Social Networks for Networking
“Sure I know someone who does mortgages, what is her name again?… umm…” On the occasions when someone does ask for a recommendation for someone, it never fun when I’m stuck not remembering who I know that provides a certain service. I also certainly don’t want people forgetting my name when someone they know is looking for programming talent or technology consulting. That is where social networks come into play professionally not just for fun or a way to find out who your kids are hanging out with this week.
I have created professional profiles on many of the major social networks co-branding my business with myself as the business owner. Friends, business partners, clients, and other professionals in my network keep in touch with me and refer to my profile for a list of services I offer. It also provides a more relaxed environment to keep in touch with current and past employees, co-workers, managers, and clients. Dropping a note when something big happens in their life like a career change or family event is good not only for the friendship but the professional relationship as well.
If you haven’t already I would encourage you to give social networking a try. It doesn’t take long to put up a profile and it provides for a good inspection of your own career path as well. With the search tools most networks provide you could even rekindle some old relationships and end up with some unexpected business and personal growth. Below I have included a list of some major networks and a link to my profile. Best wishes on building your network and feel free to invite me to be part of it.
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Social Network |
Description |
Link |
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One of the largest and most successful social networks. This has a lot of fun features, but also has a place for a professional profile and details about your company. A great way to keep in touch with friends and let them know what you are doing. |
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Friendster |
A social network for keeping track of friends. |
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A professional network designed for people who provide professional services and generally are few years into their career. |
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Merchant Circle |
Designed mostly for retail companies to attract and retain clients, but can be used for any type of business. The focus is more on the business than the owner, but the networking aspect is the same as most other services. |
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MySpace |
Seriously? You don’t have to be in a band to have a MySpace account. It is a fun way to stay in touch with friends and share your interests. It isn’t as heavily policed as other sites and self promotion is encouraged. |
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Newsvine |
Something new and exciting going on in your local community or field? Share it with others on Newsvine. Just be careful not to talk yourself up, which is considered taboo. Instead prove your experience by adding insight into current events. |
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Plaxo |
An online address book service to keep track of business contacts across multiple networks and email programs. |
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Ryze |
This is a simple social network that allows you to stay in contact with associates and syndicate press releases to your contact list. |
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Moli |
This online application allows you to control and syndicate information to multiple social networks (personal and business). You can then control what content get sent to friends, customers, and your professional network. |
