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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

What you know vs. Who you know

 Since social networking has become mainstream you see more and more people extolling it's virtues and shouting that it is the future of marketing, communication, and even civilization.  That last item might be a stretch, but I do know one thing.  It works.

I've also become a believer in "it's not what you know, rather who you know" with one caveat; you need both to succeed.  Now measuring success is a belief system within itself, so I won't touch on that right now, but I can say that I've experienced both personal and professional successes by getting to know more people.

I've always felt that I need to make myself as knowledgable as possible in the topics and areas of life that interest me.  I continue to keep my ear to the ground and my head in the stream of ever flowing information, just to stay current and in top of the game.  But that's not enough.

All of the knowledge in the world won't help you if you can't share, debate, and collaborate over it.  It's all about connections and I see that now.

Finding "the right people"
Who are the people you feel you need to know?  Finding the right people, or should I say the people that you might find that are right, could be completely different than those you think you need to know.  This year I've been very fortunate (and that is the greatest understatement I've ever made) to have met a variety of people, from all walks of life, and all types of professions.  By forming these bonds and doing things as simple as getting to know them personally, professionally, and everywhere in between, opportunities have arisen that I never would have imagined.

A few tips to get started:
  • Update your social bios with as much information about yourself as possible.
  • Join conversations, both online and in real life.  Don't be afraid to jump in and contribute.
  • Make connections, however you can and however it's comfortable for you.  If you're more comfortable communicating online more than face-to-face, then stick with that method, but try an in-person meetup from time-to-time as well. You might surprise yourself
      • Posted on 11/30/10 at 03:39 AM by Tim - Categories: Marketing Self-promotion Social Media Tags:
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