New Way of Thinking About Networking

Instead of thinking about a network, let's envision a net.

If you place yourself at the center of this net, you can see how your direct links, or connections, extends outward. And each of those links extend outward as well. Yet they are all interconnected. This is what we want our net to look like, and even more, to "work."

I meet too many entrepreneurs and business people who believe or act as though their selling efforts are all direct one on one transactions with their prospects and customers. What they don't realize is that when they build a network, much of the selling and prospecting can actually be done by other people. A network helps you multiply yourself.

In my networking workshops, I ask the question, " How many friends and acquaintances, conservatively, do you think you have?" The answer usually ranges between 200 and 500. My next question is, "How many people do you think each of those people know?" Then we do the math. Conservatively, if each of these people knows only 200 people, that person is " connected" to 40,000 people, only one person removed! Just imagine the numbers with the second and third levels of connection!

So the first hurdle to overcome in building a network is to recognize how powerful connections can be. This is the very important people side of the business that many have a hard time acknowledging or understanding.

In any business, there are relationships to be built. These enable positive progress. We call these relationships a network. People's careers rarely progress solely through individual work; there are usually several people involved in an individual's successful career or business.

Many people cringe at the suggestion of "networking." They feel that they may be building insincere relationships or compromising their true selves by rubbing shoulders with higher-ups in the organization. So, out of principle, some very capable people don't network.

So, let's set the record straight. Networking is not about collecting business cards. It is not about pretending to like someone that you aren't. It is not about catering insincerely to a boss or potential clients.

Networking is about building reciprocal, synergistic relationships with people throughout your organization, your business community, and your life. It is caring about others' progress more than you care about your own. It is establishing trustful, supportive bonds with people who share your goals, or your business goals.

The powerful side of building this network comes with your delivering excellent quality and service. As you build your network, and you provide great service, your network will start to work for you. People will talk to people. Satisfied clients will refer you to others. You are net will actually work.

So, when we look at networking as a sincere effort to build mutually beneficial relationships, it can actually be fun! When you take the focus off of yourself, and place it on others, your whole picture of building relationships can change. You become other directed, rather than selfish. You become caring rather than self -- absorbed. You become interesting rather than boring. Doesn't this sound better?

This approach puts a different focus or in how you can build and enjoy your networks. Instead of collecting as many business cards as you can, and writing the obligatory mail merge letter the next day, you can give yourself permission to have one or two more lengthy, other-focused conversations with people at a networking event.

"Other focused" is a key word in this equation. Many people make the error of trying to get the person to know about their business, as their primary objective of the conversation. People see through this immediately. If you show a true interest in the other person, and avoid trying to talk about yourself in the first several minutes of the conversation, you will go a long way to building what can be a mutually beneficial relationship.

The reality is that the strong majority of people will turn around and ask you about your business, after you have shown a true interest in theirs. This is how reciprocal relationships are built.

One word of caution. Reciprocal relationships don't necessarily mean immediate benefits. You've got to be patient. A network is built over years. One person at a time.

And the more sincere, and helpful you are, and the better quality you deliver, the more mutually beneficial (and fun) your network will be. Yours will be a net that works!

Read more...

Social Networking Websites - Play it Safe

Although social networking and online sites such as Facebook can be quite useful and are extremely popular, it is important to remember that sharing too much information online can be risky. In fact, there are several types of information that many people commonly share on social networking sites that should never be shared online.

If you are planning to go on vacation, never broadcast this online. Too many times the result of sharing vacation schedules and plans ends up in burglaries. Sharing your schedule of when you will not be home is never a good idea. It's better to just tell your friends through email or the phone and then broadcast that you went on vacation once you're back.

You should also never post your address, birthday, year of graduation or any other type of personal information on these sites, because doing so could put you at risk for identity theft. Information that is commonly used as "security questions" for passwords, such as your mother's maiden name, elementary school, or high school are also bad things to post online.

If you collect items of value, such as art, coins or jewelry, you should not discuss this on social networks either. If you do, you could put yourself at risk for theft. This also applies to talking about a new car you may have purchased, or any other information that could make your belongings tempting to criminals. The less information you share about your personal possessions, the better.

Even sites that are designed for professional networking can offer opportunities for problems. For example, if someone knows where you work, and has access to a list of your contacts, they could easily send damaging information about you to your employer, business contacts and customers.

Times have changed with the advent of social networking and excessive sharing of information online. However, it's always good to remember that human beings have not changed and that there are always scam artists out there that are just looking to get away with whatever they can. Whether you post something on a site that you wouldn't want your boss seeing or you disclose information about your whereabouts to the public, you're inviting a problem to occur.

As a general rule, you should never put anything on social networks that you wouldn't feel comfortable telling a total stranger. After all, you never really know who is going to read your information, or what they could possibly do with it.

Read more...

Social Networking Identity Theft

Social networking. Most of us do it. For some of us it's an addiction. But it can be dangerous. Social networking identity theft is on the rise as more and more identity thieves adapt to this increasingly easy way to steal your identity. Once they have your identity, the sky's the limit. They can drain your bank account, run up your credit, and virtually destroy you financially. And it all starts with some "innocent" communication online.

The social networking statistics are in, and they aren't pretty. According to PC World, one third of members of social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and MySpace have at least three pieces of personal information posted on their profile that can make stealing their identity easy for identity thieves. These include full names, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, names of parents, and names of children. When pieced together, this information makes it as easy as creating a fake profile on one of these sites.

Although nearly 80% of people in the PC World poll said they were concerned about their privacy on social networking sites, about 60% said they had no idea what their privacy settings were and who could see their personal information on those sites.

Scary statistics? Yes. A playground for it? You bet.

Social Networking Identity Theft: Prevention Tips

Follow these tips to avoid becoming a victim of social networking identity theft:

Personal Information: How much do you want the world to know about you? Remember: Your friends aren't just finding you on Facebook. Social networking identity theft scammers may be seeking you out as well. Keep your personal information safe by not posting your full name, birthday, address, phone number, and other private information that could be used to find you. Don't even think about posting seemingly harmless information like when you'll be out of town or when you're at the gym. A growing is to identify when you're gone and then pounce to break-in and rob your home. Sound crazy? It happens all the time. Think before you tweet "Going on vacation for a week."

Learn the Rules: All social networking sites are different and they all have their own rules. It scammers take advantage of this vulnerability and prey on you before you even know what happened. They know the faster they get to you, the faster they can rob you. Before you register with a site, read the privacy policy and terms of use to avoid becoming another victim of it.

Restrict Access: You're in control. Always remember that. You don't have to share everything to the world. Most social networking sites allow you to restrict access to your page so only "real friends" can keep up with you. Steer clear of social networking identity theft by only allowing people you actually know (not even friends of friends who could be posing as identity thieves) to be friends and follow you.

Google Alerts: This is free and easy. Just setup a free Google Alerts notification for your full name. You'll get an email every time your name shows up in a search online. This helps prevent it because you can see where, how, and why your name is being searched for online. If it looks suspicious, such as someone pretending to be you, you can take immediate action.

Read more...

Social Networking - Significant Challenges

Social networking sites provide many important benefits and allow people all over the world to socialize or meet in a way that could have been unimaginable by the people few years ago. Despite of the benefits it can give, there are also some significant challenges that are possible to exist and you need to face.

It is very easy to get drawn into the field without thinking about the potential down-side and you have to consider some key elements of online social networking that needs to be notice.

- It is possible that some of social networking sites can be concern over safety. Being the principle of socializing is to provide a way of meeting people in both sides of the world, and sharing information online, but unfortunately there are people who takes advantage of it. They use it in a malicious and dangerous ways. These people can go through social sites or even chat rooms particularly targeting young and people who can gain trust easily.

Safety is the most significant worry that many people have but most social sites now have safety policies and offer each member an advice about how to use their sites in a safe and comfortable way.

- One thing that is often unseen when people signing up into social sites is their major time commitment that can be required. In able to network effectively, you must put a lot of time with it. Sharing information and finding other people to communicate with. The more you sign up with different social sites, the more time is involved.

However some can offer time saving tools that can work on it more productively. Such as using automatically updating your site from a blog, this will ensure that there is regular new content on the social site.

- The reason why people join these sites is to meet new people online, whether they're looking for similar profession, or other interest, they main point here is to look for like minded individuals. The key challenge here is you should know the right social site you're going to find and you should know how to market social networks so others may know how to find you in order to make success on it.

- Technicality is also being talk about. A certain amount of knowledge about is required. Simple procedures such as uploading photos may seem very confusing to someone who uses computer infrequently. For people who need to learn these skills can be a significant challenge.

Conversely, many social sites now offers detailed help pages that can assist them with wanted ask questions.

There is no doubt that these networking sites can provide some highly significant benefits although there are some challenges that people need to consider and work on it. Addressing these challenges will help users understand the aspect of networking.

Proficiency is a deep knowledge of your business; compassion is consistently an extra advantage for your costumer. One key to success is learning to handle challenges that certainly come up. Empower yourself to learn things so you can continue to move forward to achieve your goals.

Read more...

Are you Effective in your Follow-Up System - Networking

Attending networking events is only the first step of the process of networking. It is important to attend events not to give your sale pitch to everybody you meet but to get exposure, to meet people, so you get to know them while they get to know you. You learn more about them and try to help them, so right on the spot you can show a sample of your expertise giving them some advice, instead of trying to sell them anything.

Doing so you attend various event a week and collected numbers of business cards. Now what do you do with those cards? How do you follow-up with people? Do you even follow-up with your contacts? Don't think that sending an email the next day is consider follow-up, because if you just stop there nothing will happen. Don't expect people to pick up the phone and call you just because you spoke for 5 minutes at the event and that you have a great product, because you will be very disappointed.

If you find that you forget to follow up, your 'fears' probably fall into one of these categories:

*Fear of rejection.

*Lack of confidence in themselves and or their products.

*Fear of competition.

*Expect people to call if they are interested.

*Don't know what to say.

*Don't know when to follow-up and how often.

*Don't even know what a follow-up system is.

Maybe you relate to one or more of those and the reason why you never follow-up with your contacts and permanently struggle to get new clients is hidden in those fears.

Think about this: Imagine you hiring a salesperson to sell your products. She attends 4 events a week, gets hundred of business cards a week, you think great she will get lots of clients in no time. Then your salesperson comes back to the office, sits at her deck and waits, waits, waits and waits. After a while you may ask "What are you waiting for?" and she answers "Well I met lots of people last week, so now I wait for them to call, to close the deal and make a sale." Would you pay this person to spend hours at the office waiting for the phone to ring. I don't think so. You will ask her to do her job as a salesperson and go after clients.

Now imagine that you are this salesperson for your own business, if you don't follow-up, and don't take action to communicate with people to close the deal, you are doing the exact same thing. You are wasting money on the table.

Again, making contact with a new people at networking events is just the first step. It is what you do to follow-up that will lead to make a sale, get more clients and success for your business. Having an effective follow-up system in place will help you grow your business without wondering what is the next step to connect with people.

Read more...

Wireless Networking Beyond its Age

Computers have revolutionized our lives. It has changed our lives in so many ways, most of which are good but some of which are not so good. However, the fact remains that we have come to depend immensely on this particular invention of ours. It has become almost impossible for us to lead a life without the computer playing a role in it. Some might say that we have become a slave to this invention. Whether or not that is true, the fact remains that they have made our lives much easy. It is very important to understand that though a single computer can do a number of jobs, for more complex jobs, one needs more than just one computer. These computers need to be connected together to form a network so that they will be able to interact with each other and share the resources in the most efficient manner.

So a network is basically a number of computers that are connected together in a particular fashion. Initially, when the concept of networking was introduced, cables and wires were used to connect the computers physically with one another. But thanks to the development in science and technology, one no longer needs wires or cables. Wireless networking has revolutionized the concept of networking. It has become possible to connect any number of computers to a network wirelessly. And the computers that are connected are referred to as wireless networking computers.

As already mentioned, the world is developing at a very rapid pace. Companies are constantly expanding and becoming bigger and bigger. It is no longer a great thing for a company to have several branches in different parts of the world. The reason for this lies in the fact that for a company or organization to be successful, it needs to make sure it gets the best of all resources. For this reason, going global is very important. When a company is present across different locations, it becomes necessary for people to communicate with their counterparts in other locations. There might be several occasions when people will be needed to work together on a particular project. So networking plays a very important role. And wireless networking is even more important as sometimes it becomes impossible to lay cables and wires across big areas. So wireless networking computers has come in as a boon.

There are several advantages of wireless networking. It is very easy to lay as there are no wires and cables involved. It looks very neat when there are not many wires and cables around. People need not worry about tripping and falling over wires that are in their way. Also as there are no physical connections as such, the chances of the connection getting cut are less. However, everything in this world has both good and bad. The same applies to wireless networking computers. Anyone can get access to the wireless network if he or she knows the password to the network. So while getting a wireless network established, it is very important to keep in mind the security problems that might arise. Proper precautions must be taken to ensure that the wireless network is completely secure and no one other than those authorized to use it should be allowed. Once this is taken care of, everything is fine.

Read more...

Effective Networking

The reason most folks out there are not able to maintain a workable networking is majorly because of certain factors that we shall consider here. What it really means by effective networking once again is efficient, efficacious; result oriented networking system in which the purpose of its existence is never defeated. It has been my observation that most people do not achieve the right results in networking and even in relationships generally, as a result of something in them which is blindly inherent, and cannot be quickly discovered for proper attentions.

For effective networking, the individuals involved must be ready to feel free and develop the proper sense of belonging that can help sustain a relationship. You will pitch up your tent with me that; this networking we are talking about is just like a common relationship. We all know it is important for the people in relationships to exercise certain degree of psychological freedom in terms of their thinking and how they view themselves. The same principle is also applicable here most especially when in very crucial need of workable networking system. The major problems that do not allow us to achieve this include: fear of rejection, arrogance, complacency, bad attitudes and others.

Considering the above, we can ask ourselves that; why do people nurse mostly the feeling that they will be rejected? Why is it that it is the negative that comes first? I believe it is because of the nature of such peoples' mind. I understand we live in a more or less negative environment, but we also have the needed inspiration to motivate us out of the minuses. It implies that we choose that way we live our lives; if you choose to live with fear then you may live in mediocrity for the rest of your live. Arrogance I am sure is an attribute of the confined mind; a confined mind is also a limited mind that will never see reasons to come down from his horse. Arrogance is never found in great minds.

If you are haughty, you are pretty hot on fire that will soon reduce you into the ashes of everlasting irrelevance. It is very abnormal, unusual an unnatural for a living being to be complacent. For successful networking, complacency is not welcome. This is because when you are self-complacent, you lose the motivations to yearn for more. There is something of great potentials in you that become assassinated in complacency. Bad attitudes are the worst, because you will always be at loss if you encourage such.

To start and maintain your network, you must also be committed, persistent with discipline as your watchword. Have a big self esteem, and most importantly, be able to socialize very well.

Read more...

Give Importance for Content in Social Networking Sites

Content is 100% important. Social networking is not going away because it is doing something very strong; it provides for the psychological need to socialize. That's what Web 2.0 is overall. It puts our humanness put on top of the technology. It is a way to take technology and turn it, so it is satisfying our psychological needs as humans and one of those needs is getting information.

The number one way the Internet was used when it first started, was to find information. Even now there are basically three reasons people are on the Internet. They're looking for information, relationships, and entertainment.

Relationships can be from finding a date to finding a vendor or customers. Information can be anything from how do I market my business better or lose weight to who is that actor in that movie that I can't remember. That's what people go to the Internet to look for.

Use information in your social networking content because this is what people are looking for. They are looking for information. When they are on these social networking sites they want to connect. They want to get their questions answered. They want to post questions and get resources; that's part of why they are using social networking.

By providing them with information you are giving yourself the opportunity to be showcased as an expert. This is part your visibility.

How much content do you feel you need to deliver? Let's take Twitter as an example.

- How many times do you need to Tweet pure content?

- How frequently can you intersperse a sales message or something in there?

Think of offline networking. Your content should be 10 or 15 to 1, something like that. The content needs to be vastly more than sales. Everyone will shy away from the person that's shoving their business cards and shoving a sales letters in people's hands and begging for business.

People are not on social networking sites because they want to get deluged with sales messages. They are on there because they are looking to connect, for promotion, credibility, and all of that other stuff.

You have to give them a connection before you can ask for a sale. The above ratios are helpful but you need to use your gut. Have you been promoting other people's stuff, putting up content, connecting with people enough or do you need to do more of that before you start asking for the sale?

Think of it as you're talking to somebody one-on-one. Are you at a point where you are going to be chasing people away or is making a sale the next level to the relationship?

Read more...

Networking - Media

Networking is all about building relationships...and it's no different when networking with the media. You are never trying to sell anything - you are simply getting to know the other person.

By getting to know your local media contacts in print, online, and on television and radio you can be top of mind when they're looking for an expert source in your industry for their stories.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Develop a Relationship: Ask about their personal interests, family, hobbies, etc. and share your personal interests. Then let them know about your expertise in other areas so they can call you as a source for other articles.

Invite the Media: Send the media invitations and tickets to your events. If your budget can handle it invite them along to certain events as your guest or at a greatly reduced rate. Recognize that quality news media people are sensitive to being bought. Your invitation does not entitle you to cheery coverage if something goes sour.

Be Flexible: Be willing to work with the media. They may have a different concept about profiling your business than you do and go with it. They are not giving you a free advertisement - they have their audience in mind.

Tight Deadlines: Remember that reporters and editors are busy and are nearly always pressed for time. Appeal to their need to save time. Give them what they need in the form they need it. Anticipate their questions and have appropriate answers ready.
Be available, easily reached, and completely prepared for comment.

Remember the Story: Journalists need a story, not a sales pitch, so determine the best way for your company to be part of a bigger story that affects your community or the nation.

Say Thanks: When a story is written about you or your business send a hand-written note of thanks to the reporter or freelance writer and the editor. This will go along way to help you stand out from the crowd.

Keep in Touch: When you read other articles they've written, keep in touch with a note offering feedback on the story. You may be able to offer a quick suggestion for another angle at the same time.

Remember to make it easy for the media to do their job. When asked on short notice to do an interview, do everything possible to meet their deadline...they'll remember and call you when they need your expertise for the next story.

Read more...

Social Networking Future

Social networking has come a long way since the days of aol chat. Instead of the one dimensional chats that you had with a few of your friends and a few smiley's to describe your feelings, the interactions are more interactive than ever before.

Today we have Facebook and MySpace where you get customized apps on Facebook to discuss different aspects of your personalities and to share thoughts with friends, and then you can also create personalized pages on sites, such as MySpace and Squidoo.

That begs the question of where social networking is heading in the future. My thought is the following based upon what sites and tools are around right now.

1. Mobile is in and we will see that video and photo sharing are just the beginning as more and more apps that can handle what you do on your computer on your phone. The speed of mobile will continue to increase as mobile computing becomes not only an option, but the main choice for cellphones.

2. A social network for every niche, topic, profession, and hobby. Now that we have major networks, the next step is for smaller networks of like-minded people to join together on smaller networks where you will not need to search for people like you, since they will be the only ones there. That means a 50 year old business executive does not have to search through Facebook looking to network with other executives and only finding people you want to in your network.

3. The future of social networking will be different as our interaction with it will change, so we can in the future not only type our thoughts, but we will see a virtual reality version of social networking that will create a more interactive social networking experience.

The future of social networking will promise new technologies that will enhance our ability to connect with who we want, when we want, and how we want.

Read more...

Squidoo

Launched in 2005 by Seth Godin with headquarters situated in New York, Squidoo is a community website which enables its users to create html pages without knowing HTML on their subjects of interest. These pages are called lenses. Success can be contributed to the fact that it is in the top 500 most visited sites in the world and among the top 300 most visited sites in America. Squidoo grew at a phenomenal pace in 2008 by 91% and last year it had around 1 million lenses.

As per Godin's eBook "Everyone's An Expert", he says that by lens he means filtering and showing what we actually want to see. These lenses are much like blog posts.

Squidoo can really provide a platform to market yourself or your business not just because of the reach but for other powerful reasons. Squidoo looks really neat in its appearance. These lenses are placed into niche categories so you could really pinpoint someones area of expertise allowing for easier search and find capabilities. Hence, this works like a lens as whatever you write has to be specifically related to that particular area of expertise.

Suppose a company wants to popularise its campaign about saving paper and is planning to launch a new product, say notebooks, they can create a lens on Squidoo and spread the word about how cutting trees for paper is harmful for our environment. Then when planning to launch a product they can have views from other people as to whether or not they should come up with such a product. Hence in this way companies will be able to test its product before launching it on the market. All these sites provide an elite audience who can really think and can give you critical reviews.

Today more and more companies are going global and using these networking sites to spread their messages and viral marketing campaigns. Squidoo can prove to be a really good marketing research tool as companies through their artfully made lenses can reach a much wider audience. A company can conduct market research through Squidoo where they can ask the questions to the people who follow their lense and create reports based on that feedback. Squidoo like other networking sites exposes you to a large audience at very low cost and in very little time. It helps in building customer relationships while providing your company or project greater flexibility. It provides businesses with easy access to global markets.

As more and more companies are going global and following such marketing tools there is a new scenario which has came into the picture that is called information overload. This refers to the fact that more and more people are having the same sort of information hence with its unique way of making lenses on a particular area Squidoo can really provide breakthrough information to people who want to connect to their audience and have a unique place in their mind and heart. Today more and more companies are using these networking sites to spread their message and easily reach a broader audience than they were ever able to do before.

Read more...

Online Social Networking

Back in the "old days", people networked or communicated in the following ways:

1. Meeting people face to face
2. Writing letters, i.e. Pen Pals
3. Telephone calls

As we have now entered the Information Age, it is now easier more than ever to network with others. As a result, online social networking has opened doors that did not previously exist.

With the presence of Internet social network sites like Facebook, PeopleString, and MySpace, one can communicate with friends and family by email or by downloading videos and photos. Online networking has made it possible for people to communicate with each other across the country as well as around the world-where they would otherwise never have the opportunity to connect.

As social networking becomes more and more popular among people and businesses alike, new social websites will emerge, bringing thousands of people together for a variety of purposes, such as:

1. Career advancement-finding jobs
2. Dating-finding a suitable mate for a long lasting relationship
3. Forming groups or clubs that share a common interest
4. Announcing or broadcasting important events
5. Maintaining contact with friends and family who live far away

Online networking also provides low cost or free advertising for businesses. This explains why many businesses now have either fan pages on websites like Facebook or a Twitter account. Business owners in general now realize the ability of social websites to reach millions of people. As an added incentive, many of these business fan clubs give their fans special discounts or savings that they otherwise would not receive.

Whether you love or hate social networking or have no opinion about it at all, online networking is here to stay, and it can be extremely beneficial to anyone who uses it. To really take advantage of online networking, I suggest that people join as many of these sites as possible so that you can contact lots of people to develop long-term relationships. Social networking is something that should be embraced rather than feared.

Read more...

Networking tips for small Businesses & Soloists on a Budget

Simple ideas that work perfectly for small businesses and soloists on a budget. Marketing does not have to be rocket science and does not have to be expensive to work successfully for you!

1. Create alliances within your circle of influence

Amongst the peers you trust, foster relationships to refer and receive referrals. Work together on joint ventures to expand your opportunities. Create newsletters together to double, treble, quadruple your database of potential clients. Share advertising opportunities together, expo stands etc if you have like minded products suitable for clients in the same buying cycle

2. Network to grow your business

Don't shy away from networking opportunities, make the effort to represent your business and watch the synchronous doors open. Be passionate about your business and sum it up very briefly with a hook of "what it is in for the listener". Rather than say you are a web designer, say "I create generating income websites that work while you sleep". Far more interesting to the listener and more likely to be a conversation starter.

3. A user friendly website is your best silent salesman

When did you last click through the links on your website? Is your site easy to navigate, is it up to date and is it search engine optimised. What year is noted at the very bottom of your template? Are your contact details visible on every page? Is there a call to action on every page? Is there a way to collect email addresses from site visitors respectfully? Can you read your web diagnostics, if not ask your administrator how so that you can take advantage of the marketing opportunities tracked behind your website.

4. Find ways to thank your clients

The great advantage of small businesses is the personal relationship you develop with your clients. Be unique and think of creative ways to thank your clients. Small and personal is generally really appreciated, don't try to compete on dollar terms with big business. For example, invite a client to attend a seminar, breakfast, information session, networking event with you.

5. Adopt the give not get policy

What can you do for a prospective client or existing client without expecting anything in return? Can you network two clients who will benefit from this business connection? It costs you nothing to connect people and making introductions that will benefit both their businesses means both parties will be grateful you thought of them. This is a win-win for everyone.

Read more...

Top ten tips for Social Media Networking

Social media networking is the new fad in doing business online. It has revolutionized internet marketing and changed the way people socialize in the World Wide Web for the benefit of their business. Countless are joining social media networks but only a few really know how to completely exploit its full potential. Following are 10 tips that can help you grow your business and attain financial success with the use of SMN.

1. Pull, Do Not Push
Do not push your products or services to your contacts, instead, build a connection founded on trust. Allow them to have confidence in your business. Let them believe in the quality of what you offer. Set an image that every dollar they will spend on you will be worth it. This way you will be pulling their interest. You will no longer need to tell them to buy your products, they will voluntarily look for them.

2. Let the Social Media Network Know You Exist
Actively participate in conversations to get yourself acquainted with other users. Your participation will send the message that you like helping others.

3. Content is King, but Conversation is Queen
Content is king not only when it comes to search engine crawlers, but also to people. People, especially those in business like reading websites with sense. Make sure your content captivates their interest and gives an impression that you are knowledgeable and reliable. Participate in conversations and share what you know. Content and conversation when paired together will do wonders.

4. Maintain Authenticity and Transparency
Be real. Do not claim to know something you don't as such will just get you into trouble. Be open. Do no keep skeletons in the closet. Be honest. Admit mistakes and speak of ways you can make amends.

5. Do not Attempt to Participate in Each Social Network
It is impossible to participate in every social media network. Hundreds are out there and new ones keep on coming up. If you engage in too many social sites, it is certain that you will not be able to properly maintain all of them. You might even forget some of them. Properly maintaining a few social networks is better that poorly maintaining many of them.

6. Give and You Shall Receive
Help whenever there is a chance. This will help forge strong bonds between you and the other members as well as create a good image for you and the business you represent. Help people and they will surely help you back, maybe not now but in the near future. Earning the trust of people who know you care will be easier.

7. Follow the Rules of Real World Marketing
Social media is just another channel of marketing. Still adhere to the ethics and guidelines of marketing offline or in the real world. Implement your damage control measures both online and offline.

8. Prepare Your Mindset and not just Your Toolset
Your social media networking campaign is not just a tool but and entirely new approach on its own. Do not think of it as indispensable, as it can make or break your brand online.

9. Be Yourself
Be true to who you are and do not pretend to be somebody else. Do not become a poser. Post your own pictures, use you real basic information. Being true to yourself is the first step to gaining the trust of others. Lie and someone will catch you sooner or later.

10. Share Findings
Whenever you stumble upon something you think might help in social media networking, share it with others. Be open to discussions and debates.

Read more...

Know about Elements & Components in Computer Networking

When studying computer networks, one must consider the main elements that will compromise the computer network. The main elements that must be considered will be presented below:

1. Message: the message is a generic term that scribes the data to be transmitted. It can be email, webpage, user call, instant message, or any other forms. The message is generated by the end user that needs to make the transmission. This message will be fed to the network later.

Generally, the message is generated using software installed on computer. For example, if the message is email, it will be generated by email programs such as outlook. Also if the message is a web page request, it will be generated by a browser such as internet explorer. It can also be generated by a chatting program is it represents a call by the user.

2. Medium: the medium is the transmission path over which the data will be transmitted. Is is used to connect the end user with the network device or to connect the network devices with each other.

Many types exist for the medium. Mainly it can be wired or wireless medium. The wired medium can be copper or optical fibers. The copper is subdivided into coaxial cables and twisted pairs. The copper wires carry data as electrical pulses while the optical fiber carry data as light pulses. The wireless medium carries data as electromagnetic waves. Each of the above mediums has its own specifications and used according to the application.

3. Devices: there are two basic types of devices in the network: end user devices and network devices. The end user device is considered to be the source of the message. It can be a client computer or an IP phone. The function of the end user device is to send the data to the network.

On the other hand, the network devices are used along with the medium to forward the data generated by the end user device. They are located in between the end user devices and connected between them through the cables.

The main function of the computer network devices is to forward the data to the correct destination based on the address that is send along with the data. The two main devices that accomplish this are the routers and the switches. The router forwards the data according to the IP address while the switch forwards the data according to the MAC address inside the data frame.

4. Rules: the rules are the protocols that used between the end user devices that organize the communication. The two popular protocols are the IP protocol and the TCP protocol. When the end user needs to send the data, it runs a conversation first with the other device according to a set of rules that prepares for the transmission. Each network uses its own protocols set up by the administrator of the network to manage the operations inside the network. Note that this element is a software element and is set up by software programs

Read more...

Networking Opportunities

If you had the choice, would you rather forego in-person networking in favor of something that is less unnerving and more enjoyable? So, what makes us shy away from, or downplay who we "truly" are during networking... that it feels like "selling"? The good news is, you can eliminate your pattern of shying away from in-person networking and truly be your "real" self in this context. Read on...

What would an ideal networking experience for you...?

* Look like?: a sports event, any type of competition, an exhibit, a treasure mapping party
* Sound like?: a lecture at a university, a musical concert, a presentation at a local coffee shop or community centre
* Feel like?: a charity auction/event, an indoor rock climbing facility, a psychic fair, a live comedy, a wedding
* Smell and taste like?: a wine tasting function, a reading at a communal table in a coffee shop, a candle party

Feel more motivated to network now? Great! Keep reading...

5 simple strategies for finding your ideal networking match:

1. Brainstorm 25 fun activities that you would be willing to commit to, and do or attend.
2. Use your intuition (i.e. your right, not your left brain) to come up with your "top 10" favorites.
3. Plan or spontaneously participate in at least one event per month, and create an intention for it, such as: "I will practice asking people what they love to do, and will share that aspect of myself if my listener expresses interest."
4. Leave your inner judge behind, and simply get out there and play! That is right; it does not have to feel like work!
5. Tell others what traditional networking makes you feel like, and how this (event) is a much more fun alternative! (This is optional - but it does help break the ice.)

Just because you are not in a traditional networking meeting or function does not mean that you cannot slip into a conversation with someone who approaches you with a comment, compliment or question. Or you can make the first move and initiate a chat with someone whose vibe feels good to you. Who knows, your friendly conversationalist may even reciprocate with similar queries or comment. And at this point, you will be able to share how you serve others, or whatever topic springs to your mind that is appropriate, energizing and aligned with your networking intentions.

Finally, look at networking reluctance as a sign that you are out of sorts in certain contexts or that you are unwilling to ignite the extroverted side of you. (It is as easy as: If you can speak, you can network successfully! *smile*) If you choose an environment that feels natural to you, you will find it much easier to cast your shy mask behind and immerse yourself in your surroundings. Besides, instead of investing energy in worrying about the first and last impression you make, trust that you will attract the best people for you, at that particular point in time. Be thankful for the experience, forget about results, and you may even lose track of the fact that you are networking. Have fun!

Read more...

Most useful tips for Networking in Business

Anyone who is into any scale of business can't over emphasize the importance of social networking. Business gets proliferated if you can reach out to a larger market; cater to everyone who might benefit from your services. For this to happen, you need to adopt a communications strategy which is avant-garde as well as deeply rooted in the human laws of hospitality and fraternal feelings. A careful balance of the public and private spheres can help you forge such contacts, which can just take help you destructively make your way to the top of The Forbes' list.

But connect with people, conveying a genuine interest in them. Don't let your private gains come in the way of these essential moments of relationship building. Do a bit of research on any person you are going to meet. The company they keep, the interests they endow, the food or drink or TV program they love to "consume." When you strike up a conversation with anyone in a social gathering like a business party, you need to have a game plan in mind.

Let's discuss that game plan.

Knowing the Right People and their Weakness.

An integral part of networking is about knows the right people to talk with. In a party, there are is equal proportion to good to worthless people. Don't waste your time on someone whose vision is so short sighted that he or she might detract you form the path of success. You might be wondering that if you try to grab the attention of the bigwigs, you might come across as a wannabe. It doesn't exactly work that way.

Maintain Amiable Relations with Everyone

Not everyone needs to know about your business. Interact with them on an informal basis. They will find that approach a lot friendlier than your useful proposal presentation techniques. Make the connection matter, by checking on these people from time to time. Pay attention to their needs and requirements and fulfill these to your best possible means.

The First Impression Makes all the Difference

Dress for the occasion. Your attitude gets reflected in your fashion sense, whether you are laid back in your approach, flamboyant in your business moves, sober at your moments of personal victories, everything can be perceived by your unconscious wardrobe choices. Casuals are a strict no-no since they give off an impression of lack of seriousness. Be washed up and look refreshed. Don't let those dark circles show that you have been burning the midnight oil to make your enterprise stand on its feet. Hide those imperfections beneath a veil of meticulously acquired sophistication. Have your witty anecdotes and relevant quips up your sleeves. If there is any particular opposite gender business executive you wish to impress, don't come across as a flirt. Stay updated with the current business trends, you might need to make a value judgment. Be informed and diplomatic in your statements. You are going there to make friends, not increase your competition.

Read more...

Successfully Networking

Networking can be a very important aspect of a person's life. Not only can networking be helpful in the business aspects of a person's life, but the connections you have and the people you know can often be helpful in many different areas of life. Whether you are looking for a job, trying to grow a small business, looking for others who share your interests in a particular charity, or any other reason, networking can be a good way of making beneficial contacts.

The average person has a larger network than what they might realize. Many people only think of a network in regards to their business contacts, but in reality, a person's network consists of everyone they know. This includes your friends, co-workers, coaches, professors, relatives, and anybody you have worked with or have gone to school with in the past.

One of the most useful things about networking is that everyone you are personally connected with also is connected to a network of their own. So in reality, indirectly you also have access to the people in other people's networks as well as your own. People sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable extending their connections to another person's network, but it is a valuable networking resource that should not be overlooked.

Thanks to the Internet, people now have access to even larger networking opportunities. Through social networking sites such as Facebook and others, you can make connections through common interests with people you didn't even know previously. This can be a powerful tool to use when trying to expand your personal network.

When developing a network, it is important to realize that every connection will not produce immediate tangible benefits. It is also important to remember that a network should benefit everyone, so help should be given as freely as it is accepted. It is also important to always be appreciative of any help that is received as a result of a network connection.

Read more...

Get ways to Succeed With Social Networking

Social networking has become the most popular activity on the internet within the last few years that it has been introduced. At first the concept was presented as an unclear approach to browsing and visiting new types of websites and establishing your existence as an individual on the web. Now, these networks are called web 2.0 sites, better and popularly known as Social Networking sites and Social Media. These channels have a seemingly very large number of visitors and users who interact with each other and so a new marketing revolution came into existence after the birth of socializing networks. This platform is considered to be the most effective ways to bring people to your website and to get traffic to your blogs.

Any social networking site today has loads of features to offer its users. It acts as a service or tool on the web world and helps in making a community to interact with each other and also places the ability on the users to create their own profiles with any information about them and their lives, personal as well as professional.

Many people use socializing sites to create their own content, and also to share it with others. Socializing also helps in connecting with friends and other users online and also helps make new friends in the process. There are already many socializing sites that are on the internet such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. But had you been wondering how to socialize successfully online so that you can become popular or so that you can promote something that you have or to generate traffic to your business?

The problem with most people and their disappointment in socializing is because most people expect to register on a socializing site and offer their set of services to the people out there on the site and then expect a large number of visitors within the next few days which is obviously impossible. Like once said, when you sow a seed, you must wait for the fruit. Similarly, when you join a socializing network, it takes time to network with a whole lot of people there and it may take a few connections before you start to see the visitor rate grow to your site. While many say that generating traffic by means of social networking is simple, this is not always the case. You sure must put in some effort to succeed in socializing and networking.

The first rule to follow will be to not think of socializing sites as a platform to promote your advertisements or any press releases and announcements. Don't blabber about your company right away when you join a socializing site. The basic thing about socializing is to be a part of it first. If you socialize there in a friendly manner, you are bound to get a few connections and then you can "suggest" them the services you offer. Actively participating in discussions that are on the site, replying to posts of others, and following what other people say on the site are all a necessity to be noticed on the platform since all these activities keep you active on the site and many see you often making you a trustable person. Add people to your friends list when you find them interesting and do not keep any requests from others pending. Create and join groups and start discussions related to your services but DO NOT promote the services right away showing them that you are desperate to sell or spread the word about you or your services.

Many fail in socializing because they fail to understand the basic guidelines described above. If you learn to master the above concepts and remain active, then you can succeed on social networking sites for sure in no time at all.

Read more...

Networking Events in Music Industry

In the music industry you need to have a lot of contacts. For better or worse, people like to work with people that they know, especially when they are pulling long hours in recording studios or on the road. Therefore, good networking can prove to be the key to your success in the music industry. Since so many music professionals have also recognized that this is true, there are many music industry networking events in cities across the nation all year long.

Networking opportunities can crop up in even the most mundane situations. You might be invited to a friend's baby shower and meet someone there who has a recording studio. You might be waiting for a meeting at a record label and meet another musicians with whom you later collaborate. If you are listening to live music at a club, there might be a music business networking opportunity with the performers, the club owners, or other music industry reps who came to listen to the performance. You should always have your business cards with you and put your best foot forward. You never know what chances might arise.

There are also a lot of music industry networking events that are planned by the industry and attended by professionals looking to make more contacts. For instance, Billboard has an annual networking event that consists of vendor booths, industry related talks, and plenty of time to meet other professionals over drinks and dinner. While it may seem to the outsider like a weekend of fun, it is actually a lot of work to meet new people and make new contacts. Universities like Belmont and Berklee also provide formal networking sessions, both for their student and alumni as well as for the general public. If you are gregarious but not too pushy, truly any meeting can become a music business networking event.

Read more...

Networking for Women in Business - 5 Successful Tips

Networking is all about connecting with other people to see if you can offer something to them, be it a service or product, or referrals for their business. Building relationships is an essential part to networking and the most valuable.

Everyone at a networking event is there to sell their product or service. Unfortunately, networking events are not the best place to make a sale. They are however a great place to make connections - and connections are the key factor in growing a successful business.

These five points are basic networking fundamentals:

1. Presentation

People don't buy your product or service, they buy you. If a prospect isn't sold on you personally you have no chance of even beginning a sales transaction.

Your personal presentation is extremely important. Most people will make judgement on you upon first sight. If you are unsure about your personal image, speak to an image consultant to get that professional look. The very basics are to wear well fitted, good quality business attire. Ensure your shoes are clean, your nails are groomed, and if you're a woman, your make up is neat and professional.

Your body language also tells a story. Ensure you keep your head up, shoulders back, with your arms by your side and a smile on your face. This indicates you are confident and approachable.

Another fundamental point is your handshake. A networking contact can be made and lost with a handshake. Your handshake should be firm, not floppy, but not overpowering. Make eye contact, and be confident.

2. Business Cards

Always make sure you take your cards to a networking event. There is nothing less professional than arriving without cards.

Your business cards should be professionally printed and contain your contact details. A good business card will also contain product or service information. An excellent business card is one that gets remembered, and studies have shown that coloured cards are far more appealing than black and white.

When receiving a business card, it is polite to read both sides of it. If you're receiving a business card from an Asian contact, it's polite to receive it with both hands, and treat it with reverence.

3. Give Value First

Trying to get business for yourself from people you have just met is unlikely to work. To form a valuable relationship built on good will and trust you must give value first without asking for anything in return. When you meet someone, ensure you ask about what they do. Then think of people in your contact list who might be able to use there services and pass them on.

4. Keep Details

When you do get details from people you meet ensure you write them down shortly after you have finished talking with them. Write down more than just their contact details, write down personality traits, family details, hobbies, memory joggers of the conversation or anything that actually helps to describe the person.

Jotting these ideas down on the back of their business card is a good way to keep the details handy. Also jot down any appointments or commitments to follow up that you've made.

5. Conversation

Having good communication skills are paramount to starting a good relationship. When talking to them ask them about certain things such as, where are they are taking their business next, how they got started in business, what challenges are them facing right now.

Not only do these questions make you seem genuinely interested in them and their business but it gives great insight on to how you can help them and take your relationship to the next level.

Read more...

Ways to select the Best Social Networking Script - Its setting requirements

A lot of the bad reviews a number of of these social site scripts are getting are due to clients not clearly comprehending what they required in the first place. As a result, what they purchase can never live up to their expectations, as they are not really certain of what is they are meant to expect!

To assist you out in selecting the best social website software, I've put together the below to help you comprehend what it is you really require. It could appear obvious, but for someone with no IT or software development experience, it can really be quite difficult.

I will take as an example the setting of requirements to set up a specialized community network website for backoffice banking employees (we will call the site "BBE" in the below). Simply apply the logic to whichever social networking site project you are working on.

Identifying the goal:

The goal of BBE is to build a site where backoffice banking employees (bbes) can get together,associate and share knowledge.

Identifying the visitor community:

The visitors are either bbes or individuals working in the financial recruitment business. The visitors speak English and come from banks all over the globe. Visitor community requirements

The bbes have the following community needs:

- Associating with others in the same business
- receiving career offers from recruitment agencies
- easy access to common backoffice banking documentation which apply to all financial institutions

The recruitment agencies have the following requirements:

- easy access to profiles from banking employees
- way of contacting the banking employees

Website needs:

So, in order for the BBE website to be doing well, the below is required:

- distinct types of profiles for bbes and recruitment agencies
- opportunity to invite and propose associates
- opportunity to send mails and instant messages
- message job board with opportunity to apply
- A wiki for widespread banking documentation
- video and audio upload capacities to support the wiki
- Membership management: Membership for bbes is without charge, recruiters require to pay a monthly fee
- advertising modules for books and business meetings
- RSS to support the wiki
- and so on...

You get the point. What I'm doing here is identifying needs for my site based on the requirements of the visitors. What you shouldn't do, is acquire a social networking website script and then see how you can push its functionality down onto your visitors. It sounds obvious, but you'll be surprised how many people make this horrible misstep.

As a webmaster, you could find it really cool that your site enables visitors to "poke" one another, but my backoffice banking employees will not be so impressed.

The visitors describe the community needs. Once you have your list of needs, you can begin comparing it to the features each of the script packages has to offer and acquire the best social networking website script for your site!

Read more...

Basics & Definitions of Computer Networking

Suppose two persons that have data stored on some media, say hard drives. If the two persons need to share this data with each other, what will they do?

This question is the basis on which the networking principle is built. The two persons can send the data to each other by copying it to movable drive say flash memory and giving it to each other. This can be well if it will not be happening continuously. But what if the two persons need to send data every day or even every hour? It will be difficult to send it to each other especially if they remote from each other.

The idea of networking has been arisen from such cases. Instead of sending data between two or more people on movable devices such as floppy disks, they can easily connect their computers to each other. Every person who wants to transfer the data to his friend can easily transfer it through the network.

So how will the data be transferred across the network? Simply by connecting computers of different persons to each other by means of cables the data can be easily transmitted. Thus the media will be cables rather than movable devices although it can be also wireless device. The wireless device will send the data in air by electromagnetic waves. It will be electrical pulses if the data are transmitted on cables.

In fact networks can be used not only to share data but also to share devices such as printers and CD-ROM. One user on a floor can use a printer that is connected to another computer on anther floor by means of the network. The same is true for CD-ROM. This must be configured on both computers by the operating system. This benefit of networking makes it helpful for people to use remote devices on their office. Also it reduced the cost because on printer or one CD-ROM is used for all members of the network.

Mainly the network will be composed of a set of computers and a printer. This set of computers will be responsible for sending the data to each other. One computer also may use the printer to print documents. If the network looked like this, it will be called peer to peer. In this scheme, all computers are the same and have equal processing power. The information is also distributed across them equally. There is no device that has more data in its hard drive.

On the other hand, if there is at least one computer in the network that has more stored data and more processing power and speed, then the scheme will be called server-based networking. The computer that has the more data storage and the higher processing power will be called the server. This scheme can be defined also as a client-server based model because the other computers in the network that have normal processing power will b treated as clients that will request data from the server. The internet is build over this scheme where the home computers are the clients and the computers that serve them are called servers. The most popular server type is the web server which forwards page to the clients in the home or offices.

Read more...