Networking - It Really Takes Some Work!

[Lindy Asimus]

I visited with a TeamCircle member yesterday on Skype (Hi Lamar!) and walked them through some of the site functions, and how to add one's external blog feed to the TeamCircle My Page. It occurs to me, following that, and some of the messages that I've swapped with members on sites, that there really is some work that goes into growing a network, getting to know the members and encourage them to regard a site as a place to put some effort into developing.

The value from TeamCircle, will come to each member based on the level of participation that they give to the network. This is true for any site. The more you participate, the more people get to know you and the more you understand others in the group. That developing of relationships is important to grow the network that will become our main business asset. With a strong network using Merchant Circle and TeamCircle, we can become more visible in Searches, but also it means that we have more potential to meet people who will become important in many ways in developing our business. Some will be clients, some may be suppliers, some may turn out to be good friend who we will take to as Keepers in our life. Some will be good examples to follow, some may be a warning of what not to do in different contexts. That combines to provide us with the basis for an ever expanding circle of influence, and that is a very valuable thing to nurture.

If you have contacts on different networks, who are also in business, do add them to your other appropriate networks. Invite them to Merchant Circle and to TeamCircle and let's get some buzz happening around your business!

[Kathy Buck]

I've read this several times and wanted to respond, now finally finding time. I've been involved in social networking sites since 97. In the early days chat was a form of social media, anyone remember MIRC? A small group of folks started a a small business chat, later we moved to yahoo user rooms and created Small Business chat. yahoo adopted the room. I was on of the early yahoo admins (I had one of them nifty red names and could boot troublemakers out - hee hee) Not long after the first version of the Small Business Think Tank was started in yahoo groups - 99-2001.

Networking is work! Running a networking group is even more work! Coming up with topics to engage and inform with hoped of empowering discussion, not an exact science as we all as individuals have varying triggers.

Activity in any group on just about any format is about 10%. I define activity by how many members actually post in a given time, generally I'll do a 90 day measurement. Why only 10%? My analysis and thought? the internet might be called the information super highway but it also a form of "entertainment - in other words people join perhaps with the mindset of participating, but themselves more indulged in reading or watching what goes on - most of us human are "voyeurs" . Where does my mindset come from? My years in radio! Ask people to partake in a contest that requires talking live on air. Listenership by arbitron might say 78k tuning in - the numbers actually responding far, far lower. But they are listening...

Rating the value of any platform by activity can be a grave mistake. Team Circle has what - close to 300 members ? Are 10% active? Jury is out. I bet they are reading though. I make this statement based on my years in running groups. Many will never be 'active" for their own reasons ( which could be a whole 'nother topic) those not active are reading and in their own time will may respond to resources .

One of the reasons i generally post very personal experiences is to allow any reader to 'know me" it open many doors for me. A reader generally not active on the public forum will PM me because I was unknowingly able to reach someone who related .

Embrace thy lurkers, engage them with information. Do not discount them or the forum as not active. Humans react to emotional triggers not robotic rhetoric distribution of information they most likely can find on the www.

Networks like Team Circle will thrive and quality not quantity. It is advantageous to have quantity for those posting content as any person wants to reach as many as possible. The nurturing of content provided will attract. It is my belief that quality content engages discussion VS announcements , mind thumps and pure "self promotion" type "topics" - there are plenty of places on the www for positioning in a posturing tone. We are on various SM formats to position ourselves as 'experts' in what we do. ya, sure i want to hear about 'Janes' new venture and recent success so I can cheer - I do not though want to hear Jane tell me why her latest widget can help me too.

In ending, SM formats and it's users need to form branding connections. Those joining just to sell and posting in that one dimensional tone will be disappointed in the loss of time spent in marketing. And thats the grist of SM - it is marketing, in that you are sending a "message" NOT advertising.

*slurps coffee* Oooo look my son didn't gobble down the entire danish I forgot to hide! LOL

Gee Whizz - far too much Godiva raspberry chocolate coffee running through my blood this morning *LOL*

Cheers~
KB

[Howard Larson]

Some will be active, some will be part time participants, some will be lurkers and some will sign up and we will never see them again. To be honest I really don’t know, I am still trying to get a firm handle on the whole Social Media for business thing.

With the participation level I am seeing here in TeamCricle I would say we could have 4 times the active membership we are now seeing.

I am limiting my scoop and plan to be active in ONLY as many as I can be there as a “full member”. I have not hit my personal limit yet so I don’t have a personal number.

But as a business I am looking at establishing a division to offer Social Media Marketing for companies as an actual service. I have been collecting as much information and data on the idea over the last 4 months as possible. I’ll try to blog some of the statistics starting today. As Spock would say: “It is most fascinating.”

[Lindy Asimus]

BTW, I posted this on social networking on my ActionBites blog a while ago. Maybe this is a good place to add a link to it. Nice vid on the topic that I think kind of fits here.

Clay Shirky Video

Clay Shirky is an American writer, consultant and teacher on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies

[Lindy Asimus]

I don't think there is a size that necessarily becomes a limit problem. I think that the likely thing is that some will emerge to want to build from the basis of it and use it as an integral part of their own wider business operation, separate but allied. And from those some will lead and want to develop the potential as far as possible, so as to be able to help more people, more ways, achieve more positive results. Others will join and access the resources, and follow the threads, and get something from it, and even a sense of belonging, even though they are substantially watching, not so much participating. And yet others will join and promptly forget that they did and never really understand the gift that is there for them to just open and take out of the box.

I would like to see people be able to learn enough about each other so that natural associations between people who share like values, and perhaps in some cases, physical proximity may blossom into real and lasting business relationships and friendships.

I don't see any reason for there to be a limit to how many such groups could form. And I don't really see any reason for that to be either heavy or cumbersome. What I do see, is through that diversity and critical mass, means to trial and test ideas and to perfect strategies that can be passed through from one group to another and streamline.

But time will tell.

What is your thought on the subject?

[Howard Larson]

Question Lindy. What to you feel is the optimum size for TeamCricle before it becomes too heavy and cumbersome for quality networking? Or is there a size that is too big?

Howard