Networking on the Internet
Social networking on the internet is one of the fastest growing means of growing your network ever made available.
It allows you the flexibility of engaging with someone online at any given moment.
The real beauty in social networking is that YOU control where and when you want to network.
Another advantage of networking online is you can reach a much larger audience.
Think about it, it's a global audience.
Millions of people are now accessible than ever before.
I'll let you in on a little secret, I've been surfing the internet BEFORE there was WINDOWS! That's right; I connected through DOS using IP addresses.
If I recall, the first social networking portal I used was called MiRC which functioned like a chat room.
Although you would never guess by my picture, I'm actually a computer geek.
I originally went to school for computer programming and realized early on that I wanted to work around people, not computers.
Plus, I think I was too outspoken for most of my classmates who were major introverts.
I always wanted to talk to them; in fact, I was top in my class and many times assisted the teachers! It was almost too simple and I wasn't feeling challenged enough so I changed majors.
The reason I'm sharing this is to let you know that I come from an integrated world already from networking in person to networking online.
I have always known that there were more people surfing the net all over the world and it was the only way I could meet them.
One of my favorite places to network in the past was through groups and chat rooms.
Now, I meet more people through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
I realized that my audience is there more than in some of the specialty groups.
I've also been able to bridge the gap from wherever people are online.
There are no boundaries.
The internet is the perfect place to network if you are unable to physically meet in person.
Over the past few years, I have searched for people that I have met in person at one time or another so we could reconnect online through other social networks.
One of the first steps I take after I meet someone at a networking event or attend a conference is to look for them online.
The first place I look is on LinkedIn since that seems to be a more professional community.
Next, I search them out on Facebook and send a friend request.
If that person is interested in getting to know me as well, they will respond in kind.
Otherwise, I know it's not a mutual match and hope to see them again at other events.
This is another strategy I use to determine if someone is in my target audience.
If I can't find them online, they won't be able to relate to me since I use the internet for over 75% of my business.
It's my way of screening and filtering out the ones that don't match my clientele.
If you don't want to spend time searching for everyone you meet in person on the internet, do what I do and find someone that can do it for you.
My virtual assistant is fully capable of doing this and it saves me time and allows me to work on the higher level thinking projects that I'm currently doing for my business.
Once we are connected online, I can usually network with them on a different level.
I can learn more about them and what interests they have and they can also see what I'm doing as well.
It's one of the best ways to stay "Top of Mind" with your target audience and continue to build on the relationship between you and them.
It allows you the flexibility of engaging with someone online at any given moment.
The real beauty in social networking is that YOU control where and when you want to network.
Another advantage of networking online is you can reach a much larger audience.
Think about it, it's a global audience.
Millions of people are now accessible than ever before.
I'll let you in on a little secret, I've been surfing the internet BEFORE there was WINDOWS! That's right; I connected through DOS using IP addresses.
If I recall, the first social networking portal I used was called MiRC which functioned like a chat room.
Although you would never guess by my picture, I'm actually a computer geek.
I originally went to school for computer programming and realized early on that I wanted to work around people, not computers.
Plus, I think I was too outspoken for most of my classmates who were major introverts.
I always wanted to talk to them; in fact, I was top in my class and many times assisted the teachers! It was almost too simple and I wasn't feeling challenged enough so I changed majors.
The reason I'm sharing this is to let you know that I come from an integrated world already from networking in person to networking online.
I have always known that there were more people surfing the net all over the world and it was the only way I could meet them.
One of my favorite places to network in the past was through groups and chat rooms.
Now, I meet more people through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
I realized that my audience is there more than in some of the specialty groups.
I've also been able to bridge the gap from wherever people are online.
There are no boundaries.
The internet is the perfect place to network if you are unable to physically meet in person.
Over the past few years, I have searched for people that I have met in person at one time or another so we could reconnect online through other social networks.
One of the first steps I take after I meet someone at a networking event or attend a conference is to look for them online.
The first place I look is on LinkedIn since that seems to be a more professional community.
Next, I search them out on Facebook and send a friend request.
If that person is interested in getting to know me as well, they will respond in kind.
Otherwise, I know it's not a mutual match and hope to see them again at other events.
This is another strategy I use to determine if someone is in my target audience.
If I can't find them online, they won't be able to relate to me since I use the internet for over 75% of my business.
It's my way of screening and filtering out the ones that don't match my clientele.
If you don't want to spend time searching for everyone you meet in person on the internet, do what I do and find someone that can do it for you.
My virtual assistant is fully capable of doing this and it saves me time and allows me to work on the higher level thinking projects that I'm currently doing for my business.
Once we are connected online, I can usually network with them on a different level.
I can learn more about them and what interests they have and they can also see what I'm doing as well.
It's one of the best ways to stay "Top of Mind" with your target audience and continue to build on the relationship between you and them.
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