “new boy” at XING at all … I feel right at home in my team as well: I’m enjoying the direct contact with members and get great satisfaction from being able to help members with user-related issues.

Joaquín (Translation - Localization - Copywriting): Before starting I spent several years doing a similar job on a freelance basis from home. Lots of my friends were jealous of how I had the freedom to plan my daily work routine to suit me. But to be perfectly honest: Since I started at XING, I’ve found it much more exciting and rewarding to be in the midst of the action, as it were. I like the interaction with such a wide range of different people from different departments. And now I’ve found an apartment in Hamburg I couldn’t ask for anything more ...:)

Maren (Human Resources): I was made to feel at home right away. Life in the office is never boring with the diverse range of responsibilities I’ve been given. My coworkers all come from different countries and cultures as well, which provides another interesting dimension to my job. It was great to find from the very first day onwards just how friendly and relaxed the atmosphere in the office is – there is a real team morale.

We’ll be interviewing more new XING employees on openBLOG over the coming months. If you’re interested in working for XING as well, you can check out our list of job vacancies here.

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With the outstanding economic growth of China, more and more foreign companies are deciding to do business in China. Various XING groups discuss the chances and challenges, for example “The Greater China Desk” with over 4,800 members. We asked our Chinese country manager Dr. Xinyu Song for his advice to foreign companies wishing to start doing business in China. Dr. Song lived in Germany for 16 years, built up Roland Berger in China and has consulted many German and other foreign companies during their market entry in China. Read the top five “Do’s” culled from the experience of an expert, and learn what helped XING China to become successful.

Dr. Xinyu Song, XING Country Manager China:

1. See with your own eyes.
The first important step for an entrepreneur is to come to China in person, to get a feeling for what is going on here. Lars has been to China several times before we met.

2. Find the right partner.
Finding a Chinese partner whom you trust will save you a lot of mistakes and money. In our case, it was me who found Lars: I read an article on XING in the Handelsblatt and contacted the office in Hamburg because I was interested in starting a network for my clients. Lars invited me to Hamburg to talk about working together, and convinced me to start a joint venture with him.

Test run
Try to get to know  as many Chinese people as possible and make your decision after careful evaluation. Do not let time pressure influence your decision. Ideally you should first try a smaller venture with your potential partner, and if both parties trust each other, you can then expand the business.

References
References are very important – when looking for a partner, look at what the person has done before and how successful these ventures were. Find out as much as possible about your potential partner’s background. Lars and I did not need to convince each other: We had a lot of common friends, Lars knew a lot of people I worked with and vice versa.

Service company for legal requirements
To register your business, use a service company. They will take care of all legal requirements, saving you a lot of time and money.

3. Find good personnel.
To find – and to keep – good people is probably the biggest challenge. China is a very dynamic market and good people have a lot of opportunities.

4. Send your best people.
When you send a general manager from headquarters to China, always send your best. A foreign manager that comes to work in China has to be a fighter, very energetic and communicative. Many companies make the mistake of sending a manager to China for his last assignment before retirement.

5. Think in the long-term.
A plan to come to China, stay for a short time, make quick profits and then leave will simply not work. A good example for the importance of long-term strategic thinking is Bosch/Siemens: A couple of years ago, the American company Whirlpool was leading foreign producer of white goods in China. Bosch/Siemens entered the market later, and at the beginning they were struggling. But they stayed and followed a long-term strategy, while Whirlpool stopped all business in China when the situation started to get more difficult for them. Now Bosch/Siemens is the leading foreign brand for white goods in China. If you have a good product and the ability to change, success is only a question of time. 

One thing comes to my mind when I speak about foreign companies in China: A couple of years ago, when I was with Roland Berger, we did a survey on European investors in China. One question was if they would reinvest and come to China again if they had to make the same decision again. Almost every company answered: Yes.

from left: Albert Armengol, Toni Salvatella and Horaci Cuevas

Albert, Toni and Horci from eConozco gladly took up our invitation to visit us in Hamburg, get to know the people behind XING and to get to know every part of the company. I took the chance to grab the friendly, busy trio for a short interview about how to crack the Spanish market, the secret to eConozco’s success and why XING and eConozco make the perfect match.

Social networking depends on the people. Would you say that in terms of culture it’s an absolutely Spanish thing?
Toni: Really it is a worldwide thing: In most cultures, networking is really a way of life, while in others it is just a professional catalyst. In Spain, it is used to build your career, usually if you are professional with a medium and high profile. Business schools and entrepreneur groups are the first social networking players and it’s easy to move them in an online platform after all.

How has the Spanish online market grown since 2003?
Toni:  The last four years has witnessed a great revolution on the Internet, which is related to both sites and people. Now we can find that a lot of new initiatives crystallizing under the Web2.0 concept, but really it is a natural evolution. After the Internet fright of 2001-2002, the Internet is maturing in leaps and bounds. In Spain the same thing happened on a small scale. Currently, the major revolution comes from users not from companies. This is what happens when you transform a push market with a pull market – each time, users demand more online services and less traditional offers.
Horaci: The Spanish online market has a medium Internet usage in European terms. I think Spain is ranked 14th when it comes to Internet usage and in fact it has a low penetration in comparison with top countries. In general, this means a great deal of potential basically because we are able to growth faster than others countries. Finally regarding the time lapse, (associated with time to start an innovation and develop technology). Spain is reducing this gap between the top countries such as USA, UK, Germany and France from 3-4 years to 1-2 years.

How did social networking for business professionals develop in Spain?
Toni: At the beginning it was an innovator market: plenty of geeks, bloggers and early adaptors of technology. We started educating people in Spain and after some media press and journalists news the markets started to growth by itself. The markets started with local focus but now it’s expanding to international sites. The barriers are low and a lot of people know the phenomenon of social networking and its benefits. In fact, almost all Internet users have their own profile online. There are two key aspects: On the one hand, it’s a collective more than individual movement. This means that you need to attract a prescription figure or an opinion leader and then all their mates follow them. You need to concentrate your efforts on all these people who have the potential to become heavy users of the platform. On the other hand, it’s more useful to have more people density in your local area/city than to have many potential users spread around the globe.

The world is becoming flat and local businesses are now increasingly experiencing aspects of globalization as well. Is the working and business environment changing in Spain?
Albert: Definitely! The way people work is changing, and the old ways of doing business are becoming outdated really fast. New opportunities arise everywhere, and it's important to be fast to beat your competition. Spain is a country that had a cheap workforce in the past, but now there are better places for that, and companies are taking advantage of it. Apart from that, many people from around Europe, especially young professionals, are relocating to Spanish cities, and working worldwide from there while they take advantage of the Spanish way of life :)

Horaci: Spain has always had strong cultural and business relations with Latin America, and Spain is the bridge to Europe for Latin American professionals. There is great communication between both groups of professionals on eConozco, and they take great advantage of the possibilities that Internet networking platforms give to them – something that was unimaginable less than a decade ago.

“Small but flexible” – Is this the philosophy behind what has made eConozco successful?
Toni: Yes, but in terms of surviving long-term projects. In Spain, it’s hard to raise capital. If you don’t have enough funds or a partnership with a big group, you should keep your team small: the method of taking on into less risks and entering fast into new markets or trends. The smaller you are, the faster you can go in.

Horaci: We’ve tried to keep eConozco simple and focused on it’s core use: letting our users contact in a professional context. Without a lot of resources, you should compete making the most out of your skills, and then a little but talented team can make the difference.

How did you manage to keep your clear focus on business professionals?
Albert: The features and design are important, and so are the messages you transmit. The feeling that the website transmits is important to define who may be interested and more importantly, who is not interested in a professionally oriented social network. And, of course, the people. It's all about the people, isn't it? ;) If you perform a search and find highly-skilled professionals in your town, with great profiles and years of experience, then you stick to the site.

The XING brand is very powerful because our members actively use the platform as an effective tool, recommend it to their peer group and encourage us to keep on pursuing the path of innovation. What makes eConozco members special?
Albert: eConozco members are proactively finding new people or reconnecting with old colleagues, and they really like it, recommending the site to their current colleagues and friends far more than for curiosity’s sake, but explaining to them the potential of an online business networking tool. Trust is what makes a professional online network succeed, and we were surprised when reading stories about people calling their friends by phone and explaining the benefits of joining the network, how it worked for them, etc.

Is this the reason why XING and eConozco make a perfect match?
Albert: Sure! Both sites are perceived as really professionally oriented, and are used for real business purposes, and that makes a difference in the Internet social networking space.

Toni: There is also another aspect to understanding the match. We share a vision with XING – networking is more than a recruiting tool.

Horaci: And we both have green logos now too!

Thank you very much.

Albert, Toni y Horaci

¿ Las redes sociales dependen de las personas ¿crees que como fenómeno cultural se trata de algo específicamente español?
Toni: En realidad, es un fenómeno global: en la mayoría de las culturas, las redes sociales son parte de la vida diaria, en tanto que en otras son simplemente catalizadores profesionales. En España, se suelen utilizar para forjarse una carrera, sobre todo si uno es un profesional de perfil medio o alto. Las escuelas de negocios y los grupos de empresarios juegan un papel primordial en estas redes sociales y no resulta difícil que formen parte de una plataforma online.

¿Cuál ha sido el crecimiento del mercado online español desde 2003?
Toni: En los últimos cuatro años se ha experimentado una auténtica revolución en Internet, relacionada tanto con las personas como con los sitios Web. Ahora podemos ver que muchas iniciativas cristalizan bajo el concepto de Web 2.0, pero se trata de una evolución natural. Después de la “crisis” de 2001-2002, Internet ha madurado a un ritmo veloz. Esto ha sucedido también en España, en menor escala. Actualmente, la verdadera revolución se está dando en los usuarios y no en las empresas. Esto suele pasar cuando se transforma un mercado “push” en un mercado “pull”: los usuarios demandan cada vez más servicios online y menos ofertas tradicionales.

Horaci: El uso de Internet en el mercado online español se sitúa en la zona media en términos europeos. Creo que España está en el puesto decimocuarto en cuanto a uso de Internet y, de hecho, tiene un índice bajo si se le compara con los países de mayor uso. En general, esto significa un enorme potencial porque podemos crecer más rápidamente que otros países. Finalmente, con relación al “time lapse” (asociado con el tiempo que requiere el desarrollo de tecnología y la puesta en marcha de una innovación). España está reduciendo la brecha con respecto a países líderes como EE.UU., Reino Unido, Alemania y Francia, de 3-4 años a 1-2 años.

¿Cómo se han desarrollado las redes sociales para los profesionales de la empresa en España?
Toni: Al principio era un mercado innovador: muchos “geeks”, blogueros y gente que adoptaba la tecnología con rapidez. Empezamos haciendo algo de pedagogía y después de algunas notas de prensa y noticias en los medios, el mercado comenzó a crecer por sí solo. Los mercados empezaron con un enfoque local, pero ahora se están expandiendo al ámbito internacional. Los obstáculos son mínimos, y el fenómeno de las redes sociales y sus ventajas son ya de dominio público. De hecho, casi todos los usuarios de Internet tienen su propio perfil en la red. Existen dos factores clave: Por un lado, se trata de un movimiento colectivo y no solamente individual. Esto significa que para atraer a un grupo de personas, es necesario atraer primero a un líder de opinión o a una figura de peso.  Hay que centrar los esfuerzos en todas esas personas que tienen el potencial de convertirse en usuarios avanzados de la plataforma. Por otro lado, resulta más útil tener una mayor densidad de población en la ciudad o área local que tener muchos usuarios potenciales dispersos en todo el planeta.

El mundo se hace cada vez más pequeño y ahora muchas empresas locales deben asumir y afrontar también los aspectos de la globalización ¿está cambiando el entorno empresarial y laboral en España?

Albert: Sin duda. La forma de trabajar está cambiando y el modo tradicional de hacer negocios parece cada vez más anticuado. Surgen nuevas oportunidades en todos los lugares y la rapidez resulta esencial para competir. En el pasado, España era un país con mano de obra barata, pero ahora ésta se puede conseguir mejor en otros lugares y las empresas lo saben. Aparte de esto, muchas personas de toda Europa, especialmente los jóvenes profesionales, están mudándose a ciudades españolas. Desde aquí, pueden trabajar a nivel global y, al mismo tiempo, disfrutar de la forma de vida española :)

Horaci: España siempre ha tenido una relación cultural y empresarial muy estrecha con Latinoamérica, y es el puente hacia Europa para los profesionales latinoamericanos. En eConozco, hay una amplia comunicación entre ambos grupos de profesionales. Consiguen grandes ventajas de las posibilidades que brindan las plataformas de redes sociales de Internet, algo que hace una década era inimaginable.

“Pequeño, pero flexible” ¿es ésta la filosofía que respalda el éxito de eConozco?
Toni: Así es, pero con el objetivo de afrontar proyectos a largo plazo. En España, no es fácil reunir capital. Si no tienes suficientes fondos ni estás asociado con un gran grupo, es necesario mantener un equipo pequeño: es el método para asumir menores riesgos y entrar con rapidez en nuevos mercados o tendencias. Cuanto más pequeño se es, más rápido puede uno moverse.

Horaci: Hemos tratado de mantener eConozco centrado en su uso principal: permitir a nuestros usuarios establecer contactos en un contexto profesional. Si no dispones de grandes recursos, debes competir utilizando al máximo tus capacidades; aquí, un equipo pequeño, pero de alta cualificación, puede crear la diferencia.

¿Cómo han hecho para mantener como mercado objetivo a los profesionales de la empresa?
Albert: Las funciones y el diseño son factores importantes, y también el mensaje que se transmite. La imagen y la orientación del sitio web resultan esenciales para definir qué público puede estar interesado en una red social profesional y, sobre todo, qué público no lo está. Y también, por supuesto, las personas. Todo tiene que ver con las personas ¿no es así? ;) Si haces una búsqueda y encuentras profesionales altamente cualificados en tu ciudad, con excelentes perfiles y años de experiencia, quiere decir que el sitio te conviene.

La marca XING tiene una gran fuerza porque sus usuarios usan la plataforma como una herramienta eficaz, la recomiendan a sus compañeros de trabajo y amigos, y fomenta la innovación continua. ¿Qué es lo que hace especiales a los miembros de eConozco?
Albert: Los miembros de eConozco buscan de forma activa nuevos contactos o vuelven a conectar con antiguos compañeros. Les gusta la plataforma y la recomiendan a sus colegas de trabajo y amigos no sólo por curiosidad, sino explicándoles el potencial de una herramienta online de redes empresariales. La confianza es la clave del éxito de una red profesional y aún nos sorprende escuchar historias sobre usuarios que llaman a sus amigos y les explican las ventajas de unirse a esta red, cómo han logrado cosechar éxitos a través de ella, etc.

¿Crees que es la razón por la cual XING y eConozco hacen una pareja perfecta?
Albert: Así es. Ambos sitios tienen una clara orientación profesional y se utilizan para hacer negocios en el mundo real. Eso hace la diferencia dentro del ámbito de las redes sociales de Internet.

Toni: Hay otro aspecto que refuerza esta unión. Compartimos la misma visión que XING: una red social es mucho más que una herramienta de selección de personal.

Horaci: ¡Y ambos tenemos logotipos de color verde!

Muchas gracias.

I am currently in the States on a Press and Analyst-Tour. Lots of interviews today and tomorrow in New York and the first  interview with Gregg Greenberg is already "on air".

Lars in interview with Technology Review [german].

XING-Gründer Lars Hinrichs über den Unterschied zwischen Web 2.0 und New Economy, die Bedeutung Chinas für sein Geschäft und neue Features, mit denen sich XING gegen die stärker werdende Konkurrenz behaupten will.

On Saturday morning a report about openBC/XING was broadcasted on ZDF. The filming was exciting. It´s a kind of weird, you never know what the camera exactly is focussing on next...but all desks have been cleaned up and hairs been brushed.

[click image] [more here]

Source WSJ.com

Pundits Discuss the Internet's Future
May 5, 2006

In the past 10 years the Internet has emerged as a global network that enables instant communications and borderless commerce. The popularity of blogs and the roll out of high-speed wireless connections have already begun to reshape the Web, but what will the Internet look like a decade from now? The Wall Street Journal Online invited Web pioneer Vint Cerf and tech pundit Esther Dyson to discuss what they expect in the next 10 years. Mr. Cerf envisions an interplanetary network, while Ms. Dyson ponders a loss of privacy and an information glut. Their conversation, carried out by email, is below. [click article]

At the time of release, this  article could be viewed without registration or subscription. Contact me, if WSJ changed it.

Blogtalk-Marathon in less than 4 hours - I am really  sorry but this blogtalk is in German. Since it would take a hell of work to translate what I´ve said in interview with Achim, aka "Weltherrscher", I rather keep it as it is.

For everyone not speaking German at all, I don´t wont to keep you in the dark about what we´ve  discussed for about 3 hours. Topics have been so far:

• working mum - boone or bane?
• social software and networking
• advantage and disadvantage of megatainment in Berlins´ bathrooms
• state and future of the bloggersphere
• why openBC is happy to have openblog
• and what would have happened if former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder would have started to blog ("Dearest Doris")...

Today is bank holiday in Germany and I had some time to browse here and there on the Internet, and made what a surprise a quick pit stop at openblog archive. Whilst rereading this article I had a mini epihany: Why not answer the questions of this businessweek article from openBCs´perspective? There´s a chance that some of you want to know how openBC broke through. :)

So I took my chance to grab a relaxed Lars and interview him for you. I´ll blog his answers over the next few days to make it easier to read. Stay tuned!

How openBC Broke Through
openBC has almost reached the grand old age of two and a half, and has firmly established itself amongst the big boys in the professional networking world, with over a million active users and counting. Like its US-based siblings, its target group is broad, encompassing professionals of all ages and industries.

openBC’s business model is also based on a subscription service and firmly refuses to yield to advertising offers, despite advertisers being keen to tap in to the site’s high-potential user group. openBC is catching up fast, outstripping its competitors in terms of both growth rate and profitability.

Q: Why is social networking taking off right now?
Lars: There are an ever-growing number of people around the world who recognise the potential for connecting, exchanging and doing business with others over the net. Technology is enhancing by the day, enabling ever more ways to interact and stay connected online. And there are an increasing number of online users willing to pay for the added benefits provided by this social software. Online dating companies paved the way for this trend, proving the demand for digital service providers that bring people together. Relationships at work are changing and networks are becoming more important by the day, enabling professionals to manage and meet these new challenges.

Q: Are you folks making money?
Lars: We’ve been cash-flow positive since month 3 and have been earning money since day 1. We’ve taken care to learn from the lessons of the new economy. We made our business model clear to users from the start. We also observed how job advertising on many other networks had not really worked. Our business model has proved successful and other providers have since followed suit, charging users a fee to be able to contact other users.

Q: So you won’t be raising more money?
Lars: We were already net profitable before we received venture capital last year and are continuing to expand internationally on a daily basis, with acquisitions being made such as First Tuesday Zurich.

to be continued...