–Relationships matter more!

I don’t know about you, but the hype over having large communities might be a little over rated.  That is if you look at sheer numbers to determine influence.

Here’s what I mean, if you have recently received a “Facebook Friend” request, then ask yourself:

1) How does this person know me?

2) Why do they want to connect?

3) Do I really care?

4) What will I give back?

5) Have I tossed the ping-pong ball back by visiting them and giving a meaningful “shout-out” or acknowledged their presence?

It’s so easy to accept a request, only later to find out that you’ve been fooled by a spammer! Or worse, that you’ve become a “taker” and not a giver.

That applies to Twitter too!  Really, any community that you commit to joining expects something of you–engagement.  Will you “bring it” when you join?

Here are five tips to being a “giver” and not a taker while social networking:

1) Listen first.  Try get a sense for what your audience likes.  If it doesn’t work for you, swap out a friend or two to improve the quality of your network and relationships.

2) Think about what they need.  Give them both what they want and need.  You’ll only know this if you’ve grown your community in a targeted way.

3) Mix it up a little by making the shift from “marketer” to “problem solver”.  Stop pushing your stuff and pull a little to figure out a solution you can respond with.

4) Stop looking for your angle.  You know what I mean…you’ve got a favor “you” need.  STOP!  Put agendas aside and just “be here now”.

5) If you feel you have nothing of value to say, then be okay with contributing a “ditto” via RT (re-tweet).  Imitation is still the greatest form of flattery. Oh, and saying nothing at all might be the wise course too.

Ultimately, never forget that social networks are just platforms, and that we must humanize the tools.  A case in point, not long ago I noticed that Starbucks had a post on Twitter for a talent opportunity. Notice the human touch after I contributed a response…

Saw this while online

Thought of who in my network would fit.

They provided a human response. Notice the initials.

At the end of the day, people care about, and want to do business with people that the know, like and trust.  So be more than a “friend” or a “follower” taking up space on someones profile – be engaged and watch your influence shoot through the roof!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Growing a new community is hard work and may not change people’s habits (socialmediatoday.com)
• How to build your following on social sites (solutionset.com)
• 10 Ways to Measure Social Media (howtospoter.com)

ONN - Ohio and Company

Good morning!

So jazzed that we were privileged to be featured on the Ohio News Network with Eve Mueller and Wade Meyer (Inviting Conversations).

The focus of the segment was to highlight what social networking “newbies” could do to ensure success.  Here are a few tips I’d like to add:

Tips for getting started with Social Networking:

1. Start with the end in mind – strategy has to come first.  Maps to success with social networking should fit into your existing marketing plans.
2. Determine how much time, bandwidth and skill you have and what you’ll have to augment with an expert, staff or a retained partner.
3. Research and commit to being social.
4. Listen, listen, and listen some more – you may have a lot to say, but being active and quiet in social networking can tell you a lot about your target audience and your community.

More tips here in this interview with Eve and Wade…

the book…

So Now What Do I Do?  An Entrepreneurs

Book by Author, Tiffany Odutoye

Guide to Getting to the Next Step with Social Media - get a copy today!

Tiffany, this book is easy to read, informative, and concise.  You give great up front reasons for “why” to do it.  You provide great tools.  I’m surprised you packed so much into such a small book! – Patrick Keegan, Biz360

Consider this:
An Argos worker was fired because he said that he ‘can’t wait to leave because it’s Sh**’ working for Argos.

A grocery chain in Ottawa fired several of its employees following negative comments on Facebook.

Even this:
Some Ontario schools have suspended their students after they found ‘offensive’ posts on Facebook about these schools!

What am I trying to say? You could lose your job or your school admission for something you write on social networking sites like Facebook. Seriously.

People are being penalized for what they are posting. Many are being denied jobs, dismissed from work and disciplined because of comments they have carelessly left lying around on social networking sites.

Why should you care?

Employers and hiring firms are increasingly using social networking websites like Facebook to check out potential employees and keep tabs on current employees. In the current social and political situation, you just cannot have anything working against you or diluting your prospects, least of all something like your Facebook profile.

Here are some ways in which you can protect your Facebook profile from the prying eyes of your boss.

Your Privacy setting:

A teacher in Charlotte, NC, was dismissed from work due to her profile on Facebook. Under her hobbies, she stated ‘drinking’ and ‘teaching chitlins in the Ghetto of Charlotte’. The teacher left her profile and her page open to public view. Keep in mind, this particular school is attended by minority students and is located in a low income neighborhood.

Who is viewing your profile at Facebook? Are you sure that these are people you have allowed access to?

If you go to the “Settings” page on Facebook and click on your ‘Profile’, you might see that more people than you have imagined are actually viewing what you have put up. You may have only a couple of friends, but what about your network?

If your profile is jam-packed with drunken quotes or if the pictures you posted are risqué, the first thing you do is limit access to the information. Make it viewable to friends only.

You do not want potential or current employers going through what you’ve put up.   Because they do check you out.

According to various surveys and reports, a good percentage of employers are checking Facebook before, after or during the recruitment process.

You don’t want to lose your job just because you were a little careless with your Facebook profile, do you?

Your content:

According to onrec.com, the top ten turn-offs for employers who go through profiles on Facebook include:
- Indecent language, vulgar jokes, unacceptable pictures
- Any evidence of substance abuse
- Criminal activity
- Fanatical views
- Membership to silly groups
- Bad mouthing of former employers or places of work

Interestingly, prospective employers do not stop with checking out a candidate’s profile. They also use what you’ve posted to find out more about your communication skills, general attitude and qualifications. So, if you’re really not what you claim to be, chances are, you’ve left traces of your lies in your conversation with others.

When your profile is subject to such minute inspection, do you need more reason to clean up your profile?

You can give your profile a swanky new look easily:
Get rid of silly quotes, inane or extreme views and distancing yourself from bigoted or pointless memberships.

Don’t forget to add some of your favorite books in addition to music and films. Employers love it when you appear well-read and profound.

Check closely for typos. Do not go for too much internet lingo. These might seem unimportant to you but your potential employers appreciate it if you can write ‘You’ instead of ‘U’ and stop using internet short forms.

Next, go through your photos – every single one of ‘em. Untag those that you do not want. That way, anyone snooping around cannot find that picture of yours.

- Remove pictures that look unflattering.
- Get rid of those where you’re doing something you shouldn’t.
- In case your friends have put in unflattering comments, remove those pictures too.

Your network:

Who’s on it? If your colleagues are a part of your network, be careful. Your boss might be friends with one of your colleagues.

Your posts:

You cannot always limit the people who see what you are writing. So, it makes sense to post the right stuff. Meaning, you don’t really want to shout to half the world that you’re thinking of throwing a sick leave so you can party at your neighbor’s house!

It’s not enough that the content on your own network is good, you must also take care while posting on someone else’s wall. Don’t throw out comments that you don’t want to be associated with.

Even though you delete content, it could remain on servers and be available on search engines. When such information gets into the wrong hands, it can cause major hiccups in decisions regarding a job, an admission or a promotion.

WARNING: Never post while you’re at work. The time of your post is plain to see. Ask yourself this: what will happen if your boss finds out you were updating your account while you were supposed to be working?

Why should you be so careful? The Police, hiring agencies, companies and schools are monitoring profiles at Facebook, MySpace and other such sites to uncover ‘improper’ content. What you write is a window to your private world. It’s like maintaining an ongoing virtual diary. How’s that for a thought?

User naivete combined with security gaps can ultimately lead to serious irreparable damage to your life.

Resource box:
1) Facebook can ruin your life
2) Employee uses racial slur in Facebook profile: Can you fire her?
3) Personal branding in the age of Google

Social Strategic Planning Session – Done in a Day!

This summer has been so inspirational for me.  I partnered with a local co-working venue to offer a summer short course and was pleased by the feedback.  It’s exciting to see folks embrace Social Media.

What I realized is that attendees wanted me to go deeper and not necessarily broader.  They enjoyed and benefited from the strategy discussions and tips. So instead of doing a “conference” for a large audience, I decided to host an intimate learning experience for a few socially serious entrepreneurs.  Some have registered from Dayton and Columbus, Ohio.  I’m excited to see the adoption of social media strategy across the mid-Ohio region.

There still are a few seats left.  Please consider joining us for an opportunity to not only learn about Social Media but to also support Alzheimer’s Disease Research. Proceeds from our social media initiatives directly go to Alzheimer’s Disease Research.  I call this “Social Media for Social Action”.

I’ve been talking about this since January and I’m excited this day is almost here and nervous too!  The beta version of what I hope will grow into something larger, bigger and better will be piloted on September 24th right here in Columbus, OH – the #1 Up and Coming Tech City in America!

You don’t want to miss this exciting LIVE workshop:
Social Media Success – Done in a Day!

If you are:

• tired of trying to figure out which social networks to join;
• tired of the regular “overview” of social media and want to dig in;
• determined to implement social strategies for your business;
• curious about what to delegate to a VA or marketing partner…

Then, you’ll want to participate in this LIVE and INTERACTIVE day of Social Media Success – Done in a Day!

AGENDA Overview…

Join me as we take you step by step through:

* why you should use social media tools in your business
* how to use “the big 3″: Facebook LinkedIn and Twitter
* building your social media presence and strengthening your brand
* social integration and ROI

This full day workshop will give you everything you need to get your social media marketing plan up, going and connected!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

All levels of users will get lots of useful information and leave with a bonus newly released, signed copy of my book: Now What Do I Do? An entrepreneur’s guide to getting to next with Social Media!

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

* Simple strategies to powerfully leverage your visibility and brand
* How to drive a flood of traffic to your website and blog
* The top two secrets for getting rapid high search engine placement
* Where to concentrate your efforts: a 10 minute/day trick
* What sites are best for your market

WHAT NEXT | WAYS TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE OUR EVENT:

*Tell a business colleague. They will thank you for sharing this with them!
*Spread the word! Tweet it! mention @doneinaday #smscols
*Invite us to be a guest on your blog – we have 22 articles ready to go!
*Write a review of the new book “Now What Do I Do – An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Getting to the Next Step with Social Media” and mention this event

WHY THIS EVENT:
* We’re giving back!  Percentage of Proceeds will go to Alzheimer’s Disease Research.
* We want to help you with strategy.
* We want you to enjoy social adoption made simple!

Here is an event flyer that you can include in your tweets:  http://bit.ly/betadoneinadayflyer

Got questions?

*Feel free to call us at 800.991.7538 x205.
*Tweet it – @virtualpartner

Calling all Entrepreneurs, Solo-Preneurs, Non-Profit Organizations, HR professionals, Ad Agencies, or Government Agencies:

In an ever-changing world, transformation is the order of the day, and the business selling model is no different. Communication of your message has to shift to fit the mindset of today’s consumer. So what does today’s consumer want? Community and the ability to impact the end result.

The emergence of collaborative, user-generated tools is evidence of the way consumers want to be communicated with. Engaging them, instead of telling them, is a critical factor.

Do you wish you knew the quick “Dos and Don’ts” to help you quickly navigate the Social Media scene?

Worry no more! Get your guide …

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT NOW!

This report will provide you with:

• Dos and Don’ts to help you quickly navigate the Social Media scene
• 5 reasons why Social Media is a must
• 15 ways to ensure that your content doesn’t get dethroned
• 10 resources on building community, creating content and increasing traffic
• 10 ground rules for Social Media Marketing

If you are…

• NEW to social media;
• NOT using social media;
• CONSIDERING social media; or
• FRUSTRATED wth social media

This report is just for you!

Click here to get socialized!

There is NO charge for the report.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT NOW!

So, what’s in your social tool chest?

As I prepared for a workshop that I’m leading on Twitter, I wanted to simplify the process for the new social adopters.  Part of the process in teaching is translating what you do naturally, and easily, into words that aren’t so complicated to the listener.

The more I thought about the barrage of tools or mediums for communicating in a micro blog world, Twitter in particular, the more I realized that the tools boil down to just a few, depending on your social activity.

An effective social tool chest (adaptable for most communities) should include a mix of tools that engage the majority of the human senses (see, say, touch, hear, feel), and help you to track your sphere of influence.  This could be translated into the following 13 online objectives:

1. Audio sharing
2. Video sharing
3. Photo sharing
4. Aggregation
5. Link shortening, tracking and sharing
6. Stat tracking (identify your sphere of influence)
7. Tweeting on the go (mobile computing)
8. Social conversation monitoring
9. Social bookmarking
10. Desktop and web-based maintenance
11. Just quickly getting the message out
12. One click visibility strategy
13. Growing your tribe

Like a carpenter, sometimes, you just need the Phillips screwdriver, even though the power drill is there!  So, here are some of the Twitter tools that I’m using, not all at once, but in concert with one another, depending on the “job”.

Everyday new social communities emerge, and so do the accompanying tools. There are also social enthusiasts, varying by degree of skill and expertise too. Despite the constant morph in the social sphere, one thing is certain, Web 2.0 is a moving and emerging target.  For that reason, we’re not providing a comprehensive list here.

Do you have a tool that is not on this list? Is there a new, hot tool that does it better?  Comment and tell us your experience and why you love it!

If your newly socialized, we hope the tools provided here give your social strategy a little extra “umph”.

We’re so excited to announce that Nate Riggs will be presenting at the Social Media Success:  Done in  A Day tour beginning in Columbus, Ohio on June 25th.

As a 10 year interactive marketing and business development veteran, Nate Riggs been using social media to drive business goals since a mentor invited him to connect on LinkedIn in late 2004. That moment would set the tone for a passion for social media strategy and communications.  Since then, he’s built a knowledge-base around emerging web technology and it’s potential uses in the business arena.  By applying classic communication theories, SEO strategies, personal brand development techniques and dialog tactics, Nate has developed methods of targeting and engaging audiences at the P-to-P level.  He most recently worked with People To My Site, a Columbus-based Search Engine Marketing firm where, using his methods, he was able to close just under a million dollars in new sales in less than six months.

Today, Nate is living the entrepreneurial dream as the Principal and Chief Strategist of Social Business Strategies, a social media communication company. He and his team work with B-to-B companies to guide them in integrating social platforms into their marketing mix. SBS’s strategic approach mobilizes small agile teams of market facing associates and empowers them to work together across social media to drive web traffic, create company visibility, and develop deep and lasting relationships with  partners, prospects and customers.

Nate holds an undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication and Media Studies from Otterbein College. He blogs about entrepreneurs and social media business strategy at www.nateriggs.com, and often speaks to local, regional and national audiences regarding his approach to using the social web in business. At heart, Nate’s a family guy and finds inspiration in spending time with his kids and fiancé. He is an avid multisport athlete and is currently training to compete in his first full marathon.

www.linkedin.com/in/nateriggs
www.twitter.com/nateriggs
www.nateriggs.com/facebook

Nate Riggs
Principal | Chief Strategist
iPhone 614-348-2646
Social Business Strategies, LLC
1215 Polaris Parkway, Suite 237
Columbus OH 43240
www.socialbusinessstrategies.com (Coming soon!)