Connecting through social media
September 7, 2011
BY BOBBY L. HICKMAN
Suzi Balis and four of her closest friends just spent a week together in California. She flew from Atlanta to San Francisco, where one of her friends loaned her his car for the week so she could drive to Sacramento. Another pair from Texas joined them to visit their friend who lives near Sacramento. They spent the week eating, shopping, sightseeing at Pier 39 in San Francisco — but mainly just hanging out. What’s so unique about that get-together is that Suzi and her friends had never before met in the real world. They found each other, connected and stay in touch via social media – specifically through Facebook and the online game “Yoville.”
While social media continues to explode as a way for keeping in touch with existing friends and co-workers, stories like Suzi’s indicate how the virtual world is also helping people around the world make new connections. Whether it’s tracking down old high school flames, organizing college reunions, or fueling this year’s “Arab Spring”, people everywhere are finding new and exciting ways to interact online. And there seems to be no end in sight.
Facebook, the largest force in social media, had 160.8 million unique visitors in June 2011. LinkedIn, the business networking site, just passed Myspace as the second most popular site with almost 40 million visitors. Myspace is one of the earliest social media networks but it is now mostly a site for musicians and music lovers. Twitter – where users communicate via 140-character posts – remains in fourth place but is expected to overtake Myspace by the end of the year.
And the mix continues to get more complex. Facebook just introduced its “BranchOut” service similar to LinkedIn. And new Google+ social network launched earlier this summer also promises to bring new opportunities to the space from a major player who thus far had little luck connecting its networks to the general public.
A recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Center found that using social media actually enhances the quality of a person’s social life in the “real world”. The study found people in social networks have more close social ties that they did before the entered the virtual world – and they have more connections than those who are not active in social media networks.
Social media is free, it’s easy to learn (plenty of online tutorials) and simple to set up. But once you’re in, how can you connect with others through social media? Here are some tips to help you build an online community to meet your needs:
Find the right network for your needs. If you want to put on your best professional face and find a new job, build a profile on LinkedIn. But if your tastes lean towards sharing goofy videos, sign up for YouTube. Focus on the one or two networks that best meet your needs, and concentrate your effort there.
Seek out friends old and new. It’s easiest to start with people you already know and add them to your network. Once you’re connected, look at their profiles to see who they are connected with. Ask for introductions to people you want to know. If you want to meet people with similar interests — say IT professionals in India or Taylor Swift fans – most social media sites have groups of people with common interests that you can join.
Be honest. Sure, you can post profile photos that aren’t really you, lie about your age, and invent an idealized fantasy life online. But if you aren’t genuine, you’re not going to make meaningful connections.
Be careful. Social networks are just like the real world – you’ll meet some great folks, as well as some oddballs, slick salesmen and liars (see the previous note). So be cautious about posting too much personal information online, and take it slow when it comes to sharing.
Give people a reason to follow you. No one really cares what you had for breakfast. Put something out there of value – useful information, a link to a funny story, or just an encouraging response to someone else’s posts or tweets.
Listen to the conversation. Sitting alone at your computer, it’s easy to think, “It’s all about me.” But it’s not: you need to pay attention to others as well if you want to build a meaningful relationship – just like in “real” life.
Ask questions. Nothing gets people to open up like the opportunity to help. If you have a problem or you’re just curious about something, ask; one of your online buddies may know the answer, or they’ll know someone who does. Before you know it, you’ll also have plenty of new friends around the world. Only a few members of Suzi’s group were able to get together in Sacramento this summer. But they’re hoping more friends will come to California next April when one of them gets married – and no doubt their core group of new-found friends will be even larger by then.
Bobby L. Hickman is an Atlanta-based freelance writer who writes mostly about music and travel. To contact him, visit www.thehonkytonkbook.com.