Getting Down to Social

It used to be SOP—standard operating procedure (at least in the business world), to meet face-to-face, exchange business cards, promise to “do” lunch, and then actually follow through or totally forget the encounter. Either way, options for getting and/or staying connected were often limited and “slow” at best.

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented a little thing called the “World Wide Web,” and life on earth hasn’t been the same since. Only five (5) years old for that event, Harvard undergrad, Mark Zuckerberg, would later create the phenomenon of Facebook in 2004, at the grand age of 20. A year earlier, LinkedIn arrived on scene as a “business network”—however ‘linking’ could be a bit laborious with the “How-do-you-know…?” feature.

Another key player in the keeping-in-touch-category came about in 2006. Three software engineers were contemplating an instant messaging system as a simpler form of communication: Jack Dorsey (@jack), Evan Williams (@ev), and Biz Stone (@biz) created…Twitter. Add this to the mix of smart phones, laptops and iPads, and you have all the ingredients for creating a network of global proportions from anywhere, at any time.

Deciding which communication tool to use could be difficult—if you try to dissect both medium and audience: who’s listening, who’s watching…who cares? For the most part, LinkedIn is probably regarded as the least social, more business focused, among these three powerful methods, but that’s about as far as I’m willing to venture an opinion of any finite definition. Facebook and Twitter were initially touted as pure social networks. Initially. Now, I find a substantial number of my Facebook connections are business-based as are most of my Twitter pals—with the caveat of a liberal dose of situational humor and personal revelation thrown in.

So. I do what I advise all of my clients to do: recognize the value of connecting into multiple levels of networking media and map accordingly. For instance: I have connected my tweets to post on Facebook and LinkedIn—instant communication to over a thousand people in seconds. I can link thoughts, messages, invitations, photos, articles, websites…information I share with a broad or specific audience—my choice.

But the most remarkable, amazing, unbelievable thing about LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter? Is it the unlimited marketing potential? The global impact? The instant communication and community? ALL of that…PLUS…it’s all FREE. Free. No access fees, no software to buy, no monetary buy-in, nada, zip, nothing.

A goldmine for start-ups and growing businesses, the use of social media—as it has been labeled—can launch products, entice buyers, influence opinion, and do it lightning fast; penetrating global markets in seconds and do it all with a single investment of time—not money.

If you’re not utilizing “social media” for your business, you are missing out on one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. Get down to social. Become familiar with the “f,” “t,” and “in,” logos of these three powerhouses of connectivity. Come on! Follow my tweets…let’s get “linked!” I really want to be your “friend!”

Debra D. Kujawa

President/CEO

Ki-neckted, LLC

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