FohBoh is a new social network that’s been launched for the business individuals involved in the restaurant industry. If you’re involved with this sector, you’ll recognize FoBoh as standing for Front of the House and Back of the House, which refers to the two main employee types that work in a restaurant. That right there should give you an idea of what this network is all about–it’s very much focused on the business end of the restaurant industry. FohBoh is targeting vendors, owners, attorneys, architects, investors, chefs, wait staff, etc.
Now, I like the look and feel of FohBoh so far, and more importantly, I like FohBoh’s concept. But I don’t think it’s quite working on the site just yet. Reading through FohBoh’s mission statement, it’s pretty clear tat from a theoretical level the creators of this network understand the importance of a niche network, the power of online resources, and the potential of self-promotion in a networking environment. I just don’t see these theories being played out on the site.
FohBoh, which looks like it’s built on Ning, should be a resourceful tool for its users, and even site visitors, meaning the information should be organized, ranked, and highly searchable. I’d expect some editorial content from authorities in the field, with this content being labeled and pushed as such. Right now I can’t tell a knowledgeable blog entry from a fluff post, or a personal story from a list of helpful hints regarding the industry. Filters would help a lot to this end. The profiles also don’t appear to have the layout that would be best utilized for business promotion, but all the networking tools are there–photo-sharing, video-posting, comments, activity updates, etc.
There are a lot of business social networks popping up; some, like Upspring, with hopes of helping all business take more control of their online presence, and others, like Bank of America, with hopes of gaining some inside market research while promoting their own tools. FohBoh leans towards the former of these business network types, but so far its Groups section is the only useful aspect of the site that moves FohBoh closer to its goals.
[via 901am]
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