Social Media
Back before the telephone or the auto meeting with prospective customers and clients was a make or break deal. Back then you were lucky to see your cohorts every couple of months and so it was necessary to make a good first impression and have all your ducks in order.
Today Business Networking is still about connecting with people who share interests in products or services but unlike the days of old today there are now a multitude of new tools to use. Social Media surrounds and encompasses this new set of tools and techniques and as you can guess from the term “media” within Social Media these new tools spring from today’s technology.
Residing on the Internet and mobile phones Social Media is made up of tools that construct social interaction (networking) using photos, videos, audio and text to interact among individuals and groups of individuals to share common interests and experiences.
Tip O’Neil once uttered the now famous phrase “ all politics is local.” Social Media seems to dispute that on first glance but once you spend time interacting with people from different states and different countries you begin to realize that networking even on the Internet is just like shaking hands with a voter at the county fair.
Number One Social Media Requirement For Success Is
Participate
1.To take part in
2.To involve oneself in
engage in
indulge in
partake of
assist others
concur with
contribute to
cooperate with
enter into
join up
share yourself
share your ideas
share your opinions
shout out
create community
Social Media gives both business and the individual an opportunity to play on a much bigger playing field then has ever been possible before. Social Media (sometimes called New Media) allows you to shout through a huge megaphone reaching an audience of thousands and possibly millions with your message.
social media networking
Understanding Social Media
Generically lumped under social media, a new phenomenon has hit the internet. Numerous sites provide the opportunity to tell the world about yourself, keep up with your friends and interact with people who have similar interests around the globe. Also named user-generated content, these online networks let you load photos, generate blogs and create a public persona, which may or may not have anything to do with reality.
The most popular of these sites, like Facebook and Twitter, can have literally millions of subscribers. The format of each site is unique, some running towards full profiles and endless pages of updates, others restricting users to short bursts of information. It is worth noting however, that all these pages are available for public viewing by other members, so it is wise to consider carefully the information posted. Once something hits the internet, you lose control over it. It is that lack of security that can be most challenging when first encountering the world of social networking. While it is certainly possible to remove material originally posted online, you have no idea if it already went beyond your immediate page.
There are some key advantages to hooking into the social media craze. Aside from the obvious perk of being able to find old friends you have lost contact with, social networking promotes a sharing of ideas. With web space being available at such reasonable rates, most social sites are free. You can read, evaluate, rate and manage information in ways never dreamed of twenty years ago. The sheer speed of information transfer today makes sharing opinions, reviews and content easy. Here is a short list of some popular social media networks.
Facebook is a free access social network that is owned by the private company Facebook, Inc. Organized through geographic regions or interests Facebook started out at Harvard University as a computer based option of a hard copy book given to incoming students. Originally designed to let new students recognize other people on campus the site grew rapidly through the Boston area and eventually the world. When joining Facebook you are encouraged to design a profile to present publically. You can search out friends, colleagues or people who share common interests using key words or email addresses. Facebook has recently been in the headlines for making unwanted changes to its format, but public outcry resulted in the changes being dropped.
Twitter is social networking site that allows its users to “tweet” short updates of their current activities and thoughts. Briefer than blog entries, “tweets” are restricted to 140 characters, making them quick and easy to read. The sheer brevity of posts encourages people to shoot off an update any time, thereby keeping in touch without interrupting the flow of a day. Twitter is also usable on a standard cell phone, although normal texting charges apply, so you can follow your friends’ doings, send in updates and stay connected without lugging around a computer.
DIGG
Digg is a social news media site that encourages users to share information and news located on the internet. Users submit links and stories, videos and pictures and visitors get to vote on the content. This process called digging or burying, is what make the site unique. Only the most popular stories make it to the front page of the website daily as a result of their rating. Stories that were buried, quickly drop off the sites front page.
STUMBLEUPON
Stumbleupon is designed to assist you in finding potentially relevant sites. Based on the criteria you enter, the Stumbleupon search engine will deliver links to pages you are likely to enjoy. The advantage of the Stumbleupon system is that you will be directed only to pages that were well liked by other individuals in the social network. This eliminates the need to sort through the numerous sites brought up by a general search, such as Google. Users rank sites offered and that helps the search engine to fine tune its options.
LinkedIn is a social networking site that is geared towards professionals. Designed to promote sharing ideas, exchanging knowledge and developing relationships with trusted colleagues, world wide, LinkedIn helps business people maintain contacts. You can post questions with the hope that they will be answered by other users, search for employees or employment, and present a public image that may further your career.
SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
Social bookmarking is a method for creating, storing, sharing and managing lists of websites. Collections of websites can be made available for public viewing or restricted to specific individuals or organizations. Some services that offer social bookmarking have expanded their bookmark lists to include ratings systems. The real advantage of social bookmarking comes through the use of tags. Tags are words that define further the uses of the site you find. Later, when you have dozens of websites bookmarked, you can sort them based on the tags you created. Other individuals can do the same when looking at your list of bookmarks and you can search through theirs. It can be a huge timesaver.
Because social networking is a growing trend, there are an increasing number of sites each day. When you choose to join a site, consider your needs, evaluate the content provided by other posters and think about the public image you will be creating. MySpace, a popular social network, has the reputation for being a casual gathering place, which makes it inappropriate for professional connections. Consider how much time you are willing to spend on developing and maintaining your social network. Some individuals blog daily, others only go online to vent. Figuring out what kind of site you are joining is integral to the image you present.
Another little tapped attraction of social networking sites is their ability to generate business. Almost instantly you are connected to individuals world wide who know what you have to offer. Additionally you can use the networks to advertise social gatherings that would otherwise have a limited audience. Joining this new phenomenon is a fun, inexpensive way to develop a web presence. Take some time to look at the options and dive right in.
