A hands-on class easing non-users of social networking into professional use of LinkedIn and Facebook. Students will discover how to begin growing and promoting their businesses, expanding their network and promoting themselves.
Students will learn:
- the purpose of social networks,
- the unique structures of Linkedin and Facbook,
- how to create a professional online representation of you and your business,
- how to generate warm leads,
- how to build a strong network,
- how to integrate online and offline networking.
The class is hands on so you are welcome to bring your laptop or use one of ours.
Target Audience - This class is for you if you do not currently use social networking tools such as LinkedIn or Facebook or have just begun to explore them. Students will have minimal experience with any social network. Some will have Facebook accounts but if so, they are using Facebook socially, not professionally. If you do use social networking tools and are ready to discover how to use them strategically, you will find Social Networking For Professionals 201 more suited to your needs.
Guidelines
- What is your current use of social networks? Blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, niche social networks? Listservs? Listservs are the early iteration of social networks and they still hold value.
- Think of social networking as electronic versions of chatting with a neighbor in the grocery story and meeting a colleague at a coffee
- shop. The difference is that:
- You choose whom you happen across at your virtual grocery store, and
- In that virtual coffee shop you further develop relationships with multiple folks, at the same time, when you choose.
- Get to know folks online that you originally met offline. This is particularly useful for folks geographically spread out. Small business owners who
- meet at a conference can use social networking to provide practical and emotional support to each other.
- The number of social media tools can be overwhelming. Find a few that meet your needs and do not feel guilty for not using the latest
- and greatest. Unless you love experimenting with new tools, let the early adopters work out the kinks and promote the greatest new tools.
- Mix your personal and professional lives in a conscientious manner. You define your online persona. Interact online the same as you
- would with a new colleague in a coffee shop.
- The more an organization's representatives understand how to use social networking professionally:
- The more easily each can integrate not only promotion of the organization into their social networking but also,
- The more easily they can encourage their network to become actively engaged in the organization.
- Who is your audience? And what social networks do they use?
- Structure - based upon individual professional profiles.
- Profile - you
- Home - your network
- Purpose - To be found, to find, & warm introductions
- Profile creation
- Basic Information
- Summary
- Picture
- Experience
- Additional Information
- Personal URL
- Status Updates
- Connecting
- Who?
- Quality over quantity
- Connections reflect upon you
- How to Build Your Network
- Recommendations
- Giving
- Receiving
- Searching
- Individuals
- Keywords
- Groups
- Settings
- Add all email addresses
- Status
- Structure - based upon the individual.
- Profile - you
- Home - your network
- Purpose - Deepening existing relationships
- Profile
- Basic information
- Profile picture
- Facebook networks
- Box below picture
- URL (facebook.com/username)
- The wall
- Definition
- What to post
- Useful information and references
- Who you are - what you do, what you feel, what you believe
- A mix of personal & professional
- Unobtrusive
- Text, Links, Video, Notes
- Chat
- Search
- Keywords or individuals within your network
- People, Pages, Groups, Events
- Controlling information overload
- Settings Notifications
- Create Friend List
- Rearrange hierarchy of News Feed content
- Remove Friends from feed, remove games from feed
- Privacy Settings
- Contact Email - Add all email addresses
- Who has access to what?
