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Ten Steps to Dramatically Improve Your Network with Social Software

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Virtual relationships can help you find a job, market your product or service, close deals, recruit talent, and identify and contact strategic partners. The virtual networks you join and the way in which you participate in them will vary according to your current objectives. Whatever those objectives may be, there are ten steps that we recommend everyone take to dramatically improve your personal network online.
  1. Document your goals. For each goal, write down how online networks can help you achieve it.
     
  2. Analyze your network using the Seven Keys to a Powerful Network:
    • How can you improve your Character and make it more visible?
       
    • How can you increase your Competence?
       
    • What is the best way to raise the Relevance of the people you know?
       
    • How can you build Stronger ties?
       
    • How can you increase your Information about the people you know?
       
    • How can you multiply the Number of people you know? Or, should you focus on building Stronger relationships with the people you know now?
       
    • How can you double the Diversity of your network?

     
  3. Make the mundane sublime. Master the basic office productivity tools. If you invest the energy to learn how to speed read, how to touch type, and how to use standard office productivity software comfortably, you will become far more productive.
     
  4. Become an information sponge. Install professional contact management software. Record emails, phone numbers, the notes you take in meetings, and everything else you can about the people you know. Add everyone you meet to your database.
     
  5. Master your e-mail. Install a sophisticated e-mail reader and spam filtering and antivirus software. Set up mail filter rules to route mail into appropriate folders. Turn off automatic send/receive. Organize your e-mail folders, and keep your inbox empty.
     
  6. Share your knowledge wealth. Maintain a master file of documents, resources, Web links, etc., which have been helpful to you. Document processes.
     
  7. Write your Recyclable Document. Save time by centralizing all of your recyclable emails and other text.
     
  8. Take control of your virtual presence. Make sure that when people look for you online…which they will…your image is both accurate and flattering.
     
  9. Join the virtual communities where your target market lives, and keep your profile updated. Once you have joined one group, ask the members where else they connect with like-minded people. Be sure to look for smaller groups within larger sites.
     
  10. Take a leadership role. Write a blog to cover your domain, and perhaps create a virtual community around your unique interests.
If The Virtual Handshake only convinces you to take these basic steps, we have succeeded in our own goal. You will significantly increase the value of your network, not to mention your efficiency and your productivity.

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David Teten and Scott Allen are authors of the forthcoming The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, the first book to discuss how online communities and other social software can be used to connect with the right people to help you grow your business and advance your career. For more information, visit TheVirtualHandshake.com.

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