Friday, March 27, 2009

Why I Stopped Avoiding Social Networks

I watched my teenagers become involved in these social phenomena and I was very critical. I felt that they were wasting their time and efforts, when they should be studying. I'm not sure I have changed my mind regarding where their efforts are best spent, but I have changed my mind on the social networking phenomena.

The reality is that it's all about branding. You know establishing an identity for yourself. I've finally figured it out, no one is going to sell me like I can sell myself. No one is going to look out for my family and me, like I will. No one is going to care as much about my success or even failure for that matter as I will. So why not call it like it is and start marketing yourself in the same way that any organization promotes and sells their products.

To some of you that may sound pretty commercial but the reality is that we are a product that we attempt to sell to the highest bidder, as long as everything is legal and ethical there really is nothing wrong with that philosophy.

So why am I in so many places. That's a great question and the answer is because there are so many networking places. If you are truly concerned about networking and branding you need to cover all of the bases. There are many people with the same name as yours and one, some, or many of them will be in all the different networking places on the Internet. It is important to your networking and branding process that you establish yourself in all of those different locations so no one confuses you with someone that may not share your same values and ethics.

Managing your Social Networks:

  1. Create a consistent brand - use identifying verbiage and pictures.
  2. Create a strong profile, don't simply put place holders out there. Tell people something of value.
  3. Establish a presence in all the right places, but don't try to keep up with all of them - focus your energy.
  4. Make sure that your comments and discussions are uplifting and supportive. Don't be known as a negative contributor.
  5. Participate in and start discussions, especially in those areas where you have a passion.
  6. Join relevant groups to establish and promote yourself.
  7. Add valuable comments and contributions that help others and in-turn raise your value.
Networking will work for you, when you do it correctly. Happy Networking!

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