Social networking – is it valuable for business?

So continuing my theme of this blog so far.  Social networking – is it valuable for business?

As mentioned in previous posts I have just started implementing our strategy in this area.  The mantra of ‘Don’t plan just play’ has been enforced (even against my natural inclination to plan everything properly) and so far it’s all working well.

But what is all the fuss about?  Well simply put social networking online helps you develop relationships with people that you want to get to know, but may not ordinarily meet.  The more relationships you create, where both sides have similar objectives, then the more likely you’ll be able to help each other out.  Helping people out = happy people and ultimately more business. It’s the classic ‘networking’ strategy but online.  Finding the right places to be and the right amount of time to commit is vital to success.  It’s also incredibly transparent, and therefore those out for only their own gain generally won’t prosper in the long run.

So is it really valuable for business?  My answer is yes, definitely as long as you are clear about who you are trying to talk to and how you can help each other. It’s not about volume and reach.  It’s about one to one communications with likeminded people.

Or to make it clearer let the Gurus Seth Godin and Tom Peters explain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0h0LlCu8Ks