Top ten tips for Social Media Networking

Sunday, February 28, 2010

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.

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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

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Networking Opportunities

Thursday, February 25, 2010

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!

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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.

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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.

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Get ways to Succeed With Social Networking

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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.

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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.

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Networking for Women in Business - 5 Successful Tips

Monday, February 22, 2010

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.

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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!

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Basics & Definitions of Computer Networking

Sunday, February 21, 2010

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.

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