Oslo: Industries such as shipping will soon have dedicated social networks, says the founder of a new site, Shippingcluster.
Eirik Fosse is the ceo of the company. He tells Maritime CEO, “In the near future we expect to see all industries having industry dedicated social networks. The one size fits all concept is being challenged by specialized networks tailored to industry specific needs, without all the unrelated noise.”
Shippingcluster focuses on an industry vertical, creating what Fosse claims is an efficient and clutter free industry network.
“Today the industry is too dependent on Google free-text search to find companies and services, which is not very efficient,” Fosse says.
When questioned about the site’s relevance when compared to giants such as LinkedIn, Fosse is well prepared.
“LinkedIn is a cross industry network, meaning it does not offer any industry specific structure nor functionality,” he points out.
Shippingcluster has started with the people and company profiles to create a global industry network, and it continues to add new industry apps as the network grows.
“The long-term vision is a global industry arena, for everyone to enjoy, a true online industry cluster, connecting all the industry players,” Fosse says.
The maritime shipping industry is highly fragmented with a high number of small companies, relating to one another in a truly international network, regardless of company size, Fosse observes.
“It is a genuine people business where personal relationships play a central role in the business dynamics, quite similar to the typical interaction patterns seen in social networks,” he notes.
People in shipping are geographically diverse and need stronger ties to each other to share much needed information and communicate relevant topics, says the ceo.
Shipping has always been very network-driven – the rolodex of contacts. For the next generation of professionals, this rolodex is in social media, Fosse reckons.
Shippingcluster is by invitation only, to keep out the spammers. To join one needs to be invited by any existing member, or go to www.shippingcluster.com and ask for an invitation.
