MusicyTechGeek

It matters – I didn’t think social networking (online) really had any power in real life until 2009. It is when I realized that people I meet online can not only become real friends, but can also be willing to help you get to where you want to be. This is a key part of social networking. Having mutually beneficial relationships with real people. It took me awhile to realize this, but I’m happy I did.

Take advantage of local meet-ups with people you don’t know – This is a good way to meet people with like interests. For me, this was first experienced through Twitter and through meetup. When I first moved to North Carolina I didn’t really know anyone besides my family and a few random people through networking. It wasn’t until I started networking for myself that I started to realize there are more people in the area that I had things in common with than I first though.

Get involved in local groups: Volunteer, play in community groups, and build meaningful relationships - Sometimes this is harder than it should be, but with almost every type of community group out there you can find something to be involved in. If you aren’t passionate about something, you need to fix that and find something that strives for you to be better in your life and make improvements. I truly believe that there is something we can all improve on, and the best way to improve your life is to focus on yourself and do some things that are “me-centric.” Your friends will understand that you need time for yourself.

Define yourself / Branding matters – This may seem strange to those unfamiliar with the idea, but can you easily define your passions in 3 words or less? If not, it may help you to decide what is really important to you and the type of relationships you would like to peruse. The idea of personal branding was very foreign to me when I first started, but it has helped me acknowledge where I feel I belong the best. Be willing to put a label on yourself sometimes, because labels are meant to help, not hurt. Also, be aware that this can and will change over time as you grow, but you have to start from somewhere. Honestly, more than anything, it is more important you be yourself than define yourself. If you come into the problem when you can’t truly ‘define yourself’ then look at what you love and how you can communicate it to people in a way that helps them understand who you are. People are weary to get close with people who aren’t secure in themselves. Often good communication comes off as more secure, and regardless of if this is true or not, it is one of the ways people perceive you. Know your stuff, and show people you do and that you are passionate about something. People will talk about you with others, and essentially help you build your network, if they feel and notice how much you love and care about something.

Lessons regarding specific types of accounts:

Twitter:

Twitter Local search can help define local partnerships -
If you don’t know many people in an area, or are visiting an area, do local searches based on web based twitter apps or via your twitter app. On iPhone apps, this has become a pretty standard option, and it is what I used when I first moved into NC. It was a great way for me to meet locals, and meet with people of like mind.

Define your overall purpose of the account -
Are you a broadcasting? Are you networking? Are you expanding your business? Your purpose of the account will help define how you use it, and it is important that you know this going in. If you can’t decide why you need it, then perhaps you should reconsider. Many people start a twitter account, and don’t see the value in it. The difference with Twitter is that YOU create your experience, rather than it being a ‘cookie cutter’ experience like Facebook.

If you are only concerned about the number of followers you have, you need to reconsider your need for the service (unless you are only there for broadcasting vs communication) -
This is worth saying, because I’ve seen people get caught up on the numbers when the reality is, is that people come and go for various reasons, and if you think about the numbers too much you start to lose what matters. The connections behind the numbers.

The 140 Paradigm –
The point of 140 characters was originally set because it was the standard length of a text message. This now has remained to reduce server space. If forces you to edit your messages and the the way you communicate over the medium. It promotes self editing and makes you consider how you word things. It is an artificial limit though, because you can use multiple tweets to communicate an idea, but it is still there.

Facebook:

Facebook Purge and start fresh from time to time -
It is easy to “add a friend” when it is someone you may not really want to stay in contact with. It is polite in many ways to accept a friendship request, however you have to consider if it is beneficial to you to have them as a friend with access to your account.

Privacy settings -
These change for everyone, but make sure that you understand your privacy settings. If you have it set to public, know that anyone has access to it, including employers and people and strangers. That applies to photos, wall postings, links, and anything that you do on facebook. I recommend keeping your Facebook private, so that it is friends only. There are several other ways to interact with people and meet new people. This is debatable, just like anything else related to social media, but I think you need to have some sense of privacy available to you in a world that can be googled.

If you have something you are trying to promote, consider a fan page instead of using your personal profile -
I think this is pretty self explanatory, but if you are trying to promote something that you are involved in or have created, not only link to it on your personal page, but also allow fans to interact with you. This is something I will be doing soon with my blog, once I feel I’ve met an audience that wants it. I don’t have enough regular readers right now to worry about it, but in the future it is going to be done as I’m able to invest more time into the blog.

Blog:

Blog = just a website -
This is true now because everyone has access to make a blog for free or really cheap to the end user. Many people use blogs to write about what is going on in their life or something that they are interested in. In many ways, a blog is the new “homepage”.

LinkedIn:

Linked in is like FaceBook for professionals. I have an account there, but I haven’t really found it to be valuable. As I grow in my education, I think it will become more valuable to me, but as of right now I haven’t had a big need to be highly proactive with a LinkedIn account.

Other:

Myspace = still exists, but in the mind of many consumers it is already dead. May have a simular future to Geocities. It was the top at the time and the niche groups used it for awhile before it died.