Launch - Spring 2009 - (Page 21)

Launch Readership Survey best networking tool. It’s a major viral connection.” Alba recommends that job seekers have at least 65 LinkedIn connections — those who have agreed to be part of a person’s network — and use the “answers” feature to get advice from other users. 5. Don’t forget your manners. While nearly all social networks have rules for participation (don’t post obscenities or copyrighted material, for example), the etiquette for adding people to each network is defined by the mores of those on the network, Postman says. He offers a few guidelines: • Users should be particularly careful to avoid the appearance of flirtation and inappropriate comments and messages. Use the same rules as you would in the workplace. • Don’t send blatantly commercial messages. Business networking is OK. Shameless promotion and cold calling is not. • If the network allows, give the person you are inviting some context for the invitation. • Do not take it bad if someone declines or ignores your invitation to connect. That’s their option. 6. Beware of legal implications. Does your company currently utilize social networking as a business tool? 52.1% Yes 37.5% No 10.4% No, but we will “Social media has greatly increased our SEO rankings and provided some great leads.” -Alex McArthur VP of search, OrangeSoda “We are still developing an overall strategy, but the recommendations section on LinkedIn allows potential clients to read testimonies from past clients.” -Joe Freeman VP of business development, Espiritu Design “We have LinkedIn and Facebook groups set up for employees and I’ve connected with all of them.” -Devin Thorpe Managing director, USTAR “When people see me being active on social networking sites it … helps my company land more business because I’m seen as an expert in my field.” -Joshua Steimle CEO, MWI “We use LinkedIn to find potential clients and employees.” -Dave Bascom CEO, SEO.com “I find business networking in groups such as the chamber, Corporate Alliance, BNI and others, to be very valuable.” -Kurt Brown Owner, Let’s Logo Inc. If you’re a bigger company, there are a lot of legal risks involved. There are regulations for full disclosure, accounting laws regarding when you can disclose financial data, etc. If you have a CEO on a blog or Facebook, those regulations still apply. The same is true for competitive practices. If a top-tier blogger calls their competitors “lame” or “irrelevant,” you could get into unfair business practices or risk your reputation. $ Click here for the HTML version of this article on launchutah.com. spring 09 launch 21 http://www.SEO.com http://www.launchutah.com/article-coverstory-q12009.php

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Launch - Spring 2009

Launch - Spring 2009 Contents Editor's Note Dashboard Mentor: Mind Your Business Ps & Qs Diary: Great Idea, Now Show Me the Money Sales: Buying Eyeballs Funding: Stay Focused! NETworking Do’s and Don’ts Be the Networking King Entrepreneur Spotlight

Launch - Spring 2009

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