Imaginary Meetings and Meaningful Connections

Posted on 16 March 2010 | by JR Rozko

For many of us, a website or blog is the first point of contact we have with new people.  Through searches, referrals, and links, all sorts of people are "meeting" us without our direct knowledge.  Weird right?  I think it is.  I mean, when is the last time someone met you in person without your direct knowledge?  The upside of an online presence is the opportunity to exponentially increase the number of people you might connect with, but the downside is that you have less control over the meaningfulness of the connections you're making.

One way to try and overcome this downside of this situation is to give those who come across your blog or site an easy way to take that connection to the next level by highlighting the other various social networks they might want to connect with you on: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, Wordpress, Delicious, YouTube, Vimeo, etc., etc., etc.  The list is nearly endless.  What's most important is that you highlight those social networks that are most meaningful to you.

Some might tell you the more the better.  They need to get their heads out of their sand!  Each of us only has so much to offer and it's ALWAYS better to focus in those networking opportunities that simply correspond better to who we are and what we do.

So here are a few questions to ask yourself.

1) What social networks do you spend the most time on?

2) What social networks best represent who you are and what you enjoy?

3) Which social networks offer the most meaningful ways for you to connect with others?

4) Of the profiles you have on social networks, which seem to represent you and what you'd like others to know about you, best?

5) Which online profiles are you most mindful of updating?

Once you answer those questions, I'd say choose 2-3 social networks and feature those prominently as secondary ways for those who "meet" you by way of your blog or website to connect with you.