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[Ferny Ceballos Company: Numis Network Contribution Level: 4]

If you've been looking for a formula, which helps you figure out how exactly to bring more exposure to you and your opportunity, I just read an awesome blog post by one of our community members, Charles Heflin.

If you don't know who Charles is, you should!

But for now, check out this post because it provides some great insight as to how to be successful with Social Media and Better Networker:

Do you have a bunch of worthless friends?

Let me know what you guys think!

Ferny Ceballos

[David Holcroft Contribution Level: 1]

Thanks for sharing that topic Ferny

I have to say it really turned the lite bulb on about social networking.

Lets Digg it, Mixx it, Plurk it, Feed it, Tweet it, Blog it, share it. LOL liked that part

Have a grate day
David Holcroft
NSW, Australia

[Steve Rodgers Contribution Level: 3]

Wow! That dude is doing some seriously content-rich blogging. A six-parter on Social media??!!

Some of that stuff could frighten someone with even the best of intentions.

What's that old saying? From the penthouse to the out-house...

Scary!

[Rebecca Holman Contribution Level: 2]

For those us that are working in the Web 2.0 space (that should be 100% of us by now...no more warm lists...PALLLLEEEZZZE) this is really valuable information. You can easily spin your wheels collecting friends with FriendBlasters Galore, but if you don't leverage those people, what was the point of your exercise?

[Deborah Tutnauer Company: ViSalus Sciences Contribution Level: 4]

Thanks for the link Ferny. I really believe what Charles talked about with regards to observing and rewarding. It goes right back to the idea that creating relationships is NOT ABOUT ME...It's about you. Whether you're doing that online or your talking to someone at a party, the more you listen, reflect back, make meaningful observations about the content that you're hearing, the more connected you will both feel. Voila!!

[Charles Heflin Contribution Level: 1]

Thank you Ferny for sharing my link here

That post is part of a series of blog posts that I am working on whose goal is to bust through all the hype out there so people arrive at the same conclusions that cost us many months, man hours and expense to discover.

What's funny is that most of what I am telling people is common sense but we had to "go down through there" to see if there was an element within social media that we were missing. We initially believed there was some "secret" or "trick" based on all the hype (and products of the week) that were cropping up over the past year.

Bottom line ... there's no secret system but we did discover patterns and have successfully broken social media down into its component parts, categorized them and developed a specific plan of action to explore and utilize social media for just about any business that caters to a market where people communicate in conversation.

We've uncovered the elements in social media that have never changed and never will. Your sharing my link (Ferny) and the alliance we have built on a personal level is one element of this that is repeatable. It's really all about being helpful, and in turn others help you as well... The law of reciprocity is central to an effective social media initiative.

Anyways ... I look forward to contributing and helping here... This community is a rare gem among social networks and should be a model for others to follow.

- Charles

[Ina Stanley Contribution Level: 1]

So then in keeping with what Charles has said, is there really no "code" to crack at all? Seems like social media & social networking are based on some very common principles that we're taught to practice in everyday life:

Choose your friends wisely...
Do unto others...
If you can't say something nice...

Perhaps the best way to approach social media is to do exactly as you would in the physical world. Be mindful of what you say and who you say it to. Be mindful of who you connect with and where you choose to be found. For some reason, when it comes to the Web people seem to forget those basics, but they hold true here online as much as anywhere.

One other thing, is that the most important thing you can do for yourself as you interact through the social media age is to be yourself. It's so easy NOT to be that online, but it's so necessary, even more so than in the physical world (where people can actually see & hear us). Personal branding goes a long way, and social media provides some great opportunities to help others learn about who you are, but it all amounts to nothing if you aren't honest and real.

So in my opinion, no codes to crack. We just have to get back to basics. Interacting online should be no different than interacting in life. Remember that, and you'll find that you're experiences online are just as rich and rewarding as any friendships or partnerships you build in the rest of your life!

-Ina

[Charles Heflin Contribution Level: 1]

Ina,

You are exactly right... Well said!

I'll wager that the hardest thing to learn about personal branding (or Internet marketing in general) is that there is no secret... There never was.

Fortunes have been spent and made seeking it when each of us already know the secrets. They are so obvious that many can't see them. Don't get lost in the forest for the trees... You are the forest.

I recommend reading Seth Godin's new book Tribes... Tribalism is the ultimate leverage for personal branding and sucess in general.

- Charles

[Ina Stanley Contribution Level: 1]

Interestingly enough, I think the whole "secret" or "code" fascination comes from nothing more than a marketing ploy. As humans, we inherently want to be "in the loop" at all times. We want to be informed and to feel important about being so. So when someone introduces the word "secret" into our thought pattern, it turns things upside down. We have to know what that is so that we can return to our important-feeling, informed state. In many cases we'll do whatever it takes to restore that order. My theory on why those terms became buzz words.

Part of becoming a savvy consumer or marketer is knowing exactly what Charles said, that there are no secrets and there never were. What works best and offers the best results is known to all of us, it's just forgotten along the way. My challenge to network marketers and consumers alike (for here we're usually one in the same), is to not fall prey to the propaganda. Don't allow yourself to be the statistical consumer who is affected by these buzz words or mental triggers. There is a psychology to marketing, but surprisingly it has little to do with those kinds of words (contrary to popular and previously taught belief). Know that the actions that bring the most success are the basics that were taught to us long ago - playing nice, working well with others and being ourselves. The only code that needs to be cracked is the unlocking of our own potential once we recognize and live by those basics!

-Ina

[Ina Stanley Contribution Level: 1]

...I recommend reading Seth Godin's new book Tribes... Tribalism is the ultimate leverage for personal branding and sucess in general.

- Charles

Interesting, as I was doing some work & marketing on Squidoo this evening, I happened upon Seth Godin's lense about the very book you recommended! Now I have the chance to learn a bit more about it before I buy! Thanks for the recommendation (must have been in the "divine plan" for the day to hear about this one)!

-Ina