The traditional way to interact with people is face-to-face or by phone.The Internet makes it possible for people to network with their peers from anywhere and at anytime. Social networking on the Internet allows you to connect with people at no cost. It allows you to expand your access to family, friends, customers, clients, patients and prospects. Social networking is a great tool for customer relationship management for any business. Companies can also use social networking to keep contacts informed about issues that may be of interest to them. A great advantage of social networking is it allows you to establish your real identity in a verifiable place. Another benefit is the ability to quickly and easily let you interact with individuals and groups that share common business interests and goals. An example of social networking being used for business purposes is LinkedIn.com.
CAUTION: Social networking is not the place for blatant commercialism and if you do so you may be tossed out on your ear! Think of it as being at any social event. Would you stand up and shout out a commercial for your business? You would probably be tossed out on your ear if you did, right? However, if someone asks you a general question related to your business you will answer them and, if it is appropriate, you might even exchange cards so you can contact each other at another time and place. The same is true for social networking. Ask and answer questions and place a link to your Web site or other Web content in your signature or byline.
