Ziggs helps you to “organize and connect with people in a professional way” and is “your one-stop source for building your online brand, marketing yourself on the web and simplifying communications with people.”
Registration is free and straight forward, the usual information is required – name, gender, company, location, email address etc.
When your account has been activated it can be populated in order to construct your professional profile.
Within the “Your Profile Snapshot” section there is nine different categories:
- Contact Info : Name, address, contact number, email address etc
- Photos : You can display up to six photos of yourself within your “hub”
- Background : Upload a CV / Resume and enter details about your work history and background
- Biography : Add a quote, write a bio about yourself and include some tags/keywords to help searchers find your details
- Interests : Add links to your websites, blogs and other personal pages on the internet and answer questions about some of your favorite things and favourite books. When you use the favourite books function it will search the Amazon database for the book title you enter and call affiliate links from Amazon. When you click the graphic, you are taken to the Amazon page – the book did not end up in my profile.
- Interview : A place where you can perform an interview with yourself by selecting from a range of questions and entering your answers
- Education : A repeat of the “background” section
- Birthday : Enter details of your birthday
- Resume : Again, a repeat of the “background” section.
The new version of Ziggs is still in beta mode, but the more I play with it the more I like it.
I can connect with people with similar interests, I can buy friends/contacts with a Ziggs profile a Starbucks card, an Amazon gift voucher, send them a payment via PayPal or buy air tickets to their location. I can also advertise job opportunities or look for a new job, should I wish to.
I must admit to having a couple of concerns though:
Firstly, it is trying to sell me too much.
I already own the domain for my own name, but Ziggs tried to sell me that when I signed up.
I tried to add a favorite book into my profile, but that didn’t work. Instead I was redirected to an Amazon page where I could buy the book I was trying to add to my profile (it is my favourite book, I already own it!). Hopefully this is just a bug that will be fixed shortly.
Secondly, Ziggs asks far too many personal questions for my liking, although others may not feel this way. I have left a lot of the asked questions unanswered and that is how they will stay. I looked over quite a few profiles of other members of Ziggs and it seemed to be that if a question is answered it is displayed in the profile. Sensitive information such a date of birth, credit card information is NOT on public display.
There is nothing ground breaking at Ziggs, but it is nicely designed with some great functions and it looks like it might a good place to network.
Go to Ziggs
Full list of features:
Profile
Instantly enjoy an elegant online profile to present yourself on the web. We offer the most comprehensive online profile available on the web to help you share your background, interests, photos, links, and interview.
Search Alerts
Receive free email alerts every time someone visits your Ziggs Profile. Know how often your profile is viewed, what keywords were used to find it, and where in the world your visitor is searching from.
People Search
Search through our Index of millions of professionals and find people to network with for a new job, to hire for a new position, and to connect with people who share your interests. Ziggs people search results provide the most accurate and up-to-date info on people because every listing is user-authorized.
Messaging
Receive private emails to your Inbox at Ziggs. Be alerted at your work email anytime a private message is delivered to you at Ziggs.
Chat
Instantly communicate with people closest to you using Ziggs Chat. Our Chat client is web based so there is no need to download any software! Just click and chat.
Private Groups
Easily organize all the important people in your life into specific groups for simplified communication, event planning, and sharing photos. Create groups for colleagues, college friends, golf buddies, charity and family.
Public Groups
Join as many free public groups at Ziggs as you wish. Or start your own free public group and invite your friends and others to join you. Ziggs has over 100 categories of groups to participate in, from professional groups to stock watchers to sports fan groups.
Group Chat
Connect and converse with everyone in your private or public groups at once. Discuss topics, plan for a meeting, hold an online meeting and more.
Discussions
Once you have created a group at Ziggs, start your own private online discussions with your group members and avoid long email strings.
Ask
Need a good restaurant in Boston? Or where to go for Sushi in San Francisco? Do you need a referral for a local recruiter? With Ziggs Ask, you can pose questions to an individual member or to everyone at Ziggs.
Polls
Need a decision on a preferred restaurant for a group event? Or would you like feedback from the team on how to prioritize new projects? Ziggs Polls will help you get quick responses to your queries.
Photos
Post photos at Ziggs and instantly share them with everyone in your group. Create multiple albums that can be viewed anytime, by anyone in your group.
Import
You can bring all of your contacts from most email systems, or an Excel document, right into Ziggs. Easily organize them into groups such as colleagues, golf buddies, college friends, family and more.
Group Builder
Once your people have been imported, group them, with our Group Builder application. Then, invite your friends and colleagues to join you at Ziggs.
Starbucks
Want to thank a colleague for help on a big project? Or send a hello to your Dad? Send them a Starbucks Gift Card. If they already have one, your gift can be loaded right onto their card! No redemption process needed.
Reload Your Starbucks Card
If you have a Starbucks card, you can automatically reload it monthly with any amount that you set through your Ziggs account. Always be prepared when you stop at Starbucks for your favorite refreshment.
Payments
Ziggs makes it easier than ever to make payments to contractors, vendors, instructors, etc. Ziggs has partnered with Paypal to create one-click payment services to the people in your life.
Travel
Book a trip to visit friends and colleagues with Expedia and Ziggs. Ziggs keeps flight availability and booking at your fingertips.
Gifts
Need to send a last minute birthday present? Or find a unique gift for your boss? The perfect gift is just a click away, with an Amazon.com® gift card* through Ziggs. Let your recipient choose their perfect gift every time at Amazon.com.
*Restrictions apply. Check the Ziggs terms and conditions for more information.
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