The Keys to Successful Social Networking: Focus and Reciprocity

Posted on 15 July 2010 | by JR Rozko

In my last post, "The Power and Danger of Sharing through Social Networking," I concluded by saying that,

The great secret of those who feel empowered as opposed to defeated by making a habit of sharing through social media is focus and reciprocity.

I want to say a few words on focus here and deal with reciprocity the next time around.

There's a saying that goes, "He who attempts to be a master of many things fails to be a master of any thing."  OK, I made that up, but it sounds good right?!  If we're honest, we'll probably admit that it resonates with what we know to be true.  Whether you are a web designer, photographer, software developer, or any other manner of contract worker, the best thing you can do for yourself, both in terms of skill development and Internet based marketing and promotions is FOCUS.

Here's why I say this is a key to successful social networking.  Internet searches are incredibly refined and they are getting better all the time.  The more focused you can be about who you are, what you're about, or what you seek to offer to potential clients, customers, or mere connections, the more valuable social networking is going to be to you.

Before the Internet and social networking became commonplace, we had to exert great amounts of energy and effort to meaningfully connect with those who shared our interests.  The more general you could be about your interests, the better, because only a certain number of people were accessible.  But, because the Internet flattens the world in which we "live," the number of people to whom we might connect is unfathomably larger and more accessible.  So whereas in a pre-Internet world we would have done well to identify as say, "Photographer," as a way to connect with other photographers and those needing pictures taken, we are far more helped today by identifying as a "family portrait photographer who focuses on urban action shots."  In a world where meaningful access to others is limited, this kind of specificity is probably to our detriment, but in a would where people have the freedom to search, globally and instantly, for others with specific interests and talents, it is a key to success in terms of social networking.

What are your thoughts?  Have you discovered this to be true?  Has focusing what you put out via social media yielded more meaningful connections?