psst no 1 : blognetworking for dummies
9.07.2006 | Toothless Tiger
a day delayed.. sorry guys, but I have a daytime job now. Anyway here goes :
social skills is a problem for many people ( and snort.. geeks) - I have trained myself to ask questions ( maybe in the comment section of a blog?) to people I don’t know without being obnoxious or too personal. in social networks ( like the blogosphere) it is my firm belief that it’s a good idea to tell people what you think about their writings - whether it’s good or bad.
the blogosphere might be an open place, but still, it is the same people commenting on the same blogs. Don’t worry, I do it too - maybe because I have a personal relation to most of the blogs I comment on. Whether I met them on a conference, a geekdinner or over coffee - the personal contact means a lot to me. So I can understand why ” noveau bloggers” are a bit taken by the closedness of the blogosphere.
I am currently practising as I preach and comment on a new blog everyday. maybe some good connections will come out of it.
maybe you would get something out of it too ?
9.07.2006
“I am currently practising as I preach and comment on a new blog everyday. maybe some good connections will come out of it.”
This is a good point Henriette. I have also been trying to comment more often and become less of a passive consumer of media. I think this shift takes time because, collectively, we are not used to being so interactive. Further to your point, it is also a great way to make new connections. People appreciate input and will be much more open to letting you in their circle of friends if you participate. Hence the success of the “___camp” movement.
A good example comes to mind with a post I made in the Pinko google group (funny enough, this is also the same place I discovered your blog)… I started a thread about a start-up and had some questions for the group. Within hours I had an e-mail waiting in my inbox from the owner of the company addressing my questions and offering more information. He later told me that it was a friend of his that send him my post.
9.07.2006
Jason : that is a very good point, and a very good example of how connections help you .
I guess one of the key aspects of networking is not ” whats in it for me?” but ” what can I contribute with ?”