Five Tips for Social Networking with Wisdom

Social networking can be a powerful business asset and the biggest time waster. It's all about making wise choices. Here's what I've learned so far about social networking with wisdom. I bet you can think of others. Please share your wisdom by posting a comment.

1. Know Your Purpose. Why are you here? Do you want to share your knowledge, learn from others, locate old friends, make new friends, make a difference, establish yourself as the go-to expert, stay in touch with colleagues, clients, prospects and referral sources, have fun, share your life, find a job, connect with those who share your interests, sell your products and services, or all of these? The next time you consider joining another social networking site or post an update, ask yourself if it serves your purpose. Does it support your goals? Otherwise, it could just be an easy diversion from doing what's most important at the moment, like making sales calls or meeting people face-to-face. And, if you're using social networking to sell, make sure you're sharing first.
2. Keep It Simple. There are hundreds of popular social networking sites. To conserve my time and energy and avoid technological overload, I focus on three: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. What sites work for you?
3. Bigger Isn't Always Better. Though you may disagree, I prefer to follow those whose tweets I resonate with (so I don't auto follow), Friends I know and LinkedIn connections I trust. I'd rather focus on building authentic relationships and not just the size of my database. It feels right to grow organically.
4. Learn from the Best. I learn from social media experts like Chris Brogan, Desiree Scales, David Nour, and Barb Giamanco. They're smart and generous. Who do you learn from?
5. Trust Your Instincts. We're all learning together. Do what feels right to you. Take some chances as you try out new sites. And, most of all, have fun!

What wise social networking best practices can you add to this list?

Comments

[Tricia Molloy]

Love the 5Ps, Barb! Very wise.

[Barb Giamanco]

Thanks Tricia for the shout out on your blog! I'm glad to know that I've shared a few tips/tricks that have helped you on your social networking journey.

Barb's 5P's of social media success are: Purpose, plan, participation, persistence and patience. Once you get going with the tools that work best for you...you've got to stick with it. It's naive to think that a LinkedIn profile today means "dollars in the bank" tomorrow. This is all about building relationships and creating connections that lead to opportunities. That takes time, but it's well worth it!

[Tricia Molloy]

Thanks for your comments, Cathy and Lya! I'm learning something every day.

[Cathy Payne]

Good points, Tricia. Nice seeing you both on facebook and twitter. I do auto-follow because it saves me time. However, I check incoming tweets daily and stop following anyone who does not provide uplifting or useful information to me. Twitter has really broadened my horizons and carried my message around the globe. What fun!

[Lya Sorano]

Tip # 6: Make sure your profile (e.g. on LinkedIn) is complete and up-to-date. It's better to stay out of this space than to have an incomplete profile or one that seems to have been abandoned months ago.