Have you ever done a Google Search for the phrase..What is social networking?  Really?!?!  Have you? 

Of course you are going to get the site whatissocianetworking.com…duh!  But really if you look further there is not very many attempts to define what social networking really is…or is not!  Outside of me trying of course.

I have been around the block a few times with social networking having created three social networks over the past ten years.  Two online and one offline.  I think I have a pretty good handle on what social networking is and really now have a firm grip on what it is not.  But, for this blog I thought I would just make a brief statement on what Social Networking is with a focus towards the online environment.

Social Networking really is what it says it is…social …networking.   Meaning people…not places or things…socializing in a group…not by themselves or as singularity.  Pretty simple isn’t it?

Now I am sure here would be where a classic Rant on asking why people are not using the social spaces for social networking, but I would rather spend these last few words expanding on what social networking really is in an effort to maybe be of more help to those who see being non-social as being social.

In the daily review I make of the social spaces, that are really social spaces, I am seeing more and more people who obviously do not know how to socialize.  I have concluded in many cases the lack of socialization for many is not because they do not know how to social but is purely driven by global economic temptation of selling or marketing to perceived large numbers of people captured in one place.  This temptation is overwhelming to most.  I see all kinds of attempts to commercialize the space where social media should be used instead. 

I see more unsocial behavior leading me to strongly believe there are a very large number of people split up into two groups..Those who don’t care to be social and those who do not know how to be social online, which is more than likely reflective of them also not knowing how to be social offline.  This results in there being just a dribble of relevant social content being seen over the steady stream of non-social content.

It is clear more and more people are attempting to redefine social media to drop the social and just be commercial media.  

How To Be Social Online

For those who are tired of reading, the bottomline to being social, in any environment, is in the conversation.   No matter how bad the grammar maybe or how misspelled the words are, the conversation…not a sales pitch..with someone is being social.  Now..for clarity..better grammar and spelling and communicating in the person’s native language makes for a Better Conversation. 

And, for those who are still with me..if the conversation is done effectively, and a number of them held over a long period of time, it Will lead to the opportunity to talk shop, aka, do business!

Let’s get social people. Showing others who you really are is what the consumers want to know, not who you represent or what you have to sell.  Let me know how I can help.

It truly is amazing what people, places and things will do online to get attention.  Maybe amazing is not the exact expression on what many people are doing on line.  Maybe Sad is a better description of how people look online when they act like a Knucklehead.

1. knucklehead

From the 1930′s (circa). Refers to a person of questionable intelligence. The size of the brain being given relative size of a human knuckle. Similar to pinhead.

2. knucklehead

A dunce. A dummy. A very stubborn person or animal.

I was originally going to title this blog..The Things Idiots Do Online…but thought I would hold it for a total different blog since what this blog is about has to do with the people who know what they are doing but really don’t seem to care what people really think of them.  They are more of a Knucklehead than an Idiot even though both have similar character traits.

This Let-Me-See-What-I-Can-Get-Away-With-Online attitude has been there since the beginning.  The internet, with its ability to allow someone to be almost completely anonymous, is used like a cloak by many people to hide behind.  Usually there are other reasons people have other than grabbing people’s attention.  Things like hiding who they REALLY ARE! or the type of business they REALLY profit from.

Truly, the people who do not post:

• a photo of themselves,
• anything on their profile stating their philosophies of life,
• anything relevant 
• anything based on reality…

…usually are being a Knucklehead for missing a great opportunity to be included in the social spaces.

So why are these people who know better want to be a Knucklehead?

Most claim they don’t want a certain person or group of people..like their bosses..to know they are online.  Many will become a knucklehead because they are deprived of attention in their real life.  Sometimes the real reason for fooling around with not being real has to do with some sort of malice actions they want to inflict on others.  Many who rather post a photo of a slogan, logo, brand or other character as their avatar do so as part of the failed attempt to draw attention to themselves factor. 

Still there many many of these knuckleheads who feel it is a violation of their privacy to tell anyone who they are or where they are.  Many think the information on who they are and where are will be used for other reasons. 

Their being unaware of the negative image people have of them is why they are called Knuckleheads.

Where do Knuckelheads reside?

Most of this foolish takes place on sites like Facebook and especially Twitter.  Google Plus and LinkedIn are not immune but at least they do cut many of these Knuckelheads off at the knees when they start doing something foolish, like spamming people or making foolish comments. 

Still, what is up with these people not wanting anyone to take them serious?  Most of the Knuckleheads feel they are being serious or at least feel people should take them serious.  When confronted they usually take to mounting a defense of their reasoning for not posting a photo of themselves as being ‘None of your business’ or the more famous rationalization I have received for being a knucklehead is ‘Oh Yaw!  Well I have more Friends on Facebook and Followers On Twitter than you!’..when I hear this I keep waiting for them to say “So, nah, nah, nah-nah, nah!”.

Real World View

So how do people really see those who do not post photos or provide vital information about themselves? 

In a recent study I did with my online and offline contacts, 85% said they would not and will never place anyone who is not taking themselves seriously into their network or community space. 10% said they usually confront people who attempt to Friend them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter who do not provide photos and clear credentials. 4% said they don’t even acknowledge their existence.   Only 1% said they don’t care who Friends them or Follows them as long as that person Shuts Up and Listens.

SO!  Why do these people keep being knuckleheads?  Most do it because they have thousands of other Knuckleheads who support them.  Why?  Well we could keep going on attempting to answer the Why questions forever.  What it all boils down to why Knuckleheads want to be knuckleheads is because they are…. Knuckleheads.

Enough said..right?  Let me know how I can help.

It is no surprised for the trillion or so people, places and things who are online to know Social Networking is the center of the universe today!  However, very few of this large number of people really understand what social networking is all about…or how to use it to accomplish their mission in life.

I could go on and on about what online social networking is and the impact it has on your image online but really it all boils down to one thing..one action a person should take or do to be part of the online social networking crowd.  That one thing is to Communicate…. Yes, have a conversation with someone, everyone or anyone online.

The old days of just posting a blog and then setting up a Facebook account that is linked to Twitter for to posting of one-way dribble have finally…thanks goodness…past!  Actually, the people who are still just posting updates and states and not responding to anyone in the huge community they built are performing what is now seen as Online Social Suicide. 

The conversation has now become the ‘Validator’ for people online to build personal and professional relationships. The more a person carries on a conversation with anyone reaching out to respond with their social media the more popular that person will be come popular.  The more popular the person..the individual..gets the more the search engines like them..the more the search engines like them the more that person’s business or personal profile will be seen.  This leads to a more beneficial levels of social networking.

The simple act of having a conversation has come back to being a very powerful tool in social media.  Without the conversation all other types of online activity becomes part of the million Unwanted posts made each minute.  Content from a conversation is the ‘Eye Catcher’ for those looking for others to socialize with.

It’s now time to start talking to others.  Let me know how I can help.

I hear this statement frequently from corporate executives..

I never have seen the need for me to social network for my company.  That is what our Marketing groups does.

The remark says a lot about the person and their lack of understanding of the importance social networking has become for businesses of all levels.  It is true, large business executives seldom venture out to any public function set up to socialize with small business owners.  Why?  On the most part they see the functions beneath their position in society. 

For the past ten years we all have seen plaster all over the news media the deplorable actions of a large number of the ‘C-Suite Marvels’.  In a concerning number of reports they seem to see themselves as invincible or untouchable by any authority.  Unfortunately, the action of these individuals casts a dark shadow over the rest of the corporate world’s top executives.  Finding ways to change a negative image or improve upon poor professionalism is why social networking at all levels of society should be the mission for all corporate executives.

It is rather simple process for business managers to find venues where they can approach the business people of the world.  Offline Social Networks are everywhere.  Of course there are some offline networks better than others, but overall it is well worth an executive’s effort to take a more personable touch to promoting their company’s image.

I hope more executives take their company’s image to heart and get out and meet others in other businesses. This simple effort will pay off in the short as well as the long term.

Let me know how I can help.

Have you ever really thought about what you are seeing online as being Real or Not?  Better yet, have you really thought about the Twitter and Facebook streams the mainstream media..Television and Radio…show during their broadcast? 

Of course, like you, I have and those News Media programs using a mockup stream of their online social spaces during their Live broadcast  paints a sad picture of their lack of understanding of how those LIVE feeds make them look to their viewers.

I hear all the time from people attempting to convinces me they are profiting from their Twitter and Facebook feeds.  I will admit, many probably are, but are they profiting from posting content on those social sites or are their results coming from the offline efforts related to their online endeavors?  I have found the later is more likely since more and more studies are showing large amounts of consumers leaving Twitter and Facebook due to the increase in spammer, self promoters and narcissist broadcasting of worthless services/products.  Even the celebrities, who made Twitter and Facebook popular, have tired of the multitude of people attempting to get attention at their expense and are now handing the reins of their social spaces’ accounts over to PR Firms to represent them online. 

So the question most people and businesses ask today, after being on Twitter and Facebook for more than ten minutes, …is all this effort really worth it?  Who is it who sees these spaces as places to find products and services? Who sees these spaces as places of entertainment? So, who is it using these spaces since more and more people are leaving and why is there some much media saying these sites are growing each day?  If they are growing, who is it and are they people or things generating this growth?  Nobody can provide validated proof the majority of new accounts for any of the social spaces are created by real people. 

There is a growing belief amongst the billions of real people who frequent the internet that the majority of activity, on the so called popular pages and sites, is contrived.  Rumors have been many over the recent years on how a business will include in their startup fund enough capital to pay the salaries of dozens of people to open dozens of accounts on Facebook and Twitter and bombard their business’ Facebook Page and Twitter feeds with gushy posts.  Of course the sources of those rumors always beg for anonymity to providing the information knowing it would get them fired from those huge gravy trains.  However, like everything else generated from the internet, those rumors become the truth to many and that information is spread through the social spaces like a cancer which places the thought in everyone’s mind of apprehension everything posted online as possibly being contrived..or fake.  

But back to the mainstream media and their uses of Twitter and Facebook feeds scrolling across the screen during the live program to substantiate a point.  Naturally, the news anchors, on the most part, are just reading a script and furnishing a smile for the news they are reporting and have little understanding of anything going on with the way the story they are telling is being presented to the viewers.  Granted, recently I have seen a number of the news personalities backing off their constant posting of stuff on Facebook and Twitter.  Hopefully this means they are seeing that their efforts are like shouting to an empty room.  However, most of them still see and think the fast scrolling posts being streamed on the screen behind them reflects their popularity.

In fact, what their viewers are thinking is…who is  posting this stuff on the news station’s Facebook Page?  This is just the first of a long list of questions viewers have when they see the news channels’ Twitter or Facebook account scrolling at an unreadable speed.  That’s not the way it looks on Facebook!

The bottomline..the majority of viewers are unimpressed and mostly do not believe the news station has that many viewers interested in their program.

Granted, there are millions..maybe even trillions..of persons, places and things, roaming the internet who could possibly have posted a remark to their feed, but are they?  Indications are they are not. 

So, the main question becomes… Who are these people posting to the national news’ Facebook Page and are they REALLY people who are wanting to be heard…or people being paid to post to the feed so it appears the News’s channels Facebook Page is popular? 

Let’s remember..those News Stations are businesses and they make their revenue solely from sponsors.   And who just so happens to be displaying advertisement on the Twitter feed and on their Facebook page?…you guest it..their sponsors. This seems to be the reason the mainstream news media is broadcasting the streams on the Live program.  It is their attempt to push consumers’ attention to the sponsors sites.

So, are the Feeds being streamed on the TV Screen during live broadcast from real people..maybe?  Could they be faked?  Absolutely.  How will the skeptical online consumers, who have been scammed , spammed and schemed to death, see these feeds?  Yes again..most people are not going to believe the remarks posted are legitimate no matter how much anyone tries to substantiate it. 

So why are the News Media’s attempting to use these feeds to substantiate a point on an issue?  Why are they using them at all?  Is it because they have fallen for the same bad advice as many other businesses?

Lots of questions here..do you have any answers?  Would be exciting to hear them.

Let me know how I can help.

If you have been following me on Twitter and Facebook you know I use the term ‘Linkster’ frequently.  Since I get so many people emailing me asking what I mean when I refer to someone as a ‘Linkster’ I thought I would provide a brief definition I could refer to when I am asked this question.

Linkster: A person who:

1. plays Golf
2. posts in the social spaces (Twitter, Facebook..etc) online Links to blogs or articles posted by someone else and has no communication to those who respond to their posts nor cares to respond to any response or comment made to their any of their posts.

Obviously, I am referring to the second definition when I use the term in the context of how someone is socializing online.  Most of the time a Linkster will use programs and third party applications to automate their posts so they have little association with the social spaces they populate. There are a few Linksters who will manually post links and then leave the site without responding to anyone who is reaching out to them to get to know them better.

The individual Linkster usually are mimicking the larger businesses who are the major Linksters of the social spaces.  Their thinking usually is..if the big dogs are just posting links on Twitter maybe I should be doing that as well.

Linksters prefer their method of social networking to not be exposed and when confronted will explain they do not have the time to use traditional methods of social media and post ONLY Links to develop a higher Page Ranking.  Since this method of social (or unsocial) networking is looked down upon by the other residences of the social space the Linksters generally get blocked or deleted from people’s contact list since the majority of people using the social spaces are there to build meaningful relationships with the other members.

As Google and the other search engines move to clean up their feeds so more people will depend on their recommendation as being valid resources the Linksters method of social media will eventually be devalued, if not banned.  Unfortunately, many of the people who use the Linkster method of social media are part of a business or firm who has invested an absorbitant amount of funds in this type of marketing plan making changing to a more effective method of social media not an option.

Currently, the only way to get a Linkster to recognize the wrong doings of their method of broadcasting to their community is to confront them directly or to delete their profile from a contact list. Sometimes, seeing the number of followers diminishing will catch their attention or seeing their analytic programs showing their view rates dropping like lead balloons will get their attention.  Getting them to stop or change is the challenge since they have reams of unverifiable data they again paid dearly for that backs their reasoning for posting only links.  The only effective method of getting Linksters to move to more effective methods of social media have been those actions taken to reduce their revenue generated or bottomline.

Happy hunting for Linksters and hope this helps explain what I am talking about.

Let me know how I can help.