Is Your Firm Networking or Netfaking?

With all the effort spent on a Firm's website, blog and other social network sites it is important to evaluate if the time is being spent profitability. Here are some tips for getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to online networking:

1. Targeted Social Networks

   Most of the major social networking sites (Digg, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Delicious, etc.) have tools in place that let you identify and link with “friends” or other people with similar interests. Whenever possible, you want to target who you send information to, as this makes it more likely that you’ll also be providing value. The average Digg user does not care about your post on the latest fighter jet propulsion system. There is a group of a few hundred users who really care. Find them and talk to them.

2. Be picky with blog carnivals.

   This largely follows the same vein as my advice for social networks; don’t concern yourself with unfocused, uninterested carnivals and users. Find carnivals that are hosted by people who care about the topic, receive contributions that are always on-topic, and promote to a devoted readership. If there aren’t any out there, build one yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to “cut” articles. This isn’t Pee-Wee Football; if you only let the best through, your carnival will gain trust among the readers, and the contributors will compete harder against themselves to get in. Win-win-win.

3. Tweet with a purpose.

   I do not recommend tweeting all of your blog posts. In fact, you should tweet very few of them, and those that you do tweet should not go out en masse. Instead, be patient. Wait until someone has a question, or posts a similar tweet; then add value with your work and start to build a conversation. If other people want to join in, great, but don’t assume everyone is interested from the start. (This means @replies and direct messages are your friend. If somethings useful, it will get retweeted and spread.)

4. Comment and question.

   Whenever you comment on another blog, use the opportunity to extend a conversation (the conversation started by the blog post you just read). Statements aren’t good conversation maintainers. Neither are cursory notions of applause or criticism.

   Questions, on the other hand, are great ways to get another response. Questions (when addressed to the group) are also great for drawing people into a conversation, which allows new threads of discussion to develop. This makes the job of maintaining a conversation easier; as old threads are resolved, you can move on to new ones to keep the talking alive.

   I don’t mean to say you should only ask questions; it’s hard to add value when you’re speaking entirely in interrogatives. But do follow up your insights with points of further discussion, Jeopardy style (that is, in the form of a question).

5. Link as an afterthought.

   Blog linking, social networking, “friending,” putting someone on your Christmas card list; these are all silly formal ways to make it appear as if you have connections. Having 800 Facebook friends puts up a nice facade (which does have its merits), but doesn’t compare to having 100 real friends that love talking to you.

   
   Thanks to Barry from style life for contributing to this post!