How to Stay Connected

Biznik!

2009-11-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

So with the popularity of MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook reaching an infinite level, many businesses might be looking for more professional websites where they can network and find more business contacts. There is now a new website that I came across called Biznik. I really liked the idea of an online social network intended for small businesses. With my father owning his own small business, one of my dream jobs has been to open up my own boutique, or line of stores. It would be very beneficial to have a website like this at my disposal. Biznik is a website that is working toward collaboration, rather than competition.

After looking at Biznik.com for myself, I found lots of really interesting things to help out companies. At the bottom of the home page, there is a list of business networking events near you, and at the top of the page, there are recent business articles. In the About tab, the first sentence is "It sucks growing a business alone." This site is modern and easy yet professional, and it has also won many awards. It won the Best in Class award for the 2008 Interactive Media Awards, and it won a Standard of Excellence for the 2008 Web Awards.

According to SmallBusinessOnlineCommunity.com, Biznik combines the best of Facebook and LinkedIn, with article publishing, business discussion groups, live events, and placement on Google. The main difference between Biznik and other social networking websites it that instead of an emphasis on long lists of friends and followers, this website is more concerned with building business relationships. Another interesting feature on this website it that companies can link up their Twitter accounts if they choose to do so.

I think that this is a great website for small businesses to look into. I also like that it has more to it than Facebook and other social sites because there are many things directly related to business on it. If you are looking for a more professional way to network and market you and your business to other people, this is the website for you!

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

2009-10-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

As much as a fan as I am for Facebook, Twitter is on the opposite side of the spectrum. I just do not understand the point of knowing what everyone is doing at all times of the day. When I hear about using networking websites to improve business, I can see the positive aspects of LinkedIn, a social networking site used primarily for professional use. When I worked for a pharmaceutical company over the summer, I created my own LinkedIn profile so that I could search for clients and their most recent contact information. I know that if I was on Twitter, my boss would not have been very happy with me.

So this got me wondering, has is now become acceptable to use Twitter in the business world? I know that even my socially challenged dad, CEO of Camargo Pharmaceutical Services has even told me that many of his employees are finding contacts for the company on Twitter. I started surfing the web to see what other professionals have said about one of the newest social networking websites. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com said, “We’ve found that Twitter has been a great way for us to connect on a more personal level with our employees and customers. We use it to help build our brand, not drive direct sales. It’d be like asking how does providing a telephone number for customer service translate into new business when they are mostly non-sales-related calls. In the long term, Twitter helps drive repeat customers and word of mouth, but we’re not looking to it as a way of driving immediate sales.”

There is another interesting article on the business week website that tells different CEO's takes on Twitter.

I can definitely see the positive reasons that a business should use Twitter. It can help communication between the employees internally, and benefit networking externally. Also, it is easy for a company to track what people are saying about their own company, such as with their product names or industry, and this is a great way for them to get feedback. Although I am not "tweeting" yet myself, maybe when I am working at a real job someday, I can join the revolution. Until then, I'll stick to my facebook.

Social Networking: The Old- Fashioned Way

2009-10-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was sitting in my room working on my homework in my sorority house when I suddenly realized that I was starving. At that point, there was nothing that I wanted more than take- out sushi from Japanee, my favorite restaurant in Bloomington. There were also a plethora of girls who I could ask to go with me, so I decided to text my friend Jennifer, who was currently sitting in the room two doors down from me. After we were texting back and forth, trying to decide on a time to leave, what we wanted to order, who should place the order, etc., I thought to myself...this is absolutely ridiculous! Am I seriously so lazy that I am texting a girl who is literally 25 feet away from me? What has become of us? I could not believe what I had done.

As bad as this sounds, I am sure that so many people can relate to this. We have all been caught "facebook- chatting" the roommate, texting when it is so much easier than calling, and messaging the long- lost friend who really deserves a phone call, or even a letter. Even as little as five years ago, we didn't have all of these websites at our disposal. Have we forgotten how to communicate without them?

I regret to tell you that a tragedy occured in my graduating class of 2008 from Madeira, OH. We were a close- knit grade of only 105 students, and last week, one of my friends passed away. Before I could receive a call from my mom or one of my best friends from high school, I logged onto my facebook account, and saw that many kids in the Madeira High School Network had updated their statuses to "R.I.P. John Carney". And this is how I found out that a boy I had played soccer with, participated in theatre with, the one who called me "Freckle Face" to mock me since second grade, had died. Not only was I devastated that this happened, but I was shocked that I would discover a death so close to me over a Social Networking Website. This just proves what kind of world we live in, so connected 24/7. It is almost impossible to get a break from it all.

Old- Fashioned Social Networking is still important to remember in today's world. Face- to- face interactions can be so meaningful today, and even though you must keep up with websites to network and stay ahead, just don't get too carried away with it all. I saw a really interesting commercial on t.v. that I thought was very humorous. Coleman, the camping company, is proclaiming themselves as "The Original Social Networking Site" in their latest marketing campaign.

Here is the link to the commercial, which I believe is very clever. I will be one of the first people to admit that I am addicting to Facebook, but I also just want to stress to readers out there that sometimes it is wise to go back to Social Networking in the Old- Fashioned Way.