The social web is a big place that is only getting bigger and more complex.
Now is a good time to reign it in to more effectively engage and accomplish your personal and small business objectives.
Every day we all associate with a few more friends, fans, and followers. For the most part, that’s why we are here.
Knowing this, you have to take responsibility for keeping your social universe organized such that you can manage it well.
Plan Your Social Media Universe
It remains to be seen whether Google+ will flourish, survive, or die Neverthless, Google+ is teaching us that we are capable of managing our social networking and marketing if we are given the tools to do so.
Facebook gave us a hacksaw to carve out our respective communities, and it wasn’t long before we got tired and just gave up. Google+ gives us a chainsaw. Not only is it exceedingly more effective, it’s kinda fun to work with.
We love the power it offers – and with minimal effort.
I’m attempting to use Google+ to mirror my offline world as much as possible, and it’s beginning to take shape. I am able to intentionally create communities of close friends, family, various industries in which I work, or play – so to speak.
As I stroll over to Facebook to do the same I run into all kinds of obstacles. For one, I’m limited to 5,000 friends. I don’t have near that many, but I could if I accepted every single friend request.
Secondly, Facebook randomly controls who sees what and when. Organizing with Facebook groups invades the space of my friends by putting them into a group that they may not wish to be a part of – especially if that group is public.
Even Twitter gives you a bit more flexibility than Facebook.
The starting point for reigning in your ever expanding social universe is to have a plan. Mine is to be more effective with and expand my social universe by using the tools available to me for accomplishing more of my objectives – and helping others to do the same with theirs.
Enhance Your Ability to Focus
If you are like most folks, your online social communities are a diverse blend of close friends, renewed friendships, acquaintances, and be honest – complete strangers.
Networking is challenging enough when you have a good fix on the dynamic of the community. When you combine that with the inevitable diversity of most social networks, you are forced to take a position that is respectful of all of those groups – which essentially means focusing on none of them.
Context allows you to focus. It’s like going back to a high school reunion. You are able to focus on the dynamic of the group because the context today is nearly the same as it was ten, twenty, or thirty years ago.
Facebook is like a mashup of high school reunions. You recognize the micro-communities and try to engage but not everyone has the same history. So, you do the best you can and play along, just as you would do at the reunion of your spouse or partner.
And we all know how much fun those can be!
Is it any wonder the growth of Facebook has begun to level off?
Have the Intention to Engage
I’m off to the annual convention of The National Speakers Association in a couple of days. To make the most of the experience (and my investment) I’ve invested a couple of hours into studying the list of attendees with the intent of engaging. That focused planning will help me to respond better to chance encounters.
As you know, having something relevant to say is an essential component of networking.
If you clearly understand your objectives and plan ahead, you are more likely to make the most of opportunities that unfold right in front of you.
Entropy is a natural phenomenon that applies to all natural systems, whether they are closed or open. And that phenomenon is that without effort to the contrary, the system will progressively seek disorder.
You are the one that has to create order in your social networking communities, and that is easier to accomplish if they are purposefully organized.
When you make them smaller by subdividing them according to the nature or characteristics of the community, you are better able to achieve the right tone that will enhance your results – and those of everyone you engage with.
Whether you intend to use Google+ or not, it is certainly helping us to understand we can accomplish more by applying what we have learned over the last few years to start fresh with social media.
What are your thoughts?
Leave a comment below or share this with your social community on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Google+.
Enjoy your weekend, Jeff
