Social networking works.
It's more than just a popularity game and adding more and more connections.
If you use social networking sites correctly, you can build up your connections and relationships for a lifetime.
These connections and relationships that you initiate, develop, and maintain will be the ones who you can turn to as a virtual and real Rolodex of friends, dates, business contacts, clients, customers, referrals and more.
Just like in real life, the ones that you know and trust and the people who you have spent time to get to know are the ones you can turn to and the ones who can turn to you in life.
Like close friends and family, working on your connections so that they can develop into lifetime friendships and business contacts will deliver an excellent ROI on the time and effort that you spend.
But do remember that it takes time and effort yet it is worth it.
Otherwise, why even bother connecting to gain a bunch of names under your Friend's List or Contact List? How do you use social networking other than for socializing and social purposes and to add more connections? How do you develop deeper connections and long term relationships? How do you develop true friendships and business contacts and collaborations? Here are some tips to help you use social networking sites and social networking to build connections and relationships: 1.
Don't just invite and/or accept without another word sent to them again.
2.
Send a greeting, a message to each person that you connect to.
3.
Respond to their messages and posts.
4.
If you're using social networking for business reasons as well, keep your profile, wall, messages, and any other content professional and personable.
5.
Set a date and time to chat or visit on the phone just to say "hello" and learn a bit more about the other person.
Skype is a wonderful free tool for doing this.
6.
Don't just promote what you want, pay attention and respond to what others are posting and promoting.
7.
Don't just advertise.
Pay attention to what others advertise and post.
Respond and even repost what others put up.
8.
There's no way you can respond to each and every person and message yet take time to at least make that first initial connection genuine and personable.
Make it a goal to respond to a certain number of people in a certain number of days, etc.
9.
Place comments on their photos and videos.
Respond to the comments that they post on what you upload.
10.
Keep it real.
Keep your online presence as real as the real you.
More ways to use social networking to build connections and relationships will be added in other posts.
Check back!