For a long time I thought that Social Media and online communities like Face Book, Twitter, etc were just for people with nothing else to do. However, I heard enough about it from people I respected that I dipped my toe in several months ago. The way I dipped was on Face Book, Twitter and Linked in.
I also started to follow individuals and engaged them on line. Essentially I said “Hi, I Like your material.” And just like in our day to day world some responded and some did not. At the same time I started a blog and started Tweeting.
And then I lef a company that I had been working with and started a job/career search. And the results have been very interesting. Several of the people I met on line and people they have introduced me to have all been very responsive to my requests to learn more about them, their work and how they got started. And in fact many have asked for copies of my resume and extended themselves in ways I could not have expected.
My point in sharing this story is that for those of you that think Social Media is not of value, I beg to disagree. I have made some very valuable connections. Now that we’ve engaged we still have to move the relationship forward just like you did when you are making friends outside of the E-World.
If you haven’t started let me encourage you to start. You can start small and experiment to find your way. And here si how to start:
– Set up an Account Face Book, Twitter and or Linked In.
– Post your profile and make some connections
– Post some thing of value (A book review, a piece of news others may not have seen and a little about yourself) I know its risky but making friends can be risky.
– Engage with others. When they say something of interest comment. It’s how you build connections cyber space is just a different channel.
Have some fun.
Who have you met online recently?
What relationship have you started?
Take Good Care
Hi John,
I agree that Social Media can be a great way to make new connections. But for me the key is, “what happens after you have made that connection?” I also blog, and make a lot of comments and discussions on LinkedIn. But the power of these tools is not fully unleashed until you use the personal touch to go from a virtual connection to a live connection. In other words, when people comment on my Linkedin discussions I will check out their profile and see if a face to face meeting is warranted. If it is, I have made a valuable connection. When my connection is strictly from Social Media, the bond is just not as strong.
I absolutely agree about the value of Social Media, but I would encourage people to follow that with an old fashioned, in-person meeting to seal the bond.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom…. Dave
Thanks Dave,
We agree. Social media is just a way to start the conversation. just like in the non virtual world, we have to extend our selves, expose ourselves and ask for a connection. Where ever possible a cup of coffee always deepens the relationship and if that’s not possible a phone call to connect and get deeper can do wonders.
Take Good Care,
J
Good post….thanks for sharing… Very useful for me i will bookmark this for my future needs. Thanks.