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Regular readers will know I’ve been doing posts about various social networks. There’s a lot of good things about them but there are some things you need to be careful about too.

I was reading SpeakerNet News recently and saw a quote about the use of Facebook and Twitter and how you conduct yourself there. Now, may I say, that I think it is always important to conduct yourself professionally, or in the manner you would always want to be perceived.  No use in behaving one way in one place and different in another and not think anyone will notice.  They will.

Anyway, let me share with you what Rita Makana Risser has to say:

Peter Shankman reports on a speaker who twittered on his way to speak to FedEx in Memphis about how he would die if he had to live there. He showed up to a hostile audience! Be aware that what might seem cute or funny to your pals can be an insult to your audience or meeting planners. It might be a good idea to limit posts on politics to groups that share your political views. A political posting on Facebook by one of my friends for all her friends to see caused quite a bit of discussion ­ and not the good kind. Whether or not you want to use Facebook for business purposes, meeting planners and corporate types are looking at us wherever we show up, and making decisions based on what we post. You can have a business page on Facebook as well as a personal page, and that’s what I have done. Your personal page is for real friends and family; the business one is for everyone else.

I think what Rita says makes a lot of sense, don’t you?

Twitter, Facebook, behaviour, social networking

Tags: Facebook, Forums, Networking, Social Networks, Twitter by Kathie Thomas
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I’ve had a Twitter account for sometime now and it really took me sometime to understand what it is about.  But now I’m hooked!

I’ve signed up for some autoresponders on how to use Twitter and have been applying some of those things. In just 24 hours I’ve had an increase in 100 followers with several actually corresponding with me, which is great.  And I have a potential new project on the horizon simply from a chance (and flippant) comment to someone after they saw a tweet I’d made.  Amazing but that project has possibilities.

I also see our PM, Kevin Rudd, twittering about his activities and feel it’s great that he and his staff keep abreast of social networking tools to remain visible and up-to-date.

I’ve also learnt about Twitwall which allows you to add to your meagre bio at Twitter.  And it is free and connects to your existing Twitter account so picks up on your chosen background.

I see a lot of Virtual Assistants on there and many I know are finding new clients as a result. Just goest o show you can’t dismiss a new tool or fad too quickly on the web – people keep finding new things they can create to add to an idea and build new businesses just from that alone!

Have you begun twittering yet?

twitter, twitwall, tweet

Tags: Networking, Social Networks by Kathie Thomas
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I was at a breakfast a few weeks ago and the speaker was talking about the benefits of networking and the right and wrong ways.  She opened up for questions at the end of the session and someone from the back asked a question I’d never even considered before.  “What if people don’t want to connect and are avoiding your calls?’” The speaker told the person asking the question that it might be simply a case of the other person being busy.

I was surprised when the question was asked. I’m no wallflower and it just doesn’t occur to me that someone might be avoiding me , however, I realised that for some the fear of someone rejecting them could be very real.   So I want to encourage you here, if that’s you, please consider that people do get busy and often networking, or follow up (very few people do follow up) isn’t foremost in their agenda. Other things are.

You can do simple things to make the process easier for yourself:

• Send an email introducing yourself and reminding them of where you met and when (do this a few days later, not a few weeks). You could also suggest that you will give them a call in a few days.
• If you don’t hear back from them in 2 or 3 days, you could elect to ring them and ask them if they got your email and just continue any conversation you might have had when you met.  I always write on the back of their business cards anything relevant so I’m reminded of a topic I can continue.
• If they don’t answer the phone but you can leave a message, simply say you’re ringing as promised in your email to them a couple of days ago.
• Then let it sit for awhile.  If you come across emails (not jokes or warning messages) or media articles that might relate to that person, simply forward them on, saying that that article reminded you of them.

You may get pleasantly surprised with a return phone call or return email.  And have their details close to hand so you can grab it quickly if they do ring which will save you from being tongue-tied.

Networking isn’t as fearful as some might think and once you’ve done it a few times and discovered that no-one is going to bite your head off or something worse, then you should be set to establish a pattern of regular networking and follow up.  And if someone doesn’t respond, don’t worry – it’s their loss, especially if you had something of value for them.

networking, follow up, fear, relationship building

Tags: Networking by Kathie Thomas
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I was busy entering business cards into a database for a client this week but a few of the business cards were so difficult to read. Red writing on a green background, fonts that were smaller than 6pt, and difficult scripts.  Do people actually check what their cards are going to look like before they get printed? Or do they realise the mistake after they’ve taken receipt of them from the printer?

If you want people to be able to read your business card without a magnifying glass or someone to interpret for them, then you really should take care in the design and presentation of them.  And if you’re a graphic designer, then all the more care should be taken.  I’ve seen a few that would turn me off a graphic designer’s ability to do what I’d like them to do – simply through viewing their business card.  Your card is your ambassador in your absence – make it work for you!

Tags: Business Operations, Networking by Kathie Thomas
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