Internet Based Networking  Websites (IBNWs) & Entrepreneurship

Sammanfattning: New technologies are changing the way entrepreneurs network. Internet Based Neworking  Websites (IBNWs) are re shaping the process in which we network and communicate with  one another, on a personal and also on a professional level. The biggest example of this is  the incredible rise of IBNWs such as Facebook and LinkedIn that together hold more than  300 million users.  This is a very new form of networking where individuals are able to  communicate and connect with an almost limitless amount of people, regardless of their  geographical location. The more traditional forms of  networking are seen as phone calls  and face to face communication, while in the last two decades email has also been  incorporated into a common and professional form of networking for the purpose of  business. Since IBNWs are a new form of maintaining relationships, for our thesis we have  decided to address the question of how IBNWs affect the process of networking during the  development of ventures.     In the thesis we explore the concepts put forward by authors such as; Granovetter, Hoang  and Antoncic, Aldrich and Zimmer, Deutsch, Sonnenberg among others. In addition we  used the structure used by Hoand and Antoncic to create a framework when analyzing the  networking process though IBNWs. This framework is split in to three categories: Network  structure, governance, and content. Using a qualitative interpretivist approach we have  developed an extensive case study and we have interviewed ten entrepreneurs from a wide  array of industries and locations. To help us analyze the data retrieved we have also  interviewed an expert in the field of business and internet landscaping. The aim of the study  is to generate a new framework for networking in the 21st century in light of the IBNW  boom.  The findings demonstrate that IBNWs are being used widely by entrepreneurs, but  mainly for advices and information or in other words, providing low commitment content.  We have concluded that IBNWs are perceived as an informal cold and weak form of  networking and maintaining business networks and if relationships where to progress to  higher levels of commitment then entepreneurs will turn to more traditional ways of  network maintenance such as face-to-face meetings.