Black MBA - Winter 2008/2009 - (Page 66)

CAREER Web 2.0 going to say, ‘Oh, let me go find Otis Collier’ because they don’t know me. So I have to use key words that will attract me to my target audience.” MANAGE YOUR TIME: MANNERS ARE A PLUS Dr. Randal Pinkett, NBMBAA Gold Key Access National Spokesperson and season four winner of The Apprentice, often talks about time being the most important commodity a person possesses – advice he attributes to Donald Trump. Collier agrees, which is why he suggests business owners consider hiring an outside firm to build their business Web site. To locate such a company, users can try the “Answers” section on LinkedIn or post a message on Facebook or MySpace. (Additionally, an Internet search can help locate someone or a company.) Collier adds, “If you have a Web site, you probably hired an outside fi rm to build [it]. So why would you not hire an outside fi rm to build your MySpace page… if you know there are millions of people using MySpace and you have the opportunity to pick up customers?” Collier also recommends hiring a teenager or someone in your network with available time to manage the site. Of course, whoever manages your site should exercise patience and basic business manners when building networks. Depending on the circumstances, don’t automatically assume someone is willing to do business with you. Instead, says LinkedIn’s Krista Canfield, take time to build new relationships, which later can grow into mutually beneficial relationships. Byrd suggests Web 2.0 users “really use their network” and ask friends to formally introduce them to people outside their network. “When I get asked questions, I’m more likely to respond to those that are coming from individuals I know.” WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Remember when posting a résumé on a Web site was considered a big deal? Well, that was Web 1.0 – static, one-way communication that did not provide immediate interaction. Web 3.0, though not completely defi ned, may represent the next stage of the Web’s evolution. (It’s speculated that Web 3.0 will include the mergence of information pulled from users’ Web 2.0 sites onto one site.) Until then, business owners, at least, have to ride out the current tide or chance missing free marketing, advertising and potential clients. “Missing this tide of opportunity is not a prudent move,” says Byrd, who helped launch Tom Joyner’s Black America Web and three other business start-ups, including the previously mentioned TheRoot.com. She also helped to launch Ezgov. com, which facilitates communication and interaction between governments and their constituents, and Kick-off Marketing, an Atlantabased strategic planning brand firm. Recognizing Web 2.0’s impact in her business ventures, Byrd concludes, “[TheRoot.com] is in a completely different age of interaction with our constituents. We get feedback and we’re communicating with our readers on a daily basis. We are also encouraging our readers to interact with us and create their own blogs. There’s a tremendous amount of citizen participation in helping to build our company.” Purporting the fun users can experience while on social networking sites, she adds, “It’s an exciting space to be in at this point in time. And I encourage all who are not active to hop on board – quickly.” mba Temple Hemphill is a Chicago-based journalist, adjunct media professor and nonfiction author working on a book about postpartum mental disorders and the story of Melanie BlockerStokes, a project Hemphill promotes t h r o ug h L i n k e d I n , F a c e b o o k a n d MySpace. While researching this article, Hemphill joined Twitter, which allows her to promote postpartum mental disorders awareness. Web 2.0 users, citing LinkedIn’s user friendly interface and its “Answers” section, which promotes communication among users (93 percent of questions posted receive answers). Krista Canfield, LinkedIn’s public relations manager, says 3 million small business professionals and 600,000 small business owners are registered on the site, which reports that nearly 65 percent of its users are male. Additionally, the average age of users is 41, and the average household income is more than $110,000. “[Business owners and entrepreneurs] are our fastest-growing segments,” continues Canfield, “and they’re defi nitely hyper users.” Also, Canfield suggests LinkedIn users post job or service recommendations for those in their network. “Anytime someone posts a recommendation on your profi le, it goes out to the 60 people you’re connected to and the 40 people connected to the person who left the recommendation,” Canfield describes. “It’s viral, and it can be a valuable sales lead. It’s a nice way for a small business to show potential clients how happy other clients are with their services.” Byrd says people 30 years old and younger often are more comfortable using Web 2.0. Yet Byrd suggests older business owners jump on the bandwagon by simply getting started. New users can build their profiles over time, which is exactly what Byrd did. “I started with very basic information about myself,” she recalls, while mentioning that social networking sites will take users through a step-by-step sign-up process. “I added a little more to my profi le every couple months or so as I became more comfortable.” Whether a new or well-versed user, when building your business brand, it’s important to keep the end goal in mind. And, says Collier, be thorough in completing your profile (even if it takes time). “If you are looking for customers or clients, you have to put yourself in a customer or client mindset,” Collier says. “Think about what you have that can fill their needs… and how they will be able to search for this. They’re not 66 BlackMBA • Winter 2008/2009 • www.nbmbaa.org http://www.TheRoot.com http://www.TheRoot.com http://www.nbmbaa.org

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Black MBA - Winter 2008/2009 Contents Preserving Dr. King’s Legacy: Harry E. Johnson is Six Years and $100 million into his First Fundraising Effort Online: www.nbmbaa.org and www.blackmbaonline.com Up Front: Inauguration Takes Over D.C. From the President: Connecting With the Basics The First 100 Days – Already in Progress Back to Basics: Finances 101 Is the Middle Class Disappearing? – Your View From Medals to MBA Conference Highlights Market Forces: The Job of Trying to Find a Job in a Tight Market Applying to an MBA Program?: Avoid Making these Five Critical Mistakes How They Did It: Catching up with the Winning Teams from NBMBAA’s 2008 National Case Competition Change It Up: If a New Job is at the Top of your New Year’s Resolutions, it’s Time for Careful Planning and Preparation Bull Market: Now is the Time to Take Advantage of Web 2.0 On the Move: Member News, Promotions and More Backstage at BET: NBMBAA’s Leadership Institute Takes on BET’s Case for Growth Toronto Rising: NBMBAA’s Toronto Chapter is on a Progressive Track, Building Strong Partnerships and Exposure as Membership Climbs NBMBAA® Chapters: Find Your Local Chapter Here Do What You Love: Turning Your Passion into a Successful Business Requires Patience, Planning and Plenty of Hard Work Above and Beyond: Meet the Winners of the 2008 Wells Fargo/NBMBAA Entrepreneurial Excellence Award Decorating by Design: Michelle Rider Leaves Corporate Life for Entrepreneurship Culture Shock: Black Museums Nationwide Appeal for Greater Support from the People whose Heritage they Strive to Preserve Gear Up for 2009: Books to Herald Success in the New Year Advertiser Index: Who’s Who in the Issue

Black MBA - Winter 2008/2009

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