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An industry like the space industry needs interaction between its players and the individuals that work within it. SpaceBoard is a new online platform dedicated purely to the needs of space ‘people’ and organisations, enabling them to interact, to discuss and to collaborate – vital aspects in encouraging the growth of the industry as a whole.
Easy interaction and communication are crucial to the growth of an industry. The global space sector is a highly specialised industry with a complex ecosystem involving many players with different needs. Students interested in the field look for information about study-programmes, internships and jobs. They seek guidance from experienced professionals when working on specific space-projects. Professionals are on the lookout for the next career opportunity and are interested in pertinent information in line with their work and professional interests. Universities offering space-related study programmes need to promote courses, while building and maintaining strong alumni networks with current and former students. Student and professional societies seek to increase engagement with their members, as well as promoting activities to a wider audience to get new members onboard. Companies and other organisations spend lots of effort to increase their visibility, when looking for talents or advertising services to prospective customers. These examples show some of the diverse interactions necessary to ensure the continuous growth of the space industry and attract more individuals towards academic and professional opportunities related to space. Furthermore, space is synonymous with collaboration, which is often a key element for success, making interactions and easy exchange of ideas even more important.
SpaceBoard, a brand new online network, has taken up the challenge to facilitate this exchange of ideas, by providing a platform designed to answer the needs of space individuals and organisations with the goal to become “The Professional Network of the Space Industry”. SpaceBoard’s mission is to unite the space community within a powerful online environment to encourage interactions between all players of the industry and foster academic, professional and business opportunities. Through this platform, SpaceBoard aims to contribute to the growth of the global space sector, taking advantage of the benefits inherent to niche professional networks:
Connecting with like-minded peers. Niche networks bring together individuals who work in the same field or who have the same profession, allowing users to exclusively connect in a professional way with like-minded people. On these platforms, thoughts are aligned, meaning debates are proactive and it is simpler to engage in intelligent and informed conversations. Their smaller size compared to giant networks also increases the feeling of being a part of a true community.
Focused content. All the content generated on niche professional networks is relevant to the users’ interests. This is not always the case on mainstream networks where users can feel overwhelmed by the enormous quantity of information generated by users from many different backgrounds and fields. Niche professional networks filter the noise out and provide only targeted information.
Knowledge transfer. Niche networks are the ultimate tool to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among industry professionals as well as to provide access to professional experts in specific areas with in-depth discussions. Industry-specific tools can be implemented to further the exchange between young and senior professionals. Highly-specialised topics can more easily be discussed within a community sharing a field or a profession as the common denominator.
Career opportunities. When searching for a job, such online platforms prove to be a precious tool as they are attractive for companies and recruiters who need to address a targeted audience. Showcasing skills and expertise on a niche network therefore increases the chance to find opportunity faster, and aligned with one’s professional goals.
One of the benefits pointed out is that niche networks give the feeling of being part of a real community, compared to larger online networks. This is especially true when applied to the field of space, in that, for a vast majority of individuals in the industry, space is more than a passing interest- it is a passion. A niche professional network dedicated to space has therefore the potential to create a stronger global space community, bringing together individuals and organisations on a unified platform.
The SpaceBoard platform gives the possibility to any interested individual to create a profile including academic and professional information and connect with peers and organisations to keep up to date with the latest space news, events, workshops, competitions or job opportunities. One of SpaceBoard’s goals is to empower space academia. To that aim, students can explore on the platform space-related universities, study-programmes and summer schools, find information about application deadlines, scholarships available, or get feedback from alumni.
The transfer of knowledge among students, young professionals and experts is often cumbersome due to the lack of a unified interactive platform. To accelerate progress and innovation, it is essential to facilitate this exchange of facts and ideas between peers and generations. This is why all content – including questions, articles, publications and projects – will be categorised according to predetermined space-related topics in order to ensure immediate access to relevant information.
Dedicated discussion and Q&A areas are also planned to foster communication and encourage interactions. Professionals, companies, and all other organisations can use the various features of the platform to address a targeted audience when seeking talent, showcasing projects, promoting events or commercialising products and services.
The field of space is thriving thanks to communities of individuals brought together by common interests, beliefs and passions. In the intervals between live events, these communities can find it difficult to interact and communicate on a regular basis. SpaceBoard proposes to resolve this issue by providing existing societies and networks with purposefully designed features in public and private areas with the aim of enhancing interaction, increasing member engagement and leveraging community affiliations.
Online networking is a crucial tool for any professional in search of pertinent, up-to-date information, as well as career and business opportunities due to the many benefits inherent to a strong network of trusted relationships. Niche professional networks, for their focus on targeted communities, offer a number of advantages over generic platforms. Building a network of like-minded peers and organisations gives access to relevant opportunities. Industry-specific tools, knowledge, and content help individuals do their jobs better. SpaceBoard is building such a niche network for the space industry. Its goal is to provide a powerful online environment for individuals and organisations, where tailored features and focused information facilitate communication and interaction between members of the space.
Find out more and register now at www.spaceboard.eu.
Original published at: https://spacewatch.global/2017/03/spaceboard-professional-network-space-industry/
