Exhausted but excited with the outcome of HostingCon 2008, the iNET team arrived back in the office after trekking back to Cincinnati from Chicago. Interjuncture, the original producers of HostingCon, managed this year’s event very well. During the close of HostingCon 2008, Interjuncture’s CEO, George Roberts, and our President and CEO, Troy Augustine, performed a ceremonious signing of the closing documents. As of July 31, iNET Interactive became the proud owners of HostingCon!

During HostingCon, the iNET event team (including newly hired and event veterans, Bev and Stephanie) went to work gathering feedback from all attendees about exhibiting, speaking and general event activities. Surveys were handed out at each conference session to better understand speaker and speaking topic preferences while another survey was delivered to each exhibitor. Post-show, iNET sent out an email to all attendees (including exhibitors and speakers) asking for their help in completing a HostingCon 2008 online survey to gather further feedback. Although HostingCon 2009 scheduled for Washington D.C., August 10 - 12, 2009, is a year away, the iNET event team has already started the planning and preparation process.

The flurry of announcements about the HostingCon acquisition and the location for HostingCon 2009 generated outstanding press coverage for iNET. Here are some of the many press reports:

TheWHIR - Interview with Troy Augustine

TheWHIR.TV - Video Interview with Troy

TheWHIR - HostingCon acquired by iNET

Talkhosting.net - “Hostingcon acquired by iNET Interactive”

Dawhb.com - Hosting acquired by iNET

Gawkwire.com - iNET Interactive acquires Hostingcon

Networkworld.com - HostingCon Conference Session Summary

If you didn’t attend HostingCon, check out the HostingCon 2008 photos or visit the Web Hosting Talk forums for the details.

There is little doubt that social media is transforming business. However, even as a marketer working within social media, putting it all together into a coherent framework is challenging. The other day I found an outstanding tool that has helped me “connect the dots” among all the various facets of social media, called, the, “Conceptual Map of the Social Web” developed by the brilliant group over at www.websocialarchitecture.com.

One component of the Social Web where we spend the majority of our time is in developing and nurturing communities. As stated on the blog post I linked to above, “Communities are different than social networks in that they are built primarily around groups of people, rather than individuals. Another way of saying it is that the group is the point in communities, whereas the individual is the point in social networks.” This explanation offers an excellent differentiation. I would add that social networks develop within communities and likewise, communities form through social networks because people have a natural tendency to attract likeness. For example, as individuals connect through a social network, similarities in occupation, interests, hobbies or other characteristics, become the common ground necessary to start a community. Other influences such as the individuals’ passion, span of their influence, and the size and strength of each individuals personal network, can lead to community growth and stronger attraction.

I highly recommend printing off the Social Web Map and hanging it on your wall or office cubicle. It is a great reference to help understand social media connections.