Make Your Profile Pop

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Now that you’ve got your profile set, maybe you’re wondering how to make it scream, “This is me!” Here are a few ways to personalize your online networking experience.

Start with your profile. On most sites, your profile page gives you an option to talk about yourself. And who doesn’t love to do that? Sharing your hobbies and interests will show people what they may have in common with you. Show them how interesting you are. If you’re a single mother who juggles a career and loves to watch french foreign films or a man who’s just slimmed down to your goal weight, sharing these pieces of information brings your uniqueness to the table.

If you have a one of a kind hobby or accomplishment, consider sharing that in your profile as well. Have you climbed Mount Everest? Can you do amazing coin tricks? Interesting facts about you are what make people take notice.

Certain sites allow you to add applications to your page. This is another way to pop out your profile. Some people like virtual pets, others like to play games such as Scrabble or create their own virtual hotel. Others engage in quizzes or post daily affirmations to their profile to share with friends.

Sites like Myspace allow registered users an option to customize the layout of their background. There are many third party sites that cater to those looking to find the perfect background to pop their page.

How about a blog? Sites that allow you to keep a blog are giving you an opportunity for self-expression in this feature as well. Find a topic that interests you, or talk about your daily life. Be careful not to share too much personal information. Don’t give out more info than you are comfortable with, and consider keeping personal data (birthdays, home addresses and phone numbers) private.

Once in a while, update your pics and change your background. Switch it up a bit and keep things fresh.

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Facebook Networking

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It’s always a good idea to listen or in the case of internet networking, watch. You can learn a lot about people if you simply watch behaviors for a while. Facebook is a great place to learn about people, see what interests them and understand what causes them to kick in and respond. There are as many reasons to be on Facebook now as there are people, but there tend to be some dynamics that are typically prevalent.

If you have “friended- a wide variety of folks, then the study gets interesting. Make sure you have some professionals. Mix it up with a set of young college students and if you have a child in high school, friend her but promise never to write on her”wall”! That would be the gravest of mistakes. The high school student may not mind you being there to read her life, maybe, but she definitely does not want you interacting in her conversations with other students!

Once set, get dinner, perhaps a glass of wine or a shot of good whisky, and put on some good music. Stay for the show. It is amazing what people will talk about with the entire world watching.

After you have watched and remained silent for a few days, you can cut in and add to your wall or make comments on other people’s walls. By this time you have noticed what they want to read. In general you will find this: people are mostly on Facebook to chit-chat, talk about political frustrations, ask if the homework assignment is due on Friday or otherwise spout off without much thought before the words enter the keyboard. Some are also there to organize social/political efforts or create artistic bonds.

People will respond to you if you are witty or bring up subjects of social/political controversy. Where will you flop? Philosophy and truths designed to “enlighten”. If you like typing to yourself, type wisdom. If you want interaction, turn off the brain and enter the empty void. People are there to vent, occasionally create, and have fun.

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Social Networking to Raise Business Profits

There are all kinds of different ways to raise the profits in your business, but a lot of people don’t think about doing that through social networking. It’s a great option, though. So many people use it, and it doesn’t cost anything to give it a try. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and others are all great ways to get the attention of customers and potential customers. You can also comment on forums with a link in your signature that takes customers to your business’ page, start a blog, and generally make yourself known. These are all wonderful ways to get attention – but you’ll need to do it right. In other words, don’t assume that you should be all over the Internet all the time, talking about how great your product is.

If you keep doing that, people will get tired of hearing it. Instead, make yourself valuable to them as a source of knowledge and information. Answer their questions. Make sure they know that you’re about more than just selling them something. When they realize the products you have to sell have value and you’re trying to help others instead of just make a quick buck, they’ll be much more likely to buy from you. That can lead to a lot of sales, because they’ll tell others of your integrity and your helpful attitude – both of which can seem hard to come by in the business world today. You may also make some friends, along with your loyal customer base.

It can take some time to get established with social networking, though, so don’t get discouraged. You can’t just set up an account with one of the major networking sites and expect everyone to come out of the woodwork to buy things from you. Patience will be necessary, along with tenacity and a true desire to help others with the product or service that you’re offering. When others see what you have to offer and the sincerity with which you’re providing it, they’ll become the start of the loyal customer base that you desire.

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