Revisiting Social Media
Networking

Volume VI, Issue 10
ISSN: 1547-7754
March 2009
printable version

Chris King, Editor
By subscription only, this monthly e-newsletter is loaded with short, "down and dirty" tips to help you with solving the everchanging and growing puzzle of the Internet. This e-zine serves as a place to ask your questions and find the answers. So, send me your burning questions.

Important Note! To access the books in the Right Hand margin along with the featured links, click on the printable version and they will all become live links.

With this issue of the Internet Tips E-zine, I am suggesting again (the first time was back in August 2008) that all of you participate in the latest trend - Web 2.0 Social Networking. I'll be totally upfront with you. In July I could have counted my contacts and friends on one hand. As of this writing, I now have more than 1000 new active friends on Facebook and am on my way at Twitter – which I didn’t even mention in my August issue.

What spurred me - a social media networking skeptic - to work on getting involved? Recently, I became involved with a terrific Internet marketing training group. Part of the Social Bookmarking training urged us to become active socially on Facebook to begin with. Part of that was to work on building a large friend network. I still have a lot to learn, but want to share some of what I have learned on this new adventure. Warning: the TIPS I will be sharing are the opinions I have formed and are not necessarily set in stone or universal.

TIP #1. Have an Open Mind When Getting Involved.

As I have already mentioned, I was quite skeptical about Facebook. A bright Internet woman colleague and member of a master mind group to which I belonged started raving about Facebook. I admit that I thought to myself that she was wasting her time. Isn’t that just a group for youngsters? Not so. I have met a large number of great and interesting people from all over the world. Many have similar interests and others have new and different ideas. I have found that all are friendly and offer to be helpful.

I have also found that once I reached the 1000 number of friends, more and more of them were visiting my websites and signing up for my e-newsletter. I am also often “Tagged” which gives me more visibility with the groups. Being tagged for lists has involved more time and effort, but has even afforded me more relationships and interaction through the comments.

TIP #2. Take the Time to Send a Message.

Every time I am notified of a new friend, I always thank them and tell them how “delighted I am that we are now friends.” I have found that it usually opens a dialogue (which I feel is important to answer – even with just a few words). It also helps to make a comment on a photo or profile information. This interaction also is resulting in relationship building for the future. I do receive and answer all messages plus writing on the walls of those who write on my wall.

TIP #3. Facebook No-Nos

There are some who push their businesses and also send out messages to large groups. Be cautious here. Facebook is for friends and relationships. For example, when I am asking new members to become friends, I never ask more than 25 in a day. I also learned the hard way to be careful of the links I click. One was followed up with spamming all of my friends. I learned that is a good idea to always log out when finished with a session and never, never divulge your ID and password.

TIP #4. Join Groups Cautiously and Don’t Hesitate to Leave the Ones that Are Time Consuming.

There are many great groups and depending upon your interests, I originally suggested joining most. I have discovered that even though they sound good, certain groups can eat up a huge amount of time with the messages, etc. Some I joined turned out to be there to push their own agendas, so I left them.

TIP #5. Be an Active Participant, (but choose the extras with care).

There are so many choices of extras – gifts, karma, walls to write upon, cards, millions, games, etc. – it is easy to laugh and get carried away. I have decided that this is one of many networks that I can’t overspend time on – as valuable as I feel it is. I found the page where you can remove the extras you don’t want. It is called “Edit My Applications.” Cuts down on being asked continually.

TIP #6. Even Though I Just Warned Against Overspending of Time, Be Genuinely Interested

When I do have a few extra minutes, I use them to check out profiles and also visit interesting sounding websites and blogs. This has lead me to a whole new Internet world.

EXTRA TIPS from a Beginner (Me!)

• Do include a Photo. It helps to know what one looks like and also serves as an ice breaker.
• If you click on “HOME” you will land on the News Feed Page and learn a plethora of facts about your group of friends and what they are doing.
• If you click on Your Name, you will be taken to your profile page, wall messages and other posts to and from you.
• Be sure to work on completing your profile and include it on your page.

TIP #7. Join and Investigate Twitter.

Again, in the beginning I was skeptical about Twitter. Now I realize that it is HOT! It is one of the fastest growing micro-blogs on the Internet and it can become one of the best marketing tools you will experience. Since my present goal is to learn the ins, outs and advantages of using Twitter, I am planning to make it the topic of the next Internet Tips E-zine issue.

As usual, I have just scraped the surface and hope that you will try it, and like it too!

Do send your comments and questions to me at chris@creativekeys.biz. I love to receive feedback and will answer your questions in future e-zines.