Mining The Internet
According to estimates, nearly 3 billion people worldwide use or have access to the Internet. As a result, the Internet has become a networker’s paradise because it enables networkers to link up with a virtually unlimited array of potential networking partners across the globe.
David Hancock told us, “I live in the present. I am well aware of the past, very enticed by the future, but the here and now is where I reside, embracing the technologies of the present and leaving future technologies on the horizon right where they belong. I am alert to the new, wary of the avant-garde, and wooed from the old only by improvement, not mere change. Having said that, I do utilize social networking but am very aware of the precious nature of time so I don’t spend unproductive time on those networks. I also utilize tools to help manage my calendar and set up easy conference calls with prospects and clients. I make sure to keep my profiles current and relevant in a business site like LinkedIn.”
Websites
It is vital to build a dynamic, information-based website. Fill it with the precise information that you would like the world to know about you, your product or service. Use your Web site to paint a striking picture that will intrigue potential network partners and attract them to you. In constructing a website be careful because a bad site is often worse than having no website. In designing your website, decide:
- Who constitutes your target audience.
- What is the best way to reach them.
- What information they will need.
Don’t put your website up until it’s well tested and you are absolutely sure that it is:
- Easy to use
- Informative, clearly stating the benefits of your business offerings
- Attractive
- Reflective of your mission
- Quick to download
Mailing Lists
An email mailing list provides a way to stay in touch with visitors to your website as well as existing and previous customers, and individuals that you’ve met in your other network activities. Provide a form on your website for visitors to provide their name and email address in exchange for receiving a bonus. The CANSPAM Act, which was passed by the United States Congress in response to the overwhelming amount of junk email specifically states that to be in compliance, anyone on your email list needs to be someone with whom you have an existing relationship or opted into your list.
Online Clipping Services
Clipping services keep track of the media’s coverage of specific industries and areas of interest. They save you the time and energy of scouring media to find articles and information of interest to you, your network targets, and partners. They give you the ability to check out a wider range of media sources than you could review on your own.
Some clipping services are:
Media calendar services
These services provide searchable databases of items on editorial calendars and contact information for editorial personnel from thousands of publications.
Online communities
Posting
Blogging
Social Media
