It’s the network, stupid

09-07-'10 | Social Media | No comments   

Getting the blank stare

I’m always a bit surprised when I talk enthousiastically about Twitter and social networks, when someone responds to me by saying:

Yeah, I’ve done that and it’s just a waste of my time. Why would I want to listen to people all day just saying what they are doing? How can that be relevant for my work?

Then I usually respond by asking:

But what kind of network did you build?

And most of the time the answer is a blank stare.

Do you ever get the feeling you don't fit into the social network you created?

It’s the network

And more importantly: your network quality. To put it bluntly: if you are into, let’s say, the house painting business, why would you go networking with people who make coffee cups?

If you are socially networking for your job, do you really need friends and relatives chatting away in that same network?

Quality over quantity

When getting started on social networks, the key question is: what do I want it do do for me? If you are joining Twitter for professional reasons, then look for professional contacts. Good and relevant professional contacts.

Be strict, demand quality. You may not connect to the overwhelming amount of people you planned to boast about later on, but with a good professional network you are far more likely to receive great content that is relevant for your business. And you will spend less time digesting a huge pile of annoying and meaningless status updates.

Maintain your network

Keep track of the people you connect to. How do they behave, what do they share? Is their content any good over a longer period of time?

I, personally, have a fond dislike of people who clog my feed by simultaneously posting up to 5 or 10 messages. It’s too much, and I unfollow them when they keep doing that. It’s annoying and distracting.

So, yes, it is ok to be tough. Just hit “unfollow” when followers are not good enough. “Being social” does not mean you can waste your time.

I invest about half an hour per week into checking my network quality. Because before you know it, there’s tens of contacts to sift through and it will take up too much of your time to repair your network.

Conclusion: social miracles do not exist

Social networks are not miracles: if you want them to work for you, just like any other medium, you will have to invest time into building and maintaining a quality network that matches your business goals and gives you relevant content.

How do you get the most out of Twitter?

How can you make Twitter work for you? Read this post: “This is a conversation, not a commercial.”

Comment, contact

Feel free to post a comment or contact us if you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share.

Photo credits
Alone in the crowd by Sam Felder on Flickr.com
Published under a CC License