Getting started in Social Media is all about JUST DOING IT!
That’s what I continue to do — and exactly what I suggest to those listening to me.
[Those NOT listening to me get the same advice, and I know it’s just a matter of time until they, too, jump in.]
My TWO Biggies this week: Ning & Squidoo
My Performance Social Media Ning site
Q: How many times have I heard people praising the opportunities on Ning.com?
A: Countless times — at least a dozen any way, and three times last week:
- During a phone conversation with a fellow social media evangelist
- During the #smbookclub discussion I moderated
- During the SM ROI panel discussion sponsored by Women in Consulting [for which I took videos now on YouTube@sharisax]
The Time for Ning was NOW
And it was quite easy . . . and more importantly for lots of us . . . did not take much time.
So what is Ning and why did I create my presence there?
Ning is a tool/platform that allows you to set up YOUR OWN Social Network — with what appears to me to have different capabilities and ease-of-use than, say, a Facebook Fanpage. To my mind, it is more personable . . . and, well, less Facebook-y . . . which means more of you, and what you want.
While my Ning site is far from “complete,” what it does have now is a FORUM I set up so that “newbies” can ask me [and my interns] questions about HOW TO GET STARTED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA — the question that plagues so many small business people [mostly Baby Boomers] who are gradually “seeing the light” but don’t have a clue where to begin.
There are a lot of people like me “out there” who do want to help. The people I’m meeting are invited to ask me their questions on the Ning forum.
If you are reading this post, of course, sign in to the Ning forum and ask away.
Here’s a question for starters: Just how do external links help pump your Google Juice?
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My first Squidoo lens:
Reviewing and chatting about social media books
My Performance Social Media partner Les Ross has been hounding me for months to begin Squidoo-ing . . . yet another link to drive traffic to my blog.
And yesterday was the perfect day, especially since Squidoo founder Seth Godin announced his own new Squidoo launch Brands in Public. You can read on his blog post about how companies can now aggregate everything being said about their brands in one place WHERE they can comment right alongside.
I do want my readers to check out my own Squidoo site, but I just got it started . . . and that is the key: JUST GET STARTED.
BTW, Good luck to my brother Chuck, who is going to start a Facebook fanpage for his Temple in Hawaii. He told me he was going to follow my advice and learn a new social media platform/tool every week.
Next post: NEWBIES, How to Get Started with Social media for your business