Each of the social network sites – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter & Google all have a “personality” if you will. Take a look at this social media infographic below from LinkingR on how you can befriend your virtual friends Google, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to maximize your effectiveness of building your personal brand in each social circle:

Got thoughts?

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Welcome to Promote Your Blog (social media or otherwise) here on The Social Networking Lifestyle. I thought this would be a great way for everyone to share what they’re passionate about and give everyone else an opportunity to shamelessly promote what they love.

Here’s the deal – In the comments section of this post include: Your name, blog name & description, a link to your blog, your Twitter handle and/or any other relevant info you think would be of interest to other readers here.

BONUS option…
*It would be AWESOME if you would tweet about this (or hit the retweet this post button below) and even share a quick post back on your blog about this.

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“Empathy is the secret sauce to social media success.”

Yep, I admit it.

That’s what I wrote in my latest blog post over on Click2Rank entitled, Better than Social Media Engagement is Empathy.

Empathy, not engagement in social media is what will bring success for businesses and their brands.

Being social in social media is great, but if you cannot relate to your customers, your fans, your prospective clients and “get in their shoes and walk a mile” then you are going to have a HARD time generating a community, let alone revenue.

Here’s an excerpt from my post:

Consumers LOVE the immediacy of social media. They can rant, they can find people who share the same passion or frustration. They have a voice and they no longer feel alone in what they are going through. More and more people are looking to social media to find swift resolution to problems they are experiencing.

People want their voices heard…people want to be understood…people want resolution after they’ve been heard. They want to be acknowledged and taken care of. They don’t want canned responses, given the runaround…they need results.

If you cannot be a person who can empathize with people, you have no business being a social media manager. Go move boxes for a living. Or a company that doesn’t “get it” when it comes to social media…then you don’t have ANY business doing anything social…and prepare to lose your business to someone else who does “get it”.

Come over and check out the rest of Better than Social Media Engagement is Empathy.

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Social networking online has come along way over the last couple of decades. Peter Lang dropped this fantastic infographic showing the social networking history.

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Talking and and Listening

drive social Media.

Combined you have what is called Conversation-both offline and online.

Conversation has been something that most of us have been very good at, and have found it natural to do.

Some are good at it.

Some are really good at it.

Until we go online and in the social media sphere.

It seems some folks whack out and lose all sense of conversation and communication. I saw someone recently send out numerous messages on facebook and twitter and all it was, was a big sales pitch. Eric Worre and i were facebooking back and forth about how new home business owners and online entrepreneurs throw up on their connections trying to get them to listen to them.

Then i remembered what we taught in a facebook class last year and wanted to share that with you. Hope this helps in understanding how to hold a conversation in the social sphere.

I did a consulting job with a company recently and found that there folks were like volcanoes throwing up in the social sphere “hurry hurry step right up-step this way” – and I just shook my head.

THAT is not how you communicate in the social sphere. It is a social CONVERSATION- where 2 flows of ideas happen that are related to one focus and that is what is being discussed. Seems that all some folks want to do is create a one way flow and then expect you to act on it.

NOT gonna happen.

Here are three very simple rules for social media conversation:

1) VALUE is the key to any conversation-so soak it with Value so the person you are talking to-will talk about your conversation to others.

THAT is a big secret.

You want them talking about YOUR conversation with them because of what they learned, felt, or experienced. Get people excited and wanting to talk to you again because of what they took away from the conversation.

2)  ASK what is important to people and what they are looking for online and in social media-and talk about that.

Many business as well as home business owners talk about what THEY are looking for in social media. Keep your eyes and ears off of you, and out them on the person you are talking with. Find out what they are really looking for in social media. Ask them about why they are on it and how can you help them obtain what they are looking for.

Then help them.

Talk is cheap.

Help them and become their hero.

3) ALWAYS tell them how much you have enjoyed this conversation and thank them for their connection.

People will remember more of the emotion they took away form a conversation then the words. Get them feeling good and warm fuzzies about talking to you. Thank them and tel them you know you appreciate their time and you enjoyed LISTENING to their communication.

Then the last word they should see and read from you- is their NAME.

“Thanks for the time- see you Nancy.” Or “Enjoyed it- lets chat later Tom.”

This will create a great emotional connection that they will take away from your social media conversation.

These are 3 little rules for social media conversation but will rock your world in social media marketing.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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Value Rules in Social  Media.

Value is the KEY.

Value is the key to making anything happen in social media, whether you are in it for marketing, social networking, entertainment, or just for learning. But VALUE is the KEY to any successful social media experience.

Then…

There is what is call “JAW DROPPING VALUE.”

What’s that?

JDV (Jaw Dropping Value) is that EXTRA Value that is unexpected, unanticipated, and totally a SURPRISE. It s is Value in a product, message, video, training, blog post, podcast, or even event that delivers way beyond what is normal.

Ok.

HOW do you ADD Jaw Dropping Value to a message, product, or event? Well, there are 3 major ways that you can add JDV to anything you do, and we do it all the time and it truly works.

Here are three ways that you can add Jaw Dropping Value to anything you do:

1) Be Totally and Unexpectedly moving in a Direction that people are not expecting AND ARE BLOWN AWAY BY.

What does that mean?

Simple.

Take your message in a different direction and look to see what is NOT being done with your industry. Ask, “What holes are out there in my industry that needs to be filled and how can my message or product fill those holes?”  JDV is a result of moving to a place that many are not looking for, and taking them to an higher level in life and their desires because of it.

We took a look at the holiday season and no one was doing a holiday webinar for home businesses. So we said, “GO!” and then we added twice as much content as expected, and blew people away last year, and this year is even bigger.

You can do the same thing-look for the holes and fill them.

2) Take Your Message or product or focus and at least DOUBLE THE PROMISE-and then DELIVER.

Wow. I can hear you saying that now. I cannot do that. Sure you can. But it takes guts and courage. That is how you set yourself apart.

Be bigger.

Be better.

Be bolder.

Be brassier.

Be Bodacious on occasion.

THEN DELIVER the goods and get a reputation as someone who does deliver and in a way that is bigger, better, and more Valuable than anyone else. A friend of mine in Texas did that. She is in Real estate. On her Activerain social site and in her ads, she said that if she could not sell your home within 21 days, she would buy it from you- GUARANTEED.

She has yet to buy a house. THAT really motivated her, and has taken her career as well as social media exposure thorugh the roof.

3) Give away your best material or freebies and then DOUBLE IT.

You read that right.

THAT will get people talking about you in a whole new way as that will virally market like a rocket. I know…you may be thinking that I just gave away my best stuff.

Wrong.

You just gave a sample of the current best stuff you have–but THE BEST—that has yet to come.

And they will be WAITING ON IT with baited breath.

You are SEEDING into the future and into the destiny of your career. And that is how social media works. Look at all the freebies that Chris Brogan or Scott Monty, or my bud John “Foggy” Fogg-or Jackie Ulmer- or Carrie Wilkerson- or Diane Hochman- or all the other social media talents out in the social sphere.

You can get some AMAZING trainings, ideas, solutions, little known info, brain expanders (thanks larry hochman) and much more for free-because that is what makes social media so special.

YOU GIVE- before you get.

What you are reading- THIS EXACT TRAINING (but a little more in depth)- I have taught in personal coaching in the past to the tune of 500.00 to 1000.00 an hour. What is it costing you today?

ZIP. NADA. FREE.

And I hope that it helps you add some serious Jaw dropping Value to what you are doing in your efforts in social media and social media marketing.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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YOU LIE!

Social Media can really irritate me.

REALLY.

These lies in social media that people are promoting daily that as far as marketing and social connections, have little to do with either of the two. I hear them on podcasts, see them on blogs, and view them on videos and each time I feel like SHOUTING to the roof top.

I believe it was Joe Wilson that shouted out “YOU LIE”during his speech. Well, maybe we need to take the Joe Wilson speaking course and shout that out  at out social media folks that are promoting lies and maybe even are not aware of they are doing it. They may be just repeating what they have heard in social media.

One of the things I do, I consult companies- traditional and non-traditional- on marketing, social media, success, leadership, team building, home business strategies, plus other topics. And I could never take the 3 concepts that I am hearing and make it a part of any consult.

They probably would end up firing me.

And they would you too.

These “lies” are all  part of the ‘i want to be known and be special” club. Listen up- it is ALL ABOUT you making OTHERS feel special- not you feeling special. if you are looking for a short way to kill your credibility in social media-go down that path. There are others that have and are now nowhere to be seen.

Ok…enough ranting.

What are the 3 Huge Lies that are found in social media?

1) It’s all about how many numbers of followers and connections you have to obtain social media star status.

I have found this one to be particularly irritating. First off- you make the person you are holding the conversation with THE STAR. YOU are not a star-but a star builder. And that is what you do.  You build people up and make them the star in the process in your world. And do that enough and you will find star status if that is what you are looking for. I hope not.

It really sets me off when I hear about getting a huge numbers of followers. Here is the TRUTH— Numbers of followers do NOT equal business or success. It is NOT about how many numbers- but how many people in those numbers that are truly listening and acting on your brand messages,

I know a company right now that has less than 3000 followers on twitter and less than 2500 on facebook and this quarter they will do over 500,000 in business from social media. They have 3000 people that are talking FOR THEM and ABOUT THEM- and getting their message out. It is not about numbers- but how many are multiplying the brand message.

2) It is all about CONVERSATION.

Nope. You can hold conversations with folks and it be totally meaningless in social media. It may be fun-but as far as marketing or business- what has happened?

Not much.

It is NOT about Conversation- but Connection. People you are connected to emotionally and socially always hold a more powerful conversation than those that are not. Connection means you took the time and learned about them-connected to what they were looking for- and then held a conversation that was of VALUE to tha person. THEN you could talk in a manner they found engaging versus boring.

3)  You must be on many sites and work them daily.

THAT is called stupidity as first off, you have not time to develop any relationships and truly get to know people. Secondly, you have OFFLINE tasks to do as well, and you would have not time at all for that.

Here is a tip: Get a base camp of about 5 sites that are YOU and you like the feel of them and the focus, and then start connecting and working hard to develop and move into that community. Then, after you have developed some traction with those sites- reach out and start expanding your social basecamp sites. I work about 10 sites and have for nearly 5 years. But I started with 2- myspace and classmates.com. (They were the only ones really around then.)

Work the sites to broadcast your message as well through software. You can get your message or url or blogpost or video out to dozens of sites- and broadcast it- with ping.fm. There are others-but that seems to be the most popular one.

These are the 3 Huge Lies that drive me nuts. Not that  is really hard to do- but i wanted to scream “ENOUGH ALREADY- YOU LIE!” and graduate from the Joe Wilson school of social media marketing.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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CONNECTION is the Secret!

The base of Social Media Marketing is about Conversation.

No Doubt. But the platform the base is hosted on I believe is CONNECTION. Conversation does not happen without Connection, and without a reaching out on someones part.

Connection is the START of where it all happens in Social Media.

First comes the Catalyst, then the Connection, then the Conversation. Whether it is tweets on twitter, friends on facebook, and users on youtube – it still starts with Connection in the Social zone.

Are you Connecting on a regular basis? And if you are, how are you doing it?

Connection, according to the dictionary, is “when 2 things come together and meet.”

Cool.

That works as far as social media. Connecting with folks that you have something in common with is all part of the social media marketing process. But if you think about it, there are different types or levels of Connection, and social media really demands a higher level of connection in marketing.

All Marketing is, (no matter if you are a traditional marketer, or a home based marketer, or an online marketer,) is the process of exposing your message or product to a prospect in some way. Yes, tht is a simple definition, but within it, you must CONNECT your message with someone. There must be a CATALYST to make it happen, like an advertisement, phone call, squeeze page, or an article online. But something MUST start the process of marketing.

Here is the process : Catalyst- Attention- Connection- Conversation- Collaboration.

Hence, the 4 levels of Connection in social media.

1) Attention.

This is the weakest form of Connection in socialville. No matter whether it is on LinkedIn, or Facebook, it is the weakest. This form of Connection many people make the mistake of thinking they have Connected here and immediately start bombarding folks with marketing messages. That is a HUGE no no. Attention means that you have Connected their eyes, mind, or curiosity with something, but it is NOT enough to start the marketing process effectively. Yes, you can start here, but rarely does it prove to be effective. This Connection is only where someone NOTICES you message.

2 Connection.

This is where a person in the marketing process, is hooked” by something in your message or offer. It could be a phrase, video, free giveaway, download, image, or color. But SOMETHING has not only gotten their attention, but has Connected their mind to a further look. the psychology of this is to switch in their curiosity, and desire for more information. They have “plugged in” enough to Connect to your message and consider it.

3) Conversation.

This is the third level of Connection, This is where the Conversation has moved beyond curiosity, and now has elevated to communication. They may want to know more about the message or product. They may want to know more about you.  They may want to know more about the benefits and value of the product. But Conversation does take place and can take place many times over the course of time before you move to the 4th level of Connection.

4) Collaboration.

This is where you both agree that you will Collaborate in some way and is some fashion to work together. This may come in the form of a sale or purchase, an appointment, a referral, a new person in your business, a new customer, or even a partnership or Joint venture. Collaboration is something rhat has many possibilities.

The ultimate goal is marketing is to make something happen that creates a win/win situation for both the marketer and customer.  And these 4 levels of Connection can create a LOT of profit if you are consistent and relentless.  Many marketers never get past the Attention stage as they are more interested in RESULTS then a Relationship. They have it backwards. Relationship is a much better catalyzer of Results. Since you have taken the time to Connect on a higher level, they have learned to TRUST you, and trust more of what you suggest or say.

Do nto make that mistake in social media marketing. Take it to the highest level every time, and see your results increase dramatically in your social media marketing zone.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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So many people on Twitter have been asking me what is Quansite? Or what is the “secret society of the Quan”?

What is a “QuanSite”?

I’m really honored to share this with you. Quansite is coming October 13, 2009 to the general public.

Quansite, is the rebirth of the social media marketing platform I’ve been using for over a year called Blogi360 that the Social Networking Lifestyle website runs on. It’s a new media online marketing software and website hosting…plus so much more.

This Quansite system has been an integral piece to my social media marketing platform. I’m using it to build my website here as well has my Home Fitness Revolution site. Since early 2008, I’ve been using Blogi360 to run my sites.  This social media marketing platform is the backbone, the social hub of my social media marketing.

The masterminds behind Quansite are Coach Deb and JP Micek on Twitter their handles are @CoachDeb and @JPMicek. They built a fantastic social media hub to build your personal brand around or develop an entire sales tool around a new product, or even build out an exclusive community membership site. The array of social site building system tools is really for the serious business, not the casual dabbler in affiliate marketing. Quansite is designed for building a PROFIT-full business!

After much thought behind the decision of deciding on Quansite as the name, they said recently that “the Quan” in Quansite was inspired by the movie, Jerry Maguire. You know the movie. You remember the scene with Cuba Gooding Jr. don’t you? It’s all about the Quan! All the money, all the love…come on, I know someone knows that scene by heart!

If you need a refresher, here’s a collection of clips from the movie about “The Quan” (avert your eyes if you don’t want to see the scene where they are in the shower):

It’s ALL ABOUT “The Quan”

Here’s a great video where Coach Deb is talking about the Quansite Revolution:

What really impressed me, was a few weeks ago, Coach Deb was on a live broadcast with Mike Filsaime. And this is a guy whose story really doesn’t need to be told. Mike was more than impressed by the power of what is at your fingertips with Quansite. As simple as a push of a button.  The Quansite release will radically change the way people do business and use social media for business profits!

Now you can have this same powerful social media marketing engine doing the majority of the online marketing and social media work for you too with Quansite. I believe will be an incredible asset to your social media marketing projects. Provide the content: podcast, blog post, video and Quansite will do the rest.

JP Micek calls it “automagically”. LOL Man, I think that’ll end up in the dictionary one day. Automagically.

Without question, if you’re at all active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or any other social media site you’re going to be hearing a lot about this “Quansite Revolution“ in the weeks and months ahead.

Okay, okay…so:

What Is The Quansite Revolution?

Simply put, Quansite is an entire website marketing social media marketing system. Quansite is far more than just a blog platform; it’s a completely new social media marketing system that includes UNLIMITED sales pages, UNLIMITED squeeze pages, one time offers pages, your blog pages. That also includes video and audio streaming, social power bookmarking, video uploading as well as video and podcast distribution and all backed by a full tech team so you don’t have to worry about it.

Imagine that…

Never worry about having to find the latest plug-in to stop Wordpress spam or how do you undo the damage done to your blog with the latest plug-in. It’s worry free with Quansite.

Quansite does a lot of the WORK for you. I estimate that the Quan Site system saves me about 7-12 hours of work for me each and every week. And I’m probably STILL underestimating that number. What’s even more exciting is all the new stuff that Quansite is going to be released in the months ahead. The power that is working for me…has been optimized to maximize your exposure! JP Micek and Coach Deb Micek said on a recent video conference that they have even more things planned that will be coming on top of what’s coming by the end of the year! I can’t wait to find out what those are!

For me the BIG bonuses of Quansite/Blogi360 is I don’t have to be a techie or an expert on Wordpress! If you use Wordpress, Quansite blows it out of the water and in my opinion makes it obsolete!

Quansite saves you from tasks you shouldn’t be focused on as an affiliate marketer, network marketer, or small business like social bookmarking, SEO, where to find video hosting, etc etc.

Your focus should be on more important things…and Quan Site give you that time freedom and the arsenal to maximize your exposure and your bottom line!

Dump the time-wasting stuff forever and spend your time on those activities that produce the Quan! You’re up and running in minutes with Quansite.

JP & Deb are releasing Quansite to general public October 13th!

Check it out and see if want to Join the Quansite Revolution and be a “Secret Society of the Quan” Insider before you get left behind! I’ll be posting more information as I get it from them Deb and JP.

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• Squidoo Lens of the Quansite Revolution
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• QuanSite Fan Page on Facebook

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Image via Wikipedia

Social networking on Facebook for business is a really hot topic.

There seems to be a near limitless myriad of ways on Facebook to build brand exposure and sales for home business and small business entrepreneurs. From creating games & applications, to developing groups and fan pages. That doesn’t even cover being able to advertise on Facebook too based on targeted demographics.

So many people struggle with understanding why and HOW being on Facebook can be beneficial to building business whether they’re a brick & mortar business, network marketer, a restaurant or bar, affiliate marketer, eBay’er…and what is possible through this whole “social networking thing on Facebook”.

I went through my old bookmarks and wanted to be able to share with you some cool Facebook stuff I found when I was first looking for Facebook how-to’s, articles and blog posts that I benefitted from checking out when I first started using Facebook for business.

Inside Facebook – a great blog that is all about Facebook.

Facebook’s Ads Page where all the reasons are given by Facebook as to why advertising your business on Facebook will benefit your small business branding.

Five Ways Small Business Can Benefit from Social Media/Networking Sites

Networking: Use Facebook as a Marketing Tool This is a fantastic article on Lifehacker on utilizing self-promotion to take social networking to a professional networking level.

How to Create a Successful Facebook Group

Top Five Viral Facebook Techniques Some great tips on using giveaways, referrals and a couple of other apps. Allfacebook.com is a great site BTW.

Entrepreneurs Need Both Facebook and LinkedIn

How to Use Facebook Status for Marketing Purposes Eye opening piece for people to understand the value of status updates on Facebook.

Social Networks Find Ways to Monetize User Data

Top Ten Ways to Use Facebook to Promote Your Business for Free

Facebook, a Marketer’s Friend A great piece in the Wall Street Journal that follows a small business owner and using Facebook for business.

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• To friend, or not to friend: That is the workplace question (seattlepi.com)
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• Facebook sued over social networking patent (macworld.com)
• You are a trust agent (myventurepad.com)

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