I recently did five in-depth reviews of what I felt were the top lightweight social network posting automation solutions:
And, at the end of the day, here is the summary of what I found: Read the rest of this entry
I love Twitter. Of course I didn't always, I have both loved and hated it with equal measure. It can be an incredible waste of time but if you are careful about who you follow there is just the right mix of socializing and signal v noise that I am kept involved.
The funny thing is the service today has been taken over by talk of the "Tweeterboard" which ranks users based on their conversations by counting how many times their name is referenced. Will this turn it into a popularity contest?
It seems if today is any indication, a lot of people are trying to game their rankings. I do hope this is a one day aberration.
What do you think? Do you Twitter? Will this spoil it for you?
Reflecting on the whole How-To build a Facebook profile issue and also about my engagement here on p.com I came to the clue that being a friendly guy helps to build your personal network.
Nothing new you say?
I am pretty sure that you read a lot of different sources and I am also pretty sure that you never blog about 95% to 99% of the things you are reading about. I propose that if you share a little bit you will get back something. Read the rest of this entry
Debng recently wrote of the importance of social networking. It's true. Successful probloggers are the ones who find ways to engage their readers, and enter into long-running conversations with the greater internet community (rather than spitting out monologues).
I want to suggest that there's another form of networking that most bloggers don't know the first thing about or completely ignore.
I call it selective (back)networking and here's the idea: the internet is just like any other human network. There are hierarchies of authority. If you want to be successful, you need to move up the hierarchy.
That probably sounds a bit disconcerting to some of the "democratic nature of the web" idealists out there, but there is no denying that power gets collected and wielded on the webernet. So how much power do you have?
See, what Deb says in her article is so very true. You need other people to be successful. But your network should not be an egalitarian one. Not all internet friends are created equal. Don't deceive yourself.
The key to building a (back)network is to intentionally and selectively seek out people who 1) have power and leverage 2) are smart and capable and 3) are fair in their online relationships. By building up a social "backbone" of good friends in high-places, you'll be able to execute your plans a lot faster, realize profit a lot quicker, and avoid burn-out a lot easier (ten shoulders are better than one).
"But Ryan Caldwell, you're already successful. What about those of us who are just getting started?"
Suck up and kiss ass.
That's it. That's how you get into my good graces. Start doing me favors and I'll send some love your way. Ask me to do you a favor before you've proven your worthiness to me, and I'll ignore you. Completely and utterly ignore you. But if you've got something to offer me, something that I truly benefit from...then you've got a friend.
That's how things work. I hate to speak the truth when it hurts a little. But it's gotta be spoken. People use each other. That's a fact. But this setup can be mutually benefitial and mutually rewarding.
The trick to building a selective (back)network is to identify people that you want as part of your social backbone. Bend over backwards to show that you've got something worthwhile to offer. And pretty soon your load will be lightened. You'll be in good company.
So if you're just starting out here's my advice: kiss a little ass. The payoff is huge.
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