OK, seriously, people…Since I got a laptop and ditched the family computer, I have become engrossed with all of the new ways to connect and build community online. I hate to say it, but I am addicted to social networking and social network marketing.

Sites like Facebook and MySpace are usually the first things that come to mind when people think about social networks. But, as I have discovered, there are so many more. One of my new favorites is Twitter. It is a “microblog” that asks you to answer the question “what are you doing?”. I know, this sounds odd…and it did to me, too…until I started “tweeting” regularly.

I am also excited about sites like Stumble Upon, Reddit and Digg. These are sites that allow you to identify cool posts, pages, sites,etc, review them and post them to a publicly viewed page. For those of us who have businesses attached to our blog, or if you are trying to build readership, these sites are great ways to get the word out there. They are generally easy to use, and (this is big) they are fun! I particularly like the feature on Stumble Upon where you click a button and go to one of the higher rated sites…it lets you “stumble” around the net, randomly unearthing cool sites.

Finally, my most used site is Flickr. I post all of my pictures here. I am able to share photos with friends and family and also easily upload them to my blogs and other sites. A certain amount of storage is free, but I use the paid membership version. It essentially gives me unlimited storage and other options, like on line photo editing.

Believe me, this is not an exhaustive list. There are plenty of other ways to connect. These social networks are built around all kinds of themes, bookmarks, photos, even gardening (find me at Gardener to Farmer on Blotanical and MyFolia). There are also blogs that have their own social networks on site. Amazing…and just in case this seems too overwhelming to follow, there is a site that collects all of your sites… Friend Feed is a great place to keep tabs on your friends…and your teen aged daughter who just got a laptop…no more searching for all of her, I mean, your, postings…this aggregator has it all in one place. Check me out at http://friendfeed.com/jeanannvk.

And what I like the most about social networking and social network marketing, and really all emarketing, is accessibility. In a way, the internet has become the great equalizer. We have the opportunity to reach readers just as effectively as the big guys. We only need an internet connection and a computer (now found at local libraries) and we are ready to take on the world.

Do you use any of these networking sites? Do you use others? Are there some I should join? Let me know!

A busy week, to be sure! I had several appointments, of which at least 30-40% were canceled and rescheduled. It is not uncommon to have to reschedule…and in the days when I had an executive assistant, this was not a problem. But the more time I spend on things like scheduling, the less time I have to do the work that makes the money…I think I have a solution, though…I am drafting my partner to do the organizing side of things for me. I am not one to have much patience for the nitty gritty…I need a handler!

In any case, I had some very rewarding meetings this week:

I had lunch with Tom Imeson, a well known and respected business person in Portland. He talked with me about his experience as a consultant. It was great to catch up and he offered to pass along information about my consulting practice, as was relevant.

I had a meeting that resulted in my second Produce Partner, Tim Healea of Little t Bakery.

And, I found my first victim, err, first guinea pig, ummm, I mean, my first PARTICIPANT, in a new feature that will start next week. Tune in to find out what the feature will be…but in the meantime, meet Lindy Maxwell…

I had a wonderful networking lunch with Juan Martinez of Basic Rights Oregon…I shared my fund development knowledge and he shared a willingness to pass along info about my consulting practice.

I also had breakfast with Roey Thorpe with the Equality Federation. It was great to reconnect with her and she had some great suggestions…she is connecting me with a couple of people she thinks would be good to help develop Gardener to Farmer.

Slower this week for eNetworking…I added a couple of new contacts on my LinkedIn account, but that’s about it.

That’s all for this week’s update…keep making those connections!

And here we are with the first NCU (networking and cultivation update). This week, I networked with 6 people in person, from that I:

Learned the ins and outs of consulting from expert consultant, Kathleen Saadat

Adopted a non profit for some pro bono work, Donors Resource

Started a conversation about joining the board of PABA

And saw a good friend, good resource and new produce customer…Jeff Miller of Travel Portland

Jeff had some great ideas and suggested he could refer me to some people I should contact. Letting folks know that I have started a consulting business is very important, particularly in a city like Portland. Portland is a small, big city and referrals more often come from who you know, rather than more traditional advertising. Networking here has the potential for huge impact in social networks.

Which brings me to my online networking site for the week, LinkedIn. If you look to the right, you will see the button for my profile. In some ways, it is the traditional social networking site that it isn’t very social.  There are various groups you can join, but it primarily serves as a place to track and expand your network. This is not the place to go and chat up your best friend from high school…

You can develop an extensive business profile, an online resume of sorts, search the contacts of people you know for a connection, look for jobs and generally keep a log of all of the business people you have met, either virtually or in person. It is handy if you want to find the friend of a friend who knows so and so over at company x.  Or, I use it to find other consultants in Portland who do work that is similar or complimentary to mine…always good to have a place to refer clients who want something you don’t provide or who need consulting and you are too busy (!).

I have connected with lots of people, some I knew, some I didn’t.  I have also met people online and have followed up with in person coffees. In fact, next week I am meeting in person with another consultant I met on LinkedIn.

This week, I networked electronically with lots of folks and here’s what resulted:

An in person coffee with a new colleague

A referral to a potential client for my produce business, Dancing Hills Produce

A freelance job for a newspaper on the coast

A paid blog posting job

Never underestimate the importance of networking…and remember, it is not about the quantity of people you connect to, it is about the quality of the connection.

We might as well get this on the table right now. Networking is critical and unavoidable if you want to have a flourishing business. That said, there are tons of ways to network…way too many to write about in one post. I am adding a new feature to TEE (The Edgy Entrepreneur, isn’t it a cool acronym?)…each week, I will highlight the contacts I have made in person and highlight one or two ways to network online…

Let’s see, what shall I call it? Something catchy…something that grabs people’s attention, I do want people to read it. How about Networking=Money. While this is true, it is a little too hard of a sell for my style. Maybe Building Relationships, Building Income…but that is still too monetarily focused for me. Yes, money is very important…I need to feed the family, after all, but if your sole purpose is to network to make money, people are going to see you coming a mile away…think pushy sales people. You may get the initial sale, but you won’t get the return customer…deadly for a small business. The Relationship Update sounds like we are dating, or this is a therapeutic blog…Let’s go with “Networking and Cultivation Update”…it is a bit long, but it captures the principle.

And the principle is this…it is not enough to go out, meet a lot of people and hand them your card…or go online and develop profiles in several places…this initial contact is important, yes…but if you don’t CULTIVATE that relationship, it is a lukewarm lead at best.

I love the term cultivation…I have a gardening business, Gardener to Farmer, and all of my produce sales have come from person to person contact. True, if I was selling a lot of widgets, I would not know all of my customers. But selling produce is a whole different matter. I started this business with the idea that purchasers need a relationship with not only the seller, but the produce. That added value is a competitive edge that sets me apart from other suppliers.

Start considering your network and how your business interacts with it…let’s see how we can make it solid and add strong leads, ultimately benefiting you and your customers.