Social Networking, Toss the Rules and Get Real

Social Networking, Toss the Rules and Get Real

A number of rule lists, portrayed as inviolable, are circulating for how to properly use social media networks to build business. I have a problem with these “rules” because social media is evolving so fast, the list seems outdated before you have a chance to apply it. In this light, I offer the following observations on social media networking.

1.      Think of your social media network as a business party. Here is a chance to interact with a lot of people in a fairly casual setting, who might be good business contacts in the future. Behave accordingly, this is a getting to know you a little more intimately chance, not a sales seminar or the moment to tell anyone everything about you.

2.      Parties and conventions can lead to lots of new business and ideas, or can be a complete waste of time. Working almost always leads to more work, so work first, party later on a limited basis.

3.      As in any casual business gathering, sales and results usually come slowly over time. And those successes are generally built on somewhat random chance encounters. Increase your odds by selectively limiting your network and interactions to those that are likely to pay-off, but patience and being ready for opportunity count most.

4.      Direct sales pitches are supposedly forbidden on social media. Forget this notion. Regional businesses have used Twitter, Facebook and MySpace with great success for special events and promotions. This is the trick, don’t try to disguise a direct sales appeal as social interaction. Know the difference and be honest and upfront about it. If you can create a killer sales campaign delivered on social networks, go for it, just don’t try to disguise it as chit chat.

5.      Don’t think chit chat is selling or will lead to sales. It might. But unless you are Oprah, nobody cares where you ate lunch.

6.      Control your exposure. When you post yourself on a social media network, you expose yourself to the world. Polish that image, remember this is a big business party, your house slippers and sweats aren’t appropriate, nor are nutty family details.

7.      Don’t combine family and close friends on the same site as business. Even if you have the most absolutely lovely photogenic perfect family. Keep business and family life separate to keep both sides happy.

In summary. The rules for social networking aren’t new. They are the same rules that have governed interpersonal communications for centuries. When presenting yourself as a businessperson, pay at least a little attention to crafting the best image possible. If it is a casual getting to know you kind of site or communication, don’t be a pushy sales person. When you are doing a direct sales appeal, don’t try to pretend that you are just sharing the details of your marvelously cool life. It’s all about honesty, treating others in a fair and considerate manner, and understanding the difference between your personal life, business life, and those areas where the lines begin to blur.

Social networking under fresh attack as tide of cyber-scepticism sweeps US | Media | The Observer

Social networking under fresh attack as tide of cyber-scepticism sweeps US | Media | The Observer: "The way in which people frantically communicate online via Twitter, Facebook and instant messaging can be seen as a form of modern madness, according to a leading American sociologist.

'A behaviour that has become typical may still express the problems that once caused us to see it as pathological,' MIT professor Sherry Turkle writes in her new book, Alone Together, which is leading an attack on the information age.

Turkle's book, published in the UK next month, has caused a sensation in America, which is usually more obsessed with the merits of social networking. She appeared last week on Stephen Colbert's late-night comedy show, The Colbert Report. When Turkle said she had been at funerals where people checked their iPhones, Colbert quipped: 'We all say goodbye in our own way.'

Turkle's thesis is simple: technology is threatening to dominate our lives and make us less human. Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality that is a poor imitation of the real world.

But Turkle's book is far from the only work of its kind. An intellectual backlash in America is calling for a rejection of some of the values and methods of modern communications. 'It is a huge backlash. The different kinds of communication that people are using have become something that scares people,' said Professor William Kist, an education expert at Kent State University, Ohio.

The list of attacks on social media is a long one and comes from all corners of academia and popular culture. A recent bestseller in the US, The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, suggested that use of the internet was altering the way we think to make us less capable of digesting large and complex amounts of information, such as books and magazine articles. The book was based on an essay that Carr wrote in the Atlantic magazine. It was just as emphatic and was headlined: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Egypt Shows How Easily Internet Can Be Silenced - CNBC

Egypt Shows How Easily Internet Can Be Silenced - CNBC: "The move by Egyptian authorities to seal off the country almost entirely from the Internet shows how easily a state can isolate its people when telecoms providers are few and compliant.



In an attempt to stop the frenzied online spread of dissent against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, not only Facebook and Twitter but the entire Internet was shut down overnight, leaving some 20 million users stranded.


Daniel Karrenberg, chief scientist at RIPE NCC, a European not-for-profit Internet infrastructure forum, says immature markets with few providers can achieve such shutdowns relatively easily.

'The more simple the topology is and the fewer Internet services providers there are, the easier it is for any government or the telco themselves to control access into any geographical area,' he said.

'If you have a relatively diverse telecoms market and a very much meshed Internet topology then it's much more difficult to do than if you have the traditional telecoms structure of two decades ago and they control all the international connections. Obviously that creates a choke point,' he said.

Despite the rapid transformation of the Web during its short history, and the unprecedented freedom of expression it has enabled, the Internet still has vulnerable points that can be exploited by governments or for commercial interests.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Good Works Ministries

About Us: "Good Works Ministries is a Faith based, non-profit organization that was formed for two purposes.
Our primary ministry is to help kids that are aging out of the foster care program and to establish a more effective means of serving these young adults by providing a one stop process for the various services that are available or are needed by them. We are working to develop a comprehensive approach to reaching out to these young adults and other at-risk-youth. By partnering with various organizations and local community groups we can create a single entry point that will function as a link in the chain for these young adults. This will provide a way for them to access educational and social services, a computer lab, local workforce partnerships, and financial assistance for additional support or housing. Housing is a key need for these young adults. We are focused on acquiring housing for them and offering the various transition services in house for those individuals that are interested in participating in our program.

In addition to our primary ministry we feel it is important to provide a community service ministry that teaches Christian principles while giving and serving others. This portion of Good Works Ministries will incorporate young adults who want to serve and learn new skills into a program working with community volunteers to do restoration and repair projects for low income families, the elderly, single parents, or others ministries that are in need of help. Our leaders in this ministry have many years of experience in custom renovation and a desire to help others while teaching young adults new skills. If you are an organization in need of experienced volunteers please contact Pat Howe.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

Puppy Tweets

Puppy Tweets

Every once in a while, a special product comes along that you know will probably be popular, but you have no idea why. This year that product is Puppy Tweets, a $30 electronic dog tag that promises to answer the eternal question: "Ever wonder what your pet is doing while you're away?"

According to Mattel (Symbol :MAT

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), the toy company behind Puppy Tweets, the electronic tag senses when your dog moves around or barks and uses this information to post select messages to Twitter under the dog's personal account. What kind of messages, you ask? Well, one of them is, "I bark because I miss you. There, I said it. Now hurry home."

Adorable, but completely and utterly useless.

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Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness

I should understand, but I still don't...

It's "Hump Day", raining, and Twitter doesn't make sense. I can't do much about the rain or the fact that Friday is still two days away, but I can google some twitter tutorials. Everyone and their dog is tweeting these days and for good reason! Anyone from tweens to business professionals use this social forum for self or business promotion, so why not try to understand it? A necessary evil in my opinion, but nonetheless here I am. Follow this link "for newbs", and best of luck in your Tweeting!