Dealing with the stakeholders of you project can be challenging. How you create value for the involved organisations or interested parties? A good connection is the key. Therefore, networks are created to connect stakeholders online in a distinct research area or industry. They consist of a group section to present organisations and experts with their profiles. In this Article we provide a short overview on their idea and how they work.

A Network is that interconnected web forum of stakeholders interested in the same area. To manage this stakeholder network means to understand that members work interdependent, and see each stakeholder group as part of a connected network of influence with a common objective.

Besides providing content-related modules for news and knowledge, each network consists of a member section to present organisations and experts with their profiles. Furthermore, groups are integrated to connect organisations and experts based on their interests and experiences. Groups can be established as work or interest groups. Interactive maps presenting the members of a network are core elements of a network as well as premium features for special pre-selected or paying members. Social media walls that can show all contextual posts on common social media, news aggregators, media pages and newsletter subscriptions can be implemented on demand. The full network can be implemented multilingually with language switcher.

How to build up a successful network

Modules

The network modules connect stakeholders in a distinct research area or industry. These modules are database-driven modules and communicate with each other. Examples of network modules are members, experts, and groups. Examples of such possible modules could be:

Profiles can be created for Members, Expert and Groups (Stakeholders). Members are organisations that are part of a network and can join one or more groups. On the member detail pages, the user can get more information about the organisations. Data such as description, location, contact data or additional information such as the country or the foundation year can also be included. On the detail pages, the user can see all the groups the organisation is participating in.

Experts are available to join one or more groups based on their interests and skills. On the detail pages, the user can access more information about the person. In addition to the description of the expert, all groups the expert is in, can be seen.

Groups consist of members and experts. A group can be defined as an interest group or a work group. As an activated member or expert of a group, the user is able to invite others to this group via link. Every group focuses on specific topics.

Other features

Among the possible features, language switches, filters, search bars and social media links can be found.

Networks are available in several languages. The range of languages varies depending on the network. A drop-down menu where the user can choose between different languages is provided at the side of the network. English is the default language.

For an easier way to find specific experts, members, or groups, the filter bar on the left side can be used. The experts, for example, can be filtered based on skills, the groups based on group types and the members based on activity types. Furthermore, all of them can be filtered based on the country.

If the user is looking for a specific expert, member or group, he or she can use the search bar which is located above the filter bar. It allows the user to search for groups, members and experts based on their name.

If the user has discovered something interesting on a network that he or she would like to share, the user can share it directly via several buttons of featured various social media sites, networks or instant messengers.