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Hello!
No time to rest, however, as I'm gearing up again for a trip across the Atlantic this weekend for a friend's wedding in Luxembourg. With Friends Like These... My post on Breaking up with the Lazy Networker seemed to strike a chord with both my blog readers and Facebook friends, so I've expanded it into a feature article for this issue. By the way, if you'd like to connect on Facebook and get more first hand tips on maximizing the site, you can link to me here. To your networking success!
Think conferences, trade shows and conventions are great places to network?
Learn the step-by-step process I use to attract new business and maximize every conference I attend. My networking strategies for what to do before, during and after the conference will work for you too, I guarantee it. Read more about my latest program
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While I think that the savviest and most successful marketers are pretty constrained and try to follow networking principles that focus on building relationships first, it's the s*p*a^m_mers we have to be worried about. They WILL ruin it for the rest of us. The key difference between the two is that marketers think of creative ways to communicate their knowledge and what they have to offer. They engage us with content, rather than try to sell us a product. For example, Lynn Scheurell of Creative Catalyst is doing a whole video series about face reading, where she analyzes the profile photos of her Facebook friends to help them understand their natural energies and how to best utilize them. She's not only quietly promoting what she does, but she's also giving additional value and exposure to the friends she's profiling. S*p*a^m_mers just wouldn't go to all that trouble. They'd simply send a message to everyone saying "Hey, check out my face reading services" or "Take $100 off your next face reading just for being my friend," or worse still, "If you'd like to get into the face reading business and make $10,000 a month with just one hour of work, call me." Yuck! I was curious about what other "unfriending" behaviors people had encountered, so I posed the question on Twitter, "What would make you unfriend someone on Facebook?" Here are some of the responses (be careful that you aren't doing any of these!): Walter Akana (@WalterAkana): Mainly sending links to marketing opportunities that seem shady/intrusive or (when I had it) fun wall posts that are offensive. [Liz's note: The Funwall and Superwall applications seem to be clogged with rejects from America's Funniest Home Videos, so I've stayed away.] Carol Dixson-Carr (@caroldc): Biggest peeve on FB is getting spam the moment I accept a friend request! No courting, just spam immediately. [ Liz's note: Come on people, think about how you're communicating with new friends and make it personal. They will be much more open to your promotional messages once you've been in their circle for a while vs. doing it the second you walk in the door.] Lindsey Pollak (@lindseypollak): Major pet peeve is when a new friend on Facebook starts to friend everyone I know. I've definitely un-friended people for that! [ Liz's note: That happened to me too, and it's probably one of the worst things a "friend" can do to you because it makes you look bad to your real friends. Immediate removal of faux friend is the only remedy.] Eddie Soto (@esonline): What would get someone considered for FB "unfriend" act is- being invited to join the same "group" more than, say... 3 times. [ Liz's note: Persistence may be a virtue in real life, but on Facebook, it's just plain annoying.] S*p*a^mmy behavior is easily made public in Facebook and will cause people to drop you. In fact, I dumped my second friend last week when I felt he was sending me too many invitations to join too many irrelevant business groups. After "ignoring" an invitation to become a fan of the Turkish Auto Insurance Council (or something to that effect), I went to his profile page and saw that one of his friends had written a request on his wall that he stop s*p*a^m_ming her with so many group invitations. That reinforced my initial feeling that he was consistently crossing the line, so I had no hesitation removing him from my friend list. Buh-bye! First and foremost, Facebook was developed for friends to connect and share things with friends. It CAN be a powerful tool for marketing your business and expanding your network more widely, but like any tool, used in the wrong way can leave you bloody and missing more than a few appendages when you're done. Use with caution, and most of all, model the behaviors of people you respect.Have a question about networking? Email me and I may answer it in a future issue of Network NOW. © 2003-2008 Liz Lynch WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: "Liz Lynch is a business networking expert whose products, programs and seminars help entrepreneurs and professionals get clients, build their businesses, and reach their goals through networking. If you're ready to start networking smarter, get your F R.E*E business networking tips now at www.NetworkingExcellence.com."
Center for Networking Excellence, LLC
FREELANCERS UNION ONLINE SEMINAR Wednesday, 06/18/08, 7:00 - 8:30pm, Participate from anywhere in the world How do you prospect for new clients without feeling like you're networking 24/7? If you're a busy entrepreneur, you need an easy, step-by-step system so you can grow your business, but spend as little time networking as possible so you can get back to work. In this online workshop, you'll learn a goal-driven process for networking that will help you identify and focus on the highest impact activities. Within that context, you'll learn how to:
For more details and to register, visit the Freelancers Union site. You'll need both a computer and a telephone to participate. HURRY! Space is limited to 100 participants and the Freelancers Union has a LOT of members. To inquire about a live program, teleseminar or webinar for your organization, click here to contact us for fees and availability.
PRIVACY and SP^M POLICY: I never rent, trade or sell my email list to anyone for any reason whatsoever. You'll never get an unsolicited email from a stranger as a result of joining this list. |
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After a whirlwind week in Beijing (here's a photo of me on an ancient and tourist-free part of the Great Wall vs. one of the fully restored parts you'll see in 
My very wise Facebook friend Mari Smith once said in reference to social networking sites, that as soon as the marketers show up, people start to leave. 
