Interview - SEB Launches TheBenche.com 2.5 and Focuses on Forum, Groups, Like

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In the last couple of years, I've covered TheBenche.com, SEB's online community for trade finance, cash management and custody professionals, on many occasions on Visible Banking:
* for TheBenche.com's 6-month anniversary (June 2009),
* when they responded to my comments on the platform (June 2009),
* when they shifted their focus from the Trade Finance industry to include the Cash Management professionals (March 2010),
* I interviewed TheBenche.com's MD (November 2011).

Last week, I had the opportunity to catch up with Hakan Aldrin, TheBenche.com's Managing Director, at Finextra's Social Media Day. It was a good timing as Hakan and his team were about to launch the newly re-designed platform, The Benche 2.5, focused on driving more discussions on the same day (7th April).

SEB's online community now counts over 5,000 members and 20,000 monthly unique visitors.
 
Interview with The Sheriff
Please find below my catch up interview with Hakan.



Agenda
* Key news (award, key stats, improved traffic...)
* How did you drive this surge of activity? (00:51)
* The growing importance of the Forum (01:15)
* How much did you use the member feedback for the redesign? (02:18)
* Live and learn (02:43)
* REWARD your members - new "Like" button (03:00)
* How do you REWARD SEB's clients? (04:02)
* Mobile Apps: iPhone, Android... Blackberry? (04:39)
* Key reasons to join TheBenche.com (05:40)
 
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* Social Media News
* Twitter Activities covered on Visible Banking
* Facebook Activities covered on Visible Banking
* 2010's Top 10 Most Liked Financial Institutions on Facebook
* 2010's Top 10 Most Followed Financial Institutions on Twitter
* Visible Banking Directory: Social Media in Financial Services
* Visible Banking Social Media Watch Series (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs)

7 Reasons You MUST Check the Newly Redesigned OPEN Forum, the Online Community for SMEs Powered by American Express

I have already sent a few updates on twitter about the newly redesigned OPEN Forum community (check the email sent to their members on the left handside), but it is such a good redesign that it is worth dedicating a few minutes this afternoon to write a proper post on Visible Banking.

Social Media is all about people. Don't reinvent the wheel and don't spend too much money on the interface! Unfortunately this proved to be too costly to Join2Grow.biz, the innovative online community for european entrepreneurs launched back in February 2007 by Fortis Bank in Belgium, which shut down just two years later.
 
Success lies in your ability to convince people of the value of your platform and to give them a good reason to use it. It needs to be intuitive and simple to register and use.

Then you must find the most appealing ways to REWARD your members for visiting, contributing and promoting your platform.

One of your initial key hurdles will be to drive adoption of your platform and reach a critical mass of users.
 
 
Let me reassure you: your interface won't be perfect at launch and that is not a big issue.

You will observe how your founding members are using your platform, then you will ask them to share their comments and suggestions. You will take those ideas into account, review them, categorize and rank them, and you will deliver the ones which will have the biggest immediate impact. Simple, isn't it?

Context: Online Communities in the Finance Industry
Since 2007, most of the online communities launched in the Finance industry (banking, financial services and insurance) happen to target the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) market which does make sense. Indeed, entrepreneurs are seeking new ways to increase their recognition from their industry and give more exposure to their business. If executed well, an online community is the best place to network, find useful information, share with your peers, and trade.

But very few communities have managed to sustain a decent growth and generate a good amount of activity: I would like to mention two of the most successful communities: Ideablob w/ bloblive by Advanta (congrats to Ami Kassar and his innovation team) and the award-winning smallbusiness online community by Bank of America.
 
OPEN Forum 2.0 or How to Reward your Customers
But let me get back to the OPEN Forum. It is rare to find an online community with a simple and sleek interface, and with the right level of features. It shows me that American Express worked with subject matter experts who really get social media.
At Visible Banking we too are totally focus on helping our clients leverage social media to drive client and employee engagement. Social Media is all about people, not technology.
 
You MUST check the OPEN Forum for the following reasons:
1. Sleek Interface - It is clear and simple. You are not overwhelmed by too many features or options
2. Twitter integration - I invite you to follow OPENForum on twitter. It is quite rare to find a major social media initiative from a financial institution with an embeded live twitter feed. Bloblive (used to?) and UBank's thank you page also include live twitter feeds.
3. Focus on Ideas - Now, there is a clear emphasis on crowdsourcing which I believe brings more clarity to the American Express initiative
4. The connectodex - This feature is useful and straight to the point: find the right contact and trade
5. Content - They partnered with recognized social media experts such as Guy Kawasaki @ alltop or Pete Cashmore @ mashable who are likely to spread the word and reach out to their sizable audience of influential people
To reach your crical mass of users and attracts potential new customers, you must make your online community as open as possible and at the same time you need to find ways to give extra value to your clients. I believe it is the first time I see a community achieving that. Bravo!
6. Reward your clients - Easy Login - Amex made it easier for their clients to register using their existing americanexpress.com ID & password (it sounds obvious, but it is genius)
7. Reward your clients - Full Features - Even though the community is open to any business owners, only their clients get full access to its content and services

I am not a huge fan of communities hosted (or worse 'embedded') on corporate websites which could be perceived as too salesy, but it works well for American Express. The community even has its own URL http://openforum.com.

According to compete.com, it looks like OPEN Forum generates more traffic than some of the very best online communities in finance.
 
Well done Amex. You deserve your spot as 48th most engaging global brand in Charlene Li latest study. It looks like butterflies are leading the way in Financial Services!
 
 

Online Communities Reviewed on Visible Banking
Please find below some of my reviews of the most innovative online communities in Finance: BoA - Smallbusiness Online Community, Fortis - Join2Grow.biz, SEB - the Benche, Vancity - changeeverything

Over 20 Online Communities Listed in the VB Social Media Directory
You will find below a list of 20+ online communities in 10 countries (the idea generation platforms are not listed there).
I invite you to check my social media directory to get the links and flag any missing initiatives.

* US: Advanta - Ideablob, AllState - Good Hands Community, American Express - Open Forum Members, Bank of America - smallbusiness online community, Capital One - Slingshot, Embrace Pet Insurance - Community, NYSE - NYSE Connect, Scottrade - Online Community
* the Netherlands: ABN Amro - flametree, Rabobank - Starterscommunity Ultrecht
* Canada: Scotia Bank - MyVault, Vancity - ChangeEverything.ca
* Australia & New Zealand: ANZ - The SB Hub
* Spain: BBVA - Tu Cuentas (in Spanish), BBVA - Actibva
* France: Caisse d'Epargne - Benefices futures (in French)
* UK: HSBC - The HSBC Business Network, firstdirect - Little Black Book
* Asia: Citi - Clear after hours
* Belgium: Fortis - Join2Grow (offline), Fortis - mine.be,
* Sweden: SEB - The Benche

Related Articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Visible Banking Twitter Watch
* Directory 2.0: Social Media in Banking

SEB Responds to my Comments on The Benche + ING Pickuradvisor (August 2007)

Being able to reach out and engage with Senior Executives and Top Managers from all around the world is what makes me carry on spending so much time on Visible Banking. In addition to my regular public speaking engagements, blogging gives me a unique opportunity to show I care and demonstrate my passion and my expertise for social media on daily basis.
 
VB Review ING's pickuradvisor initiative - August 2007
Two years ago the ING Asia Pacific eBusiness team impressed me. I reviewed in details an innovative social media initiative in the life insurance space launched by the bank in India "pickuradvisor.com".

In a nut shell, it was a blog with a light touch of online community features (you could find the short profiles of the advisors) coupled to a basic appointment booking system. It was very innovative for the insurance market in 2007. I shared my concerns on their lack of moderation process (I invite you to check my full review for more information)
 
After just a couple of hours David Garceran Nieuwenburg former Asia Pacific Regional Head at ING Group, now AVP - Asia Head e-Services at Sun Life Financial Asia, left a comment on my post thanking me and promising they would quickly address this issue. Just 48 hours later, I received another comment this time from the Head Marketing at ING Vysya Life Insurance in India to confirm they had already improved their moderation process. Very impressive.
 
Please note that before canning the project last year, ING improved the interface and rolled it out in Hong-Kong in Chinese. David was instrumental in most of the social media experiments launched by ING in 2006 and 2007. David is a great guy. At last I had the chance to spend a couple of days with him at the event I was chairing in Kuala Lumpur in April 2009, 'E-Channel Management for Retail Banking'.

VB Review SEB's the Benche - June 2009
I invite you to read my recent comments on The Benche, the online community for Trade Finance Professionals launched by SEB at the end of 2008.
 










This morning I was delighted to receive a tweet from Lars Millberg, Global Head of Trade Finance at SEB, who found my comments useful. Lars, it is a shame you couldn't participate to Chris Skinner's Financial Services Club event on social media and banking last Tuesday.
I look forward to meeting with you face-to-face soon.
 
An hour later, I received another tweet from Martin Björnström this time with a link to his response "Visible Banking comments The Benche" on The Benche blog.

I welcome the Bench to Twitter and facebook and I look forward to receiving their soon to be released WebSurvey.
 
Lars and Martin, I can't wait to start working together on this high-potential project and helping you to take the Benche to the next level!
 

Related Articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Visible Banking Twitter Watch
* Directory 2.0: Social Media in Banking

Happy Six-Month Anniversary to 'The Benche', SEB's Online Community for Trade Finance Professionals! 1,500 Companies/Members - Visitors from 170 countries

This morning I was plaisantly surprised to receive a news letter from Martin Björnström the new Content Manager at the Benche, the online community for trade finance professionals launched by SEB last year.

Please find below my initial comments to Martin:
* next time, please use whether "Christophe" or Mr Langlois" but not my username on the network, "christophelanglois"
* You have a lot of new ideas, why not asking your members to check your ideas and vote for the best 2 or 3. It would help you focus on the right things and make sure the community needs or wants your enhancements
* Could you please clarify the 1,500 'companies/members'? Does it means you have 1,500 registered members in total? Or many more members from a total of 1,500 different companies? At the end of the day, size matters but the amount of activity from your members is equally important.
* It is a clever move to provide some useful tools to your members such as 'Cargo Track & Trace', in addition to an aggregation of the relevant industry news (Benche News, Trade News and Market Alerts) that you have provided since the launch of the platform

VB Flash Comments
Please find below my Flash review of the Benche after 15mn spent on the plaftorm this afternoon.

Positives
+ the approach of the Benche is pretty unique in the banking industry
+ SEB market 'the Benche' on its own asset: they display a 'the Benche' banner at the top on their "Corporate and Institutions" category page. Please note I covered it already in my Smart Marketing post back in March 2009.
+ I love the 'Ask SEB' section to tap the company expertise in trade finance and give more visibility to its employees.
+ It is a good move to to have a dedicated content manager (I wonder though if Martin's job also include managing the community, urging members to visit the site and contribute... That is critical)
+ I like the new tools you are providing
+ The activity on the Latest Discussion widget on the homepage gives a good impression of the community which seems fairly active and happy to share

Areas to Improve
- no or limited presence on the most popular social media sites
- the community hasn't reached a critical mass of users yet
- the community needs more user-generated-content
- it looks like members don't use the 'Ask SEB' feature: the latest question was asked back in January 2009
- it seems like members are not contributing to the blogs much: according to the stats displayed, there are currently 14 blogs with 50 entries
- the calendar of events looks empty
 
Unleashing the Full Potential of the Benche
I meant to be positive. In fact I am impressed. Given the current tough context, I was expecting SEB to potentially ditch the Benche, a bit like Fortis did four months ago with their visionnary Join2Grow.biz, the first online community for European Entrepreneurs launched back in February 2007. It was a real shame.
  
To the contrary, it looks like SEB still values the potential offered by this ambitious and innovative initiative. They are really trying to make of 'the Benche' a one-stop-shop for Trade professionals. It is not perfect, but I identified quite a few quick wins which would in no time take this initiative to the next level in terms of both member base and activity.
 
Background of the Benche
The purpose of the site is to provide a resource for trade finance professionals that does not exist anywhere else, while also sending the message worldwide that SEB is serious about trade finance. Although it is managing the web site, SEB will take a hands-off approach to content to encourage trade finance professionals everywhere, regardless of who they work for, to contribute and take ‘ownership’.
 
I invite you to check the full interview with Lars Millberg, Global Head of Trade Finance at SEB and the creator of the Benche,

It proves again that the most visible customer facing social media initiatives in the banking industry come from the financial institutions who have at least one Senior Executive who understands social media, sees its full potential, and is keen to experiment.
 
The Key to Social Media Success
I always insist on the fact that the quality of the interface is not important in social media (as long as it provides all the expected basic features) so don't blow all your budget on the interface. And don't spend huge amounts of money promoting your platform. Instead, you must fully leverage the most popular social media sites. If you do it right and if you managed to convince your influencers, they will be delighted to market your initiative on your behalf and for free.
 
Your success lies in your ability to CONVINCE people of the VALUE of your platform. Your success lies in your ability to make it SIMPLE for people to register, visit, contribute and spread the word. Finally, your success lies in your ability to REWARD your members for the time they spend visiting or contributing. Be SMART with MARKETING, promote your initiative on your own assets such as your intranet, your public website, and your secured online banking.
 
List of Online Communities
I invite you to check my directory of social media initiatives in banking and financial services.

 

Interview with Catherine Ossemerct on Fortis' Join2Grow.biz

Related Articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Visible Banking Twitter Watch
* Directory 2.0: Social Media in Banking

People First! Contribute to the first ever global survey fully focused on social networking in banking

I am passionate about social media, and social media is all about people.
 
In Visible Banking, I focus on Web 2.0 because I believe it gives banks an amazing opportunity to engage with their clients and show they care.
 
 
During all my speaking engagements, I always make a point to remind the banks they must be honest, transparent and focus on people first.
Banks must reward you for the time your spend on their platform, and give you a good reason to come back and spread the word.
 
Contribute, promote your favourite social network and further increase your visibility
My goal is to better understand your behaviour and your expectations from a social network provided by a financial institution.
Thanks for spending a few minutes of your precious time to fill the questionnaire, and for spreading the word around you.
 
On regular basis I will publish the most interesting comments on Visible-Banking.com, anonymously. If you accept to be quoted, I will also list your name, your company and promote your blog.
 
It is also a unique opportunity to promote your favourite social network in banking and put it at the forefront of the social media scene.
 
As a social networker, your feedback, your comments and your suggestions are extremely valuable.
 
Social Networks included in the "People First!" initiative
I invite you to contribute to my social media directory in banking.
 
My goal for this page is to become The most comprehensive list of social media initiatives in banking and online finance.









Related articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Banking 2.0: the social media directory
* People First: what are your expectations from social networking in banking?

PRWeek invites Christophe Langlois, Founder of Visible-Banking.com, to speak at "PR, Social Networking And Blogging In Practice" in London

Haymarket Events, the company behind PR Week, invited me to contribute to their event on Social Media, "PR, Social Networking And Blogging In Practice" in London on 27 January 2009.

I am delighted to be part of the excellent line up of speakers from the following companies: AOL People Networks / Bebo, Cadbury, Cafédirect PLC, British Heart Foundation, E.ON, FT.com, Guardian.co.uk, LOCOG, M-Brain, MORE TH>N, Motorola Inc., MySpace, NixonMcInnes, Randomreality.org, The Spectator, Vodafone Group PLC and Visible-Banking.com.

Blogger's "Speak Out" Panel
I have been invited to participate to the Bloggers' "Speak Out" Panel scheduled at 2:20pm.
I will share my experience of blogging with the other speakers:
* Paul Murphy, Development Editor at FT.com
* Pete Hoskin, Deputy Web Editor at The Spectator
* Tom Reynolds, Independent Blogger at Randomreality.org
 
Please find below the topics we will debate.
* Why do bloggers blog? Get into the minds of bloggers to understand their motivations
* Learn how bloggers like to be approached to positively position your company from the outset and establish successful long-term relationships with online users
* Discover how to resonate with the internet-savvy generation to ensure your proactive and reactive blogging strategies positively influence your brand reputation
* Plan your approach: question journalists and bloggers to determine how to best engage with both
 
Book your tickets now.
 
Related articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Banking 2.0: the social media directory
* People First: what are your expectations from social networking in banking?
* Event - Online Financial Services (Athens, November 2008)
* Event - Online Retail Banking Services (NYC, May 2008)
* Event - FinovateStartup2008 (San Francisco, April 2008)

Promote Your New Year's Resolutions on Vancity's Changeeverything - or How to Successfully Engage with your Community, Drive Member Advocacy & Increase your Traffic... for free

If you are not familiar with the award winning online community launched in 2006 by Vancity, Canada's largest Credit Union, I invite you to visit the changeeverything site today.
 
William Azaroff, Director Online Banking & Engagement at Vancity, is the man behind this innovative initiative. He is also a fellow blogger and public speaker.
 
I invite you to watch my video interview with William (NYC, October 2007)
 
Today, let me focus on an excellent marketing initiative on changeeverything: Viva La Resolution! (please check the recent post on William's blog)

Best practice - Buzz / WoM Marketing
This is a great example of how to engage with your community, to urge your members to contribute and promote your platform... for free.

In my opinion, the key to success in social media is to REWARD your members for the time they spend on your platform. It is the best way to drive member advocacy.
 
There are four main ways to reward your community. To give them: Visibility, Exclusive Content, Fun/Entertainment, a Challenge / the opportunity to Win a Contest.
 
With the Viva La Resolution! initiative, the changeeverything team managed to check no less than three boxes to guaranty a success: Visibility, Contest and Fun. Well done.

Please find below more information from their blog.
 
Here's how you enter:
1. Create a New Year's resolution by selecting one of the changes already underway at ChangeEverything.ca, or creating a new one.
2. Blog about your resolution. Write at least three (3) blog posts linked to your change on ChangeEverything.ca between December 5th, 2008 and February 28th 2009.
3. Let us know about it. Make your entry official by tagging each blog post with the keyword "2009resolution" (without the quotes). Here's how you tag a post. This is really important otherwise we will not be able to find your entry.
 
Their goal is to grow their member base, increase the visibility & the reputation of their platform, drive the volume & quality of their content.
 
Adoption
- invite your friends to comment on your progress on ChangeEverything.ca
- post your entry on your Facebook page so that your friends see it and know to come and check it out. Be sure to ask them to comment on your entry at ChangeEverything
- link to your resolution on ChangeEverything.ca from your external blog
 
Marketing
- ask a mentor or expert for help, and write about their advice.
- find blogs and web sites that deal with your resolution's subject, and post on them asking for help.
- find a way to make news about your resolution – in a community newspaper, on a talk radio show or the CBC national news.
 
Content
- video and pictures on the changeeverything site.
- find other ChangeEverything.ca members who are working on the same change, and comment on their blog posts. Get a conversation going.
- add photos to your blog posts.
  
Related articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Banking 2.0: the social media directory
* People First: what are your expectations from social networking in banking?
* Interview with William Azaroff, Director Online Banking and Engagement at Vancity

The Visible Banking Page on Facebook: New Fans (41 - 50) & Recent Activity

The Visible Banking Page on Facebook
There wasn't much activity from me this week.
I have been busy finalizing my presentation for the Retail Banking Innovations event which will take place in Singapore in 10 days.

Nevertheless, I am delighted to confirm that the number of fans keeps increasing consistently. The page now counts 89 fans.

I believe the success of any Social Media initiative is linked with your ability to engage with your community and urge them to contribute.
It is critical to REWARD your members, your fans. Rewarding could mean many things such as producing exclusive content, or giving visibiliy / exposure to your contributors. I intend to do both on the Visible Banking Page.

Please find below the names and a short description of my Fans number 41 to 50 (sorted by chronological order):
41. Maria Cabezas: I am not connected to Maria on Facebook yet, and it looks like we don't have friends in common. Maria, I invite you to send me an email to confirm your linkedin profile and your employer.
 
42. Toby Horry: same with Toby. I only found one Toby Horry on Linkedin, Planning Director at Dare in London. Toby, is that you?

43. Yonni Harif, Marketing Manager at WorkLight (USA): I shot a video interview with Yonni at FinovateStartup in April 2008. I invite you to check Yonni's twitter and visit WorkLight's Secure Entreprise2.0 blog.

44. Guillaume Thevenot, Business Development Manager - Hospitality at Amadeus UK & Ireland (UK): Guillaume is one of my best friends. I invite you to visit his industry leading blog on hotels and the hospitality industry, Hotel-Blogs.com.

45. Jesus Perez Sanchez (Spain): Jesus is connected to Fernando Egido Egaña from Caja Navarra.

46. Julien Fursat, Consultant Internet at CSA Consulting (France): Julien is responsible for the e-Banking offering at CSA Consulting. We have never met (yet), but we went to the same university. I invite you to check Julien's blog. Please note that both his Linkedin profile and his blog are in French...

47. Pol Navarro, Senior Director, Head of Innovation and Distribution Channels at Banco Sabadell (Spain): I met Pol a few times already in the UK and in Spain. Pol is one of the very few Champions for Social Media in the banking industry. He already has an impressive track record at Banco Sabadell.
Pol was one of the key speakers at EFMA's Online Financial Services 2007 in Barcelona last year. I invite you to check Pol's twitter.

48. Marc Oppenheim, Senior VP- Head of Retail Banking at LCL (France): Marc, je suis ravi de vous compter parmi les fans de Visible Banking. Vos commentaires sont les bienvenus.

49. Ludovic Philippo, Operations Manager at Expedia France (France): I invite you to visit Ludovic's "Net Promoter Score" blog. Prior to his role at Expedia, Ludovic worked 5 years in the banking industry. Ludovic worked for Marc who endorsed his job at LCL.

50. Aden Davies, Innovation Technician at HSBC (UK): Aden works in the Innovation team at HSBC, and I assume he works for Darren Armitage. I invite you to check Aden's bookmarks on Delicious.

Posted items
I posted 17 items so far. please find below the latest 3 items:
* Wells Fargo Hitches Its Wagon to Social Media
* Strands Blog: Strands to power BBVA's Personal Finance tool for its 4.1 million online users
* DB Research - Banking, Financial Markets and Regulation

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or post any relevant items.
 
Reviews
There is still no review. Could you please take a few minutes to review my Facebook Page?

Discussion Board
I invite you to share your views on Facebook, and contribute to the first three topics:
* Business Networking: Is Facebook really threatening up Linkedin? (3 posts)
* How important is it for a bank to be on Facebook? (7 posts)
* What would you like to find on the Visible Banking page? (1 post)

Two new responses to the Facebook question. Thanks Antonio and Aden for your contribution!
Don't hesitate to contribute to the discussion board, and post your own topics.

Video challenge: 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media!
I invite you to read my recent post entitled "Banking 2.0: 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media".
I listed the 10 reasons I hear the most frequently against social media in the banking industry.

My goal is to convince my peers that banks must embrace social media and web 2.0 now.
I created this post to start a discussion. An interactive online discussion.
Please don't hesitate to leave a comment and add a new reason to the list: challenge me! I will post a video response for every single additional reason.
 
Related articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Banking 2.0: 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media
* Launch of the Visible Banking Page on Facebook
* Video - the 4 kinds of Social Media projects

The Visible Banking Page on Facebook: New Fans (31 - 40) & Recent Activity

The Visible Banking Page on Facebook
I am delighted to see such a promising take off of the number of fans. The page now counts 70 fans.

I believe the success of any Social Media initiative is linked with your ability to engage with your community and urge them to contribute.
It is critical to REWARD your members, your fans. Rewarding could mean many things such as producing exclusive content, or giving visibiliy / exposure to your contributors. I intend to do both on the Visible Banking Page.

Please find below the names and a short description of my Fans number 31 to 40 (sorted by chronological order):
31. Vikash Shah, Management - Development Program at Flagstar Bank (USA): please check Vikash's Kiva profile. Congrats for your 47 loans!

32. Stephanie Rogers, Senior Director, Contact Planning at PARTNERS+Simons (USA): please check Stephanie's "CultureJunkie" blog.

33. Thirugnanasambandan Singaravelan, Managing Consultant at IBM Global Business Services (Singapore): 18 answers in Linkedin, member of "Bankers Alliance for the Mobile Arena" (BAMA) created by a fellow blogger, Brandon McGee. Thirugnanasambandan contributed to the topic on Facebook on the discussion board. I invite you to check Tevan's webiste.
I look forward to catching up with Thirugnanasambandan when I am in Singapore for Retail Banking Innovations in early October.

34. Benjamin Davies, Innovation Architect at Lloyds TSB (UK): I work with Benjamin. Great guy.

35. Ben Knieff, Director, Strategic Research and Development at Fidelity National Information Services (USA): Ben has been very active on Linkedin with 28 answers. Ben is a member of the "Payment and Fraud Professionals" Group on Linkedin. I like the term "Fraud professionals". :) I used to be one myself hen I was International Sales Manager for Accuity, a leading Payment and AML solution provider.

36. Jatin Dewan, Requirements Manager at Citibank (USA): Citibank provides one of the most successful online banking services in the US. Jatin went to the National University of Singapore.

37. George Pasley, E-Commerce Developer at First Federal (USA): I invite you to check George's "Banking Kismet" blog, and his twitter account.

38. Victor Martin Garcia, Co-Founder at moneytrackin.com (Spain)

39. Pieter Lambrechts, Account Director at Boondoggle (Belgium): Pieter lives near the gorgeous city of Gent.
 
40. Fernando Egido Egaña, Innovation Manager. CEO Assistance Office at Caja Navarra (Spain): I invite you to check Fernando's blog, and Caja Navarra's presentation "Civic Banking: Pioneers in Banking 2.0" (source: www.slideshare.net)

Posted items
I posted 17 items so far. please find below the latest 3 items:
* Wells Fargo Hitches Its Wagon to Social Media
* Strands Blog: Strands to power BBVA's Personal Finance tool for its 4.1 million online users
* DB Research - Banking, Financial Markets and Regulation

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or post any relevant items.
 
Reviews
There is still no review. Could you please take a few minutes to review my Facebook Page?

Discussion Board
I invite you to share your views on Facebook, and contribute to the first three topics:
* Business Networking: Is Facebook really threatening up Linkedin? (3 posts)
* How important is it for a bank to be on Facebook? (5 posts)
* What would you like to find on the Visible Banking page? (1 post)

No activity this week. Don't hesitate to contribute to the discussion board, and post your own topics!

Video challenge: 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media!
I invite you to read my recent post entitled "Banking 2.0: 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media".
I listed the 10 reasons I hear the most frequently against social media in the banking industry.

My goal is to convince my peers that banks must embrace social media and web 2.0 now.
I created this post to start a discussion. An interactive online discussion.
Please don't hesitate to leave a comment and add a new reason to the list: challenge me! I will post a video response for every single additional reason.
 
Related articles on Visible-Banking.com
* Banking 2.0: 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media
* Launch of the Visible Banking Page on Facebook
* Video - the 4 kinds of Social Media projects

Banking 2.0: no clear ROI

First, I invite you to read my post entitled "Banking 2.0: 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media".
I listed the 10 reasons I hear the most frequently against social media in the banking industry.

My goal is to convince my peers that banks must embrace social media and web 2.0 now.

It gives us a unique opportunity to connect not only with our clients, but the whole market. It gives us the opportunity to show we listen and we care. It will help us drive customer advocacy.

I will publish a video response for every single reason I listed. Please find below my response to the reason around the ROI for social media projects.
 
No clear ROI

Contribute... and challenge me!
What do you think a my video (content, format)?
I created the initial post to start a discussion. An interactive online discussion.
Please don't hesitate to leave a comment and add a new reason to the list: challenge me! I will post a video response for every single additional reason.

Related articles on Visible-Banking.com
* 10 "good" reasons not to embrace social media
* Video - The 4 kinds of social media projects
* Christophe Langlois, Founder of Visible-Banking.com