Social Networking Stuff

Social Networking and Face-to-Face Marketing
By Barry Siskind

In a recent issue of Trade Show Executive, I read an interesting article about Magic Stick, the winner of the TSE 2009 Innovation Award. Magic Stick is a small gadget, about the size of a computer memory stick that you carry with you. When you see someone also carrying a Magic Stick you can electronically exchange contact information. You each aim, push a button and voila you are networked.

Welcome to the age of High-Tec social networking whose first victims may very well be the handshake and a business card.

Twitter, Facebook, Web 2.0, SecondLife, LinkedIn, Flickr, LibraryThing, Ning, Jaiku, EventPeeps, are here to stay. There is nothing we can do about it nor should we for fear of being labeled Luddites. We should embrace social networking as a positive technology to help us build our personal networks.

This discussion is reminiscent of a time - a decade ago - when the world was a twitter (oops) about something called a virtual trade show and how this heralded the death of face-to-face marketing as we knew it. What happened to virtual exhibitions was that they became an integral part of larger face-to-face events providing year round exposure to products, services and education. What was feared to be an enemy became a powerful ally. The same, I am guessing, will happen to social networking sites.

Face to face marketing needs all the help it can get to maximize its potential and if technology can help, then all the better. But technology cannot replace the power of meeting a vendor or customer and talking about issues eye-ball to eye-ball. Meeting face to face is how we form opinions of people and the institutions that employ them. When we can integrate the technology to enhance our interpersonal contacts then we become winners in this brand new - very old game of networking. Here are a few thoughts as you go about building a productive and profitable network.

• Networks are not mailing lists - Social scientists tell us that each of us has approximately 200 people in our network. When you misuse the technology and build lists that include thousands of contacts you are clearly misusing the tool.

• Find your six degrees of separation - Each of your 200 people also has a network of two hundred, each of their two hundred has two hundred as well. If you take 200 to the sixth power the number is slightly more than six billion which coincidentally includes everyone on the planet. Learning how to tap into these sub-networks opens you to unlimited potential. If you look carefully you can find anyone you want to contact through your six degrees of separation.

• Don’t abuse your network - this is so easy when you simply use your network for commercial purposes. The people in your network are folks you have made a personal contact with. They have families, worries and dreams. When you can treat your network as an extension of yourself and treat these people as individuals you cannot lose.

• Stay in touch - there’s not much point meeting someone at a trade fair, exchanging information and not staying in touch. Treat your network as a living breathing thing that needs attention or it will simply wilt and die.

• Make it a 24/7 habit - don’t just built your network in times of need. You should be constantly looking for opportunities to expand your sphere of influence.

• Give something back - If your network is a living entity then it needs food to survive. The food you provide is in your willingness to give back. This means being constantly on the lookout to offer advice, contacts or a friendly word to your 200 people.

Social networking is quickly finding its place in the face-to-face marketing world. When you combine the power of your interpersonal skills to build your network and then integrate technology to record the experience and maintain contact you have a winning combination.

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The Importance of Social Networking Sites
By Jeffrey Shaw

Social networking websites have exploded in popularity in recent years with millions of individuals interacting with others via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites everyday. Businesses have also joined the social media networking bandwagon and use the sites much like individuals to keep in touch with their customer base as well as reach out to new people. Many people spend hours a day connecting with people and working on their own profiles and pages. Social media websites have become a very important way to communicate online and they are very important for both individuals and businesses.

For individuals social media websites are a great way to share information with friends, family members, and the online community all over the world. They allow people to express their personal beliefs and style in a way never before possible You can learn a lot about a person you have never met by their profile as well as keep in touch with good friends or family members. Social media websites can be used to promote a person’s professional reputation or business or it can be used solely for socialization and fun.

Network marketing has also exploded in recent years thanks to the ease of which social networking websites make communicating online. Businesses have taken advantage of how easy it is to communicate and social networking websites have become an important way for both small and large businesses to communicate with their customers as well as advertise. Networks set up by entrepreneurs can include thousands of people and businesses have come to rely on social media to increase their revenue.

This marketing platform is also important because it offers a way for the average person to reach out and communicate with other people from around the globe. The ease and speed at which people can share ideas and information on a global level has never been possible before social networking websites and it has revolutionized the way information is shared and obtained in the 21st century. Traditional news and information outlets are limited by many factors but information obtained from social networking websites is virtually unstoppable.

Jeffrey Shaw is a serious network marketing entrepreneur who can show serious minded home business owners and network marketers alike proven strategies for generating massive profits and endless leads. Here’s how.

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Social Network Marketing - The Logical Next Step
By Scott R. Wells

So it’s pretty clear that what efusjon is doing with Facebook and social networking is pretty fantastic and revolutionary for the network marketing world. But what’s the next step? Is there any way to predict what’s next in the social network marketing world?

Of course there is. You can look at past trends to predict future behavior.

The Long Tail

We’re on a trend towards the long tail. What this means is that people are focusing less on sheer numbers of people to market towards, but rather are focusing on niche markets of people who have a natural propensity towards what they are selling.

Expect to see the same with network marketing. Social networking websites in conjunction with companies like efusjon is just the first step.

Even More “Niche”?

As social networking becomes more and more fine-tuned, people grouping together based upon common niche interests, you can expect network marketing to follow suit. People will be able to share their MLM concepts with each other in a small, orderly, and fine-tuned manner.

Gone will be the days of pumping out massive loads of material hoping for a little bit to stick. People are realizing that that form of marketing no longer works. People will instead be creating relevant content that sticks.

It is by this attraction marketing technique that people will be able to build trust with their customer base. And this, through the powerful tool of the internet, is what the next step for network marketing is.

The Beacon

Network marketing is changing, but in different ways than people might intuitively expect. It’s not going to get bigger and flashier. It’s not going to get bulkier. It’s not going to get meatier.

It’s going to get smaller, leaner, and more fine-tuned to niche markets. It’s going to be better for individual connections. It’s going to be more human.

It will allow people to truly connect with each other rather than to just sell stuff to each other. It’s a glorious beacon on a hill, which we can all strive for when looking at our MLM ideas and concepts.

And frankly - we’re almost there. The revolution is beginning.

Scott R. Wells is an Attraction Marketing Consultant for the Network Marketing Industry. This is a revolutionary method to market on the internet and attract droves of prospects attracted to your message. These methods utilize the Law of Attraction through Social Networking sites and much more. To learn more please visit http://www.AdditionByAttraction.com to gain valuable free advice and to schedule a free consultation to see if these techniques would be right for you!

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Social Networking in Simple Words
By Marie Ynami

Social networking is not really anything new. Social networking is built upon the concept of traditional networking where one person is connected to another person through people they already know. A social networking site is a place online where someone can create a profile and ultimately build a network of people that will connect him to others.

It is an online community of individuals who share a common interest, activity or hobby. These online communities are web based and provide different ways for members to interact with one another through email or instant messages. Social networking has created a new way of communicating and sharing of information.

The popularity of social networks has increased continuously for teens and also for adults. People who join social networks have various reasons for doing so. Some use social networking to reinforce pre-existing relationships, others use it to make new friends and contacts while others use it to promote new or existing businesses.

Social networking allows people to meet and make connections and relationships - not only personal but also business - both online and offline. Joining a social network requires each member to establish an online presence, connecting with others who have done the same. The connection is made when people click on hyperlinks, which are embedded in profiles, notes and comments.

It is based on the concept of six degrees of separation where two people could be connected through a chain of no more than five other people. When you join a social network, you are able to expand the number of your contacts by making connections with others that you would have never ever met otherwise. How does it work? Simple, you join a social network and invite others that you know to join as well. Those people you invited will ask their contacts to join, who will in turn ask their contacts to join and so on and so on. You will then be connected to each one in some way or another as your profile is exposed to these people who may be interested in what you have to offer.

Marie Ynami is a work at home mom of three, a content producer and internet marketer. She is a step by step web tutor who helps others understand internet marketing in simple words. You can view some of her tutorials at http://www.stepbystepwebtutor.com.

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Exercising Caution on Social Networking Sites
By Terry Philpott

Social networking sites are intended to be online communities where you can ‘let your hair down’ while socializing with others. The lack of formality and anything goes mentality is meant to create a casual atmosphere at these social sites for participants. Online social networking has in fact become so popular that it has become a breeding ground for certain predators. The fact that these sites are open to the public for anyone to join also makes it easy to access and view the conversations at any of the social network sites.

In essence what we have are private conversations that can be viewed by just about anybody. It is therefore wise for members of any of these social sites to practice a little discretion when leaving comments or information since you can’t be sure who may view it.

Let’s look at 3 types of risks you may expose yourself to if you’re not careful when posting any comments or information on any of the social network sites.

Professional Risks

Although socially intermingling does encourage you to relax and ‘let your hair down’ be aware that many companies or organizations have access to these same sites. It has become a common practice for any information or comments left on a site to be used to ‘profile’ that person. So opinions, preferences, or interests could potentially damage you or your career if they fall into the hands of the wrong ‘professional’ sources.

Online Criminal Risks

Phishers, bots, or other elements with less then pure intentions literally troll the social networks in search of any personal information they can find. Their intentions could range from stealing a password to your email to much more sensitive financial information with far greater potential to do damage to you. Extortion, identity theft, or even black mail could be the result so exercise caution and realize that you NEVER know who may be ‘listening’ to your conversations.

Offline Asset or Property Risk

Risks on a more ‘physical’ level are quite possible when releasing the ‘wrong’ information on any online community. Comments that indicate your home address, marital status, or even vacation or work schedule could be used by predators to locate and pilfer your habitat or worse. It is always wise to routinely exercise caution at any of these sites. If people you’re already conversing with are your friends they already know these intricate details about you or your life. There’s otherwise no need to restate any sensitive details online since this poses a potentially harmful risk to you.

The idea behind social networking sites is terrific and obviously a huge hit with the masses. Making available online communities in which you can discuss interest or events with like minded people was something needed online. It is however wise for anyone using these social sites to exercise a little caution when posting comments or information. Online social networking sites are easy access to the general public therefore assume that all your posted information will be on display. By not posting anything you wouldn’t want the general public to see you’ve taken great strides towards protecting yourself online.

TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
For additional Money Making Tips and a free guide that demonstrates how to find both profitable markets and products visit: http://blogbrawn.com/

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