Building entrepreneurial connections: design of a Social Network for the university community in the Department of Cauca

Social networks have assumed an essential role because of their ability to establish connections between individuals, facilitate the dissemination of information, foster communication and enable online interactions. These digital tools have become even more vital in the post-COVID-19 era in light of the significant surge in unemployment that has emerged in the wake of the pandemic. This circumstance has generated a compelling need to explore new avenues to connect and pursue opportunities, where social networks play an extremely important role. In response to these contemporary challenges, a specific social network has been developed to stimulate local entrepreneurship, called DEAL. The main objective of this platform is to connect young university students and community members with job offers, products, and services. The design and development of this tool have involved different methodologies, with the purpose of guaranteeing its functionality and effectiveness. DEAL has been conceived to operate in the university environment of the city of Popayan. It has undergone an exhaustive implementation and evaluation process, resulting in the linking of the academic community to networked social environments.