Internet Geek Girl

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - It is all about who you know. Since I was a young child, I understood that intrinsically. I came out of the womb networking. My report cards in grammar school often included comments such as, “Stephanie is a social butterfly.” I was voted most-talkative at my 8th grade and high school graduations. So, needless to say, I’m no stranger to community development… a/k/a business development!

These days however, there is a lot of talk about which communities we should belong too, who we should “friend” and what happens when our personal and business lives blur in online social networks.

I wanted to go on record with my general philosophies on the issues and let you all know about my Fab 4, (of the moment), so you can “friend” me. You’d have to live in a cave with no wi-fi to miss the growth and importance of online social networks. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and LinkedIn are currently my “Fav 4.” That means – I truly love them. I groove on updating them and my friends are people that I communicate with all day long. I even talk on the phone with some of these people, and – hold onto your hat – even DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. I truly believe that these communities are an important part of marketing, branding and sales.

I’ve heard some people say, “I’m using Facebook exclusively now.” That’s cool. These communities take time and we live in a busy world and especially in this industry, there is never enough time in the day. Not everyone is in every community. I like that it’s like a Venn diagram – some people in one community, some in another, some overlap. Kind of like in real life.

Chris Brogan, a master of social media and community development, argues that online social networking is an investment. I couldn’t agree more. (BTW, he also gets credit for the nifty graphic). Chris points out that:

“I think that part of it is just general kissing-and-baby-hugging of the people you consider your community, and some of it is developing potential future business and personal relationships. We do business with friends. There’s a professional potential to some of this. I don’t apologize for that. We have to eat, right? But there’s also some personal aspects, and some element of favor-trading outside of traditional business.”

I personally enjoy taking the time to build these networks and the great relationships that result from participation. I believe in being authentic and non-judgmental and welcoming all in. At my parties, “all are welcome.” The more the merrier I say (unless you act up and get kicked out). To the skeptics, and there are many, I say no problem – you can always call my cell if you want to talk to me.

Speaking of which – I also believe strongly that these networks don’t replace live and in-person contact and networking. I am here in Miami at Affiliate Summit and I bumped into a colleague that I’d like to connect with later this week. Despite the fact that we are on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, I realized, “hey, I need your cell phone number.” After all, if it’s important, you pick up the phone.

Well friends (and soon to be friends), I have to get ready and head out to the Share-A-Sale party. I promise to post pictures on Flickr as soon as possible.

As I said – human contact is good too. Thanks to Shawn and Missy for putting on a great event twice a year that allows me to network in person with some of the finest entrepreneurs and minds in this industry. I’ll leave you with my recent video on AffiliateTip.tv.

Now you know me.