let your networks work for you
If you’ve been a reader of this blog for quite awhile, you will notice a new look and that is thanks to Sherryl Perry who helps small business owners like me make their online presence more SEO friendly and ensure that all our platforms are integrated and working to our benefit. I met Sherryl via Linked In, where she manages the “Bloggers Helping Bloggers” group. If you are a blogger and looking to extend your reach, I strongly recommend you joining this group as I have found it tremendously helpful and as well … I’ve discovered some terrific new blogs in the process!
That’s what this post is all about. Making your networks work for you. Social media allows us to extend our reach, meet new colleagues, make more friends and help spread the word about our work, the services we offer or the cause we believe in or are researching.
Networking has always been important to me. I’ve tried to help others as much as I can, and am always grateful when colleagues help and support me. Right now, I’m researching the possibility of pairing up with an agent to help shop my book proposal to interested publishers. The agent of two of my friends and colleagues from The Writers Union of Canada is looking at that proposal and I am grateful for the referral from my friend who introduced us. Thanks to the power of networking.
And this month, a writer friend and colleague from the Professional Writers Association of Canada profiled my book on volunteerism on her blog. You can read that here: http://mepowell.com/blog/.
And a new friend I met on Twitter interviewed me on her radio show and has profiled me on her new website (which is still under construction and a work-in-progress.) Here’s the link to Nash Holos radio station with special programming for anyone interested in Ukrainian heritage. Thanks so much, Paulette!
I hope you are getting my drift. Spending time on social media can be fun, beneficial to your business and it can enrich your life. And belonging to various professional groups can help you in more ways than you can imagine. But you have to learn to make your networks work for you. And you have to be supportive of those in your networks. That giving act of mutual support is the key to making it work.
How about you? Do you belong to a number of professional associations? Have you made them work for you by becoming immersed in the group culture and getting to know your fellow members?
Have you become engaged in social media, and made it a very real experience where you’re actively engaging with and supporting those who support you?
Please share your thoughts and successes here.
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First thank you for commenting on my blog and sharing your blog with us. I appreciate this article, because I am beginning to see the value of truly networking. I’ve just landed a freelance writing and consulting opportunity only because I began to network.
Terrific. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the invitation to comment. I could write a book here about favourite books but I will stick to my own for now.
I thought my 1st book (Prom Girls, a North American Rite of Passage) would be a runaway success overnight. It is 3 years later and it is not; although had I been more savvy at the outset it would have been.
The book that has received the most appreciation and the one that holds my heart is ‘All I Want for Christmas is a Wishmas Tree’ a story of a young Arab girl who longs to have a little Christmas tree with lights in her home. It really is a lovely story told with intelligence and grace. It was a direct result of travelling to 3 different Muslim countries and understanding the 3 cultures and of course their dominant religion, Islam. Many of my artworks continue to hold the colours and spirituality I enjoyed while there.
Writing is really my second nature; my first being visual art. It was not until working on my fourth (not yet complete) that it became more apparent to me. I can really say that the books I have written have made me a more sensitive, driven artist … and that is a fact that has taken four years to surface.
Interesting perspective, Lesley. I think that often, those of us who are “artistically inclined” have more than one artistic talent or discipline that intrigues us. For me, it is words and pictures, but I can’t draw. I love taking photographs.
I truly love your piece of Istanbul, and as I previously mentioned in an earlier conversation we were having, it has made me want to visit as you have captured a soft and clean side to a city which often is misrepresented from what I have heard.
Funny how a discussion about books can take so many fascinating diversions. Thanks to everyone who has commented. I hope the discussion continues and makes this my most popular post ever! (We’re very close to breaking the record of 56 comments.)
Hi Doreen, what a terrific new site and look! Your blogging is an inspiration to me! That said, on the subject of networking, I, as you have been an avid networker (actually, a power-networker) all of my professional life. In fact, it was through your networking you came to know Sherryl and you referred her to me to help me on my social media makeover! In my industry, Real Estate, networking has been a differentiating factor when meeting potential clients as over the many years, I have met hundreds, upon hundreds of individuals from all walks of life that I am known as the “go-to guy” for referrals for a myriad of services. In My many years serving as President of BNI Executives (a networking organization) I learned that the last 7 letters “working” is the key. It is not NetLunch, it is NetWORKING and you must work at it like anything else to reap the rewards. Another thing I learned is that Givers Gain. When meeting new people, learn about them, learn about their business and always be thinking: `how can I help this person` as it is good karma to give and givers get it back 10-fold. Networking online through social media is very powerful as in the past, we networked geographically, but now with the power of LinkedIn and Twitter, 2 great business platforms this has hit a new dimension. For those that are introverted, starting out with organizations like Toastmasters or BNI will help them get out of their shell and as well provide the foundation of networking. It is critical to be involved not only in professional associations but as well in face to face and on-line and your sphere will grow naturally as well your success in personal and business life.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on networking, Jeff, and for your compliments on the new look of the blog. I feel we’ve come up with a look and feel that truly reflect my personality.
You are a natural at networking as you are such a people person. You are in the right business, as people like to feel that they know and can trust their realtor.
And you make 2 excellent points: It is indeed netWORKING and we do have to work at it in order to make it work. But it’s equally as important to give and be generous with our time and knowledge as it is to “work it.”
Hope to see you again here soon,
Doreen.
Thanks for reminding us of the power of networking, Doreen. Sometimes all it takes a kind word, an introduction, or a hand shake to turn our goals into reality. I’m amazed at the power of my network each and every day as the people in the network add to my professional expertise, builds my professional confidence, and allows me to expand my knowledge. These attributes will often point me in a new direction. It is amazing what can happen by contacting someone I met at a conference, through a forum, or in an email conversation.
I’ve had this very same experience a number of times. I will shake a hand at a conference and make a new professional “friend.” I’ll join a conversation on Twitter and create a new ally. I’ll accept a friendship on FaceBook and find out that I’ve a new client. Networking is one of the pillars of my own business, whether it be in person or online. Your seemingly insignificant conversation with the Publication Consultant will certainly pay off in the end, Dorreen, and will soon be filed into the “success story” folder as a testament to your expertise.
Congratulations and I challenge us all to pick one person in our network and re-connect with them. Who knows what it will bring!
BZ (trying to work in Saskatoon…anyone see my focus hanging about?)
Thanks so much for your comment, Bonnie. Always great to hear from you.
I love your challenge for each of us to reconnect with someone in one of our networks! Great idea.
One never knows what a simple interchange might lead to.
All the best to you,
Doreen.
Your new blog looks awesome Doreen. Of course, I’m a bit of a Thesis snob myself so I like it that much more. 🙂
Now to the topic at hand…
I’ve found that making connections through social media has really helped me in the past year. I have met people that I likely wouldn’t have otherwise. I’ve become part of two great mastermind groups. I’ve been able to promote my writing business and as a result found some cool new clients.
What more could I want? 🙂
Danielle McGaw recently posted…Are You Using These 7 Important Tools to Promote Yourself as a Writer?
Thanks so much for dropping in, Danielle. Yes, you are definitely quite the networker! I’ve noticed that over the past year that I have known you online. Congrats on building such a strong and vibrant networker. People can certainly learn from your example.
I hope you’ll subscribe to the blog and participate in future discussions.
I love the new look of your blog Doreen!
I believe networking is a skill that everyone should learn. Perhaps they should start teaching it in high school. Thanks to networking I have had some great experiences and met some wonderful people.
Thanks, Dorian, Oluchi and Lanre for your comments.
Dorian: You’ve got a terrific idea there re schools. It seems to be moving in the opposite direction in the school system now because kids are spending so much time in their own isolated worlds. Their communication skills are practically non-existent!
We were out for dinner tonight and at the next table, there was a family of 3. The young teen daughter had headphones on and didn’t participate in any conversation with her parents! I was quite disgusted by the sight, but it wasn’t my business. How is that young girl ever going to function in the REAL world?
I’m glad I found this site. Makes me realise I really need to get out there and make things happen. I’ve been a writer in the closet for too long. Fingers crossed, I’ll increase my efforts at publicity. Nice one.
Oluchi recently posted…Laugh Out Loud!
I have met so many incredible people through networking. As much I try to educate on our website, Facebook, Twitter, etc., it is often me getting the education.
It is truly amazing how small the world has gotten.
I am glad to have found a fellow Manitoban with a positve energy and thoughts.
Thanks, Tracy!
It’s wonderful to have connected with you on Twitter. Yes, isn’t it amazing when we meet positive people? It’s where we want to be. I’m very happy that we’ve made a strong connection. Wishing you the best for 2012.
Great post, Doreen! You are a master at networking and have become my networking guru. 🙂 You have a way of taking the intimidation factor out of networking and making it, well, real. You might think that wouldn’t be an issue with radio broadcasters, but have much in common with writers that way … we spend most of our time alone with just a mic and a computer. BTW thanks for the interview and mentioning my radio show. The new web site is “live” now and the writeup on you and your book, and the audio file of the interview, can be found here. Thanks again for the great post and the great inspiration!
Thanks so much, Paulette, for the compliment, the encouragement, and the further publicity on your new website! YOU ROCK! It’s an absolute pleasure networking with you!
Bravo! Love your new site Doreen. May it work wonders for you and help sell those great books you have.
Thanks so much, Sandra. It’s wonderful to have the support of my writer colleagues like you.
Hope we’ll see you here again soon.
Nice look Doreen (though I don’t know what the old one looked like 🙂 ). Yes, networking is important and it doesn’t have to be time consuming although you can let it take over your time if you’re not careful. I think there’s a lot to be said for taking a strict, timed approach to Social Media along the lines of a certain time block in the morning (or whatever time works for you) and NOT being a slave to constant checking of email, Twitter etc.
Hi, Susan and thanks for joining us here.
I may spend a bit more time on social media than some as it’s been part of the task of developing and expanding my author’s platform – a necessary part of the book publishing process these days.
But I admit. I’ve come to enjoy it! Particularly Twitter and my blogs. I really enjoy those.
Hope to see you again here.
Hey Doreen,
Kudos on starting off 2012 on such a positive note! All my good wishes for your success. Seeing all the hard work and perseverance you’ve brought to it so far, I am certain that your efforts will attract multiples of what you’re putting out there. You go girl!
Yay, Margaret!
I’m glad that this new platform on WordPress has made it easier for you to comment. For those of you who may have had difficulty posting on the old Blogger platform, you may wish to jump in here! I’m hoping you’ll not have any problems from here on in.
Thanks for your encouragement, Margaret. I am indeed hoping that the behind-the-scenes efforts and research of 2011 will translate into a published volume of chocolate adventures by the end of this year. Stay tuned!
I couldn’t agree more Doreen. Social networking has really helped me, especially my blog, thanks to you and other members of Bloggers Helping Bloggers. It seems 2012 started on a good note for you. May the whole year also work for you. I think I’ll get more involved in my social networks from now on.
Lanre recently posted…Excerpts From Great Minds- What Do They Mean?
Thanks, Lanre. It’s always great to hear from you.
Yes, I think we have to spend the time devoting efforts to social media if we want to expand our reach. Finding the right groups and networks is the key, and I certainly agree that the BHB group has been wonderful. It’s introduced me to you, Sherryl and many other great new friends and bloggers.
I remind you that you need to resubscribe to this new blog if you want the updates sent to you by e-mail. Sherryl has managed to transfer the RSS feed, but e-mail subscribers need to resubscribe. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope you’ll stay with us.
Great new look, Doreen! And it sounds like you have a lot going on! I wish you the best for 2012. May it be a great year for all of us writers!
Molly Campbell recently posted…Danny Violets
Thanks for dropping into the blog, Molly, and all the best to you in 2012.
Congrats on this blog re-launch, Doreen. I am genuinely impressed with your tenacity to make social media work for you and clearly, it is working. Obviously, you get out only as much as you put in. But this morning, I looked at my potential to-do list and I had a choice of: (1) complete contract work, or (2) write a blog post, or (3) get caught up in time-wasting FB and other on-line distractions (had to fight this one off), or (4) use my gift certificate for a day at the spa (I gave that one a big thumbs up but it lost), or (5) work on promotion of my latest published title (which, to be frank, utterly drains me emotionally) or (6) research/write one of my “own” new books…well, that is just the tip of the list iceberg. Since I am no longer accepting contract work I am pushing myself to complete (i.e. get paid for the last time) my last 3 contracts so I can move on, but the looming decision for me is always between working on the “business” of being a writer and writing. I am so stuck on “the time I spend blogging, or reading blogs, or responding to blogs…or other social media…I could be actually writing.” I feel the same way about working on promoting my latest book. I can’t get past feeling that the time I spend doing everything else is only time away from writing and really, what I do, above all else (and want to do/be/fulfill above all else) is write. I have more books/plays/poems in my head than I can possibly get on paper in 10 years. How do you manage to juggle these conflicting demands on your limited time resources and do you feel your writing life ultimately suffers as a result? I considered sending this as a private email, so apologies if this is not the right forum for this discussion, but I also committed to engaging on blogs I like…so here we are.
I know what you mean, Christine. There are always so many things tugging at our time.
I devoted 2011 almost exclusively to research and to building my author’s platform in preparation for the launch of “Chocolatour.” I chose that be an investment in myself, as I know this book has huge potential.
I will get deeply into the writing process as the months of 2012 progress, so you will see me putting in less time online. But as I have already laid the foundation, fertilized it and planted the seeds, I’m hoping the garden will continue to grown with minimal attention from me. I’m thinking of it being comparable to a perennial garden. You put a fair amount of work into it at the start, but once it has taken root, it will continue to grown and blossom over time.
Thanks for joining the conversation, and all the best in finding the best balance for your own time and writing.
Christine, I just had to take a minute to comment on your comment – I hope you don’t mind – because I believe that as a writer (and yes, we are two different kinds of writers but it’s still the same biz) you have two choice when it comes to social media and networking.
1) Put in the time yourself. It doesn’t have to be a load of time. With as little as 15 minutes a day and a little more for reading blogs on weekends you can manage one social network efficiently. The key is NOT to spend your whole day on a network but to be consistent. I’d honestly recommend focusing on one network at first. Google+ is currently my recommendation because with Search Your World (Search+) that Google has implemented, I believe that many people are going to choose to get recommendations for information on topics that come from their connections FIRST. It may take people awhile to figure it out but really – would you rather get a recommendation for a book from someone you know or just what the search engines dredge up?
2) Pay someone to do it.
Why are these our choices. Because it’s got to be done. It is part of business just as much as advertising is part of a bricks and mortar business. If we want people to read our books/blogs/etc. we have to make them aware of it. If we don’t do the first one or the second one, they’ll never know about our book/blog/etc. will they?
Hope you don’t mind me adding to this Doreen! It’s just a subject I’m kinda passionate about. 😉
Danielle McGaw recently posted…Why Social Media Isn’t a Waste of Time
Thanks so much for the kind words Doreen and the endorsement. I agree whole heatedly with you about networking online. I’ve always been a strong believer that we can all learn from one another and that the true path to success is through community building. I feel very fortunate in that I have built a strong support system online. I value your friendship and your expertise.
Thanks also for making your readers aware of our LinkedIn group. We always welcome new members.
Sherryl Perry recently posted…Community Building and Having an Online Support System
Thanks, Sherryl. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you and learning from you. You are so generous with your knowledge.
Looking forward to welcoming more members to the BHB group!
Doreen. Congratulations on your new home. It’s beautiful 🙂
I used to hate the concept of networking…dreaded it as a matter of fact. When I understood that great networking is about relationship. Man…I was all in. I’m looking forward to visiting your home more often.
Thanks so much, Coretta.
Yes, networking is all about relationship building and nurturing. If more people understood that … we would all be better off.
Doreen, I completely agree with you about the benefits of networking. Most of my work comes from people I know (including some I’ve met through PWAC and social media). Networking is also a great way to avoid the isolation that freelancers sometimes feel.
Thanks for being the first to drop in on the new blog, Jaclyn! How I love my PWAC friends!