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Aus Salespoint

Conversation is natural, for some at least, and Social Networking should be just as natural but it seems as though we've lost the art of conversation somehow. True, there are those amongst us who prefer a quiet book, a walk alone in the park or a shack in the middle of a wood or high on a mountainside somewhere but most of us would like to think we knew how to network and how to be social wouldn't we?

For others the thought of social networking sends a painful shiver down the spine and if this is sounding a little like you this roadmap should help to point you in the right direction.

I hope you will take something new and valuable from this and add it to your networking know-how to become the social networking superstar you always wanted to be and if centre stage isn't for you, then perhaps a supporting role with damn good backing vocals that people will remember for years to come is more your social networking story..

We define conversation as an informal talking together, and that is exactly what social networking is all about sharing our voices, visions and personalities across the Social Entertainment. People enjoy sharing what they are doing, reading, watching and offering their opinions, finding out about what others are doing, thinking and feeling as one with a community of like-minded people, in the new way of communicating online.

But many times there is an underlying collective purpose to this sharing. It is a participatory effort. The social aspect reflects that people have something in common, and the networking brings those people and their ideas together. Social networking, because it is made up of two words, can have many meanings, and using this form of communication can only compliment the way you do business and how you build relationships.

Businesses all over the world can have their name spread in a positive or negative way through social networking, depending on how interested people are in the business, the topic and the product or service on offer but don't be fooled, this new media conversation is a powerful marketing toll if tuned and channelled correctly.

This type of networking builds social awareness and potentially, more visitors to a site or location. The social side of networking is an excellent way to stay connected in relationships and build new ones across the world.

Social networking is the new way to inform and to be informed, and its influence is growing every minute like a modern day Bible.

Social media as a whole transcends age, race and religion in a way nothing has ever done before. Teenagers can have much more in common with twenty somethings, thirty somethings, middle agers and even old guys like me these days. They are all, for the most part, using the power of conversation through Web 2.0 sites and cell phones.

The simple truth is that people want to know what other people are doing, and people like to tell others about it. But social networking is not just about finding out that someone just took a shower or finished gardening the yard. It's about setting up a strategy to expand your reach in relationships, business and life in general.

The opportunity to set up social networking links abounds on the world wide web today and yet in many of today's social networking site URL's, there is no longer the "www" of the past, and therefore no websites, or not as we once knew them.

Getting set up on one or many of the networking sites requires you to input content, but becoming a member of a social network is easy and generally free.

Plugging in all your information like name, email and any info and choosing a password all form part of the process of registration and have to occur but most of the larger sites are now connected so it's fairly easy to transfer data from one site to another with a few clicks of the mouse.

After that, you just have to figure out how to navigate around the site itself in order to start to build your network of contacts and friends. Click on all the links, connect with a few friends, post a few messages, and you're on your way to being a social networking superstar.

Once you feel confident, choose more than one site, maybe in different social networking channels to be connected in several different ways and with different groups of people.

So how are people connected and what can it mean for business?

Here's an example of how social networking sites can work for business..

Joe may be looking for a new car, Sue is going to the beach and Dan is searching for a job. If they're all communicating on a common channel such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, there's a possibility that they can all help each other. Joe has a friend that needs an employee, Sue sells cars, and Dan needs a ride to the beach. Then, Bob comments on the cars Sue is selling, Mike mentions that he works with the company that Joe's friend works for, and so on. Sounds simple but it works.

The networking brings them all together with sites that meet each of their different needs. Now, it's not every day that social networking can make such breakthroughs, but the possibility to connect with others through social networking is very possible with consistent use and knowledge.

Your networking reads and posts can reveal all sorts of new data you might have never encountered before. As a business owner, you can listen in on what your customers are saying about you. As an individual, you can do the same. With both, through social networking you may defend yourself, thank someone for a comment, or remain silent but you are always informed provided you listen!

Some sites connect people from around the world in different ways through shared content such as articles or photos, for a viewer to peruse and comment on.

HubPages, Squidoo and LinkedIn are such sites that are easy to read through and superb communities, as well as potential sources of additional income.

Squidoo features a massive array of topics where people create "lenses," or individual pages of information on particular topics. It's a fun site to visit to get answers to almost any question, and provide a space to influence others through social networking stories, ideas and offerings of well researched content.

HubPages offers advice on many different topics and rates pages with reader input as "Hot," "Best," and "Latest," with photos and videos to round it out. LinkedIn is a more professional site, with a network that goes around the world and represents nearly 200 industries.

These sites can also be a forum for either positive or negative activity and input. A communicator may post on his HubPage that he loves a particular new milkshake at McDonald's, or that he despises it. Depending on the creativity of the post (a clever song, a YouTube event with sound effects, or outrageous writing, graphics and photos), it can be widely read all over the world, impacting millions of potential buyers on a social networking platform, or it can be a "dud" with only ten viewers. This social networking voting process can be valuable to a business, or a challenging encounter. The handling of the particular case is what matters, and there's plenty of advice out there on social networking sites on how to deal with it.

But staying on one "channel" when social marketing doesn't have to be your end all. You go to Facebook to post and read up on the social activities of all your networking friends. The question is, will you connect with more than one site? I'd say you will. You'll see a connection to a group of photos on Flickr, a photo social networking site, so you link to it. Or, a YouTube connection is sent to you by a buddy on Twitter and you pursue that. Many of the sites are interlinked and a part of the social networking strategy that good marketers have in place is to cross-reference targeted content across these different social networking sites.

It is all interrelated, this thing we call Social Media business, and when you want to pursue it, you can go deep, spending hours reading and posting, or you can limit yourself to a set amount of timeeach day. Either way, learn how to tame it or it will drag you off into the jungle never to be seen again.

The beauty of social networking is that you can get as close to people or stay as far away as you want or need to so don't hit the panivc button if the threat of social networking activity is looming and you're simply not the social type. You can be an observer only, scrolling through masses of text on various Web 2.0 sites, or commenting and participating as a social person who likes networking with those from around the world.

There are similarities in social marketing media and traditional media such as radio, television and print. Both are evolving in technique and delivery. Both have various channels with which to communicate. The notable difference between social networking media and traditional media is that with social networking, the audience plays a much bigger part in what is portrayed. There is still the factor of "truth," as a reporter may show a particular slant that is not completely true in traditional media, and a post on a social networking site may not be completely true either. It can be an outright lie, in fact. But the difference is, with social media, this will quickly be exposed by the people who use the site, as the social networking reader may make his own opinions and then comment and input on the topic him or herself and others in their network will follow.

There is not necessarily an "overlord," a "commander-in-chief" or a designated leader in social marketing, which is a positive and interesting way to look at it. You'd like to participate, go ahead. State your case. Social marketing is most effectively used with participation and influence and not through controls (although some sites are designated as "family friendly" and lewd and rude content are discouraged).

Make your comments and voice your compliments or concerns in a way that is natural and honest and people will start to trust you and value your input. Social networking is there for the creator and for the commentator. If and when you are passionate about a topic, create your own hub, blog or video. In addition to the social networking sites mentioned here, there are many others, on a wide variety of topics.

What is the goal? You might ask. Social marketing is not about the content itself sometimes, but a way to get connected and to observe the results of the conversations themselves. These various social networking strategies and activities are weaved together to use as business tools and entertainment. It allows people involved in Web 2.0 networking the capacity to become not only content readers, but also, if they wish, content creators and publishers.