The Savvy Gal Blog

Online Networking Tip: Peruse before you post

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Peruse before you post.  Each different platform, whether it’s a message board, blog, listserv, or social network has its own unwritten rules (although often on message boards, they’re even written down).  Spend some time seeing how others operate, and you’ll be able to blend right in!

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Resource boards are a great resource

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Resource boards are a great resource.  If you want to know how to reset your BlackBerryTM, just type “How do I reset my BlackBerryTM?” into a search engine and, sure enough, several of the links that pop up will lead to a resource board.  This also works for coupons and discounts if you're about to make a purchase.  Just type in the product name and the word “coupon” or “discount” and you’ll be directed to any special offers available.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazone or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Pick an appropriate online alias

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Pick an appropriate online alias.   If you’d like to remain anonymous, choose a username that is not easily identifiable to you.  However, if the message board is directly related to your business and you would want people reading your comments to locate you, it's O.K. to use your full name.  Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you would feel comfortable putting your comment in the letters to the editor section of your local paper or business journal, then use your real identity.  When in doubt, leave your real name out.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Effective blogging requires creating a schedule and sticking to it

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Effective blogging requires creating a schedule and sticking to it.  Most people will assume a blog will be updated daily, unless you have a news blog and that is updated frequently during the day.  However, if you want to post weekly articles, that’s fine too.  Just make sure your readers expect that to be the schedule.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Good bloggers befriend the competition

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Good bloggers befriend the competition.  Stop thinking of these other blogs as competition, but instead, bookmark them as more resources to link to…and network with!

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Meet the experts…online

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Meet the experts…online.  If you hear a great speaker at an event, check to see if he or she has a blog.  We’ve found that people who run their own blogs, no matter how popular and famous, are often very free with their answers and responses when someone comments on their blog.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Know the key to keywords

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Know the key to keywords.  Most people looking online for service providers search by keywords, whether in a search engine like Google or within a social network.  Make sure you come up with as many keywords as someone might use to find you and then include these somewhere in your profile description.  Check out keywords of someone in your industry for ideas; there are no copyright laws on keywords (yet!).  Or, ask a friend what keywords they might use if they were looking for someone with your skill set and services.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: MySpace ignorance can hurt your career

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  MySpace ignorance can hurt your career.  If you are a recent graduate or twentysomething, it’s possible that your MySpace or Facebook page could hurt your job prospects.  Yes, employers are on there (especially the ones who have kids!).

• There are privacy settings for profiles: learn them and use them. 
• Avoid guilt by association.  While you might have appropriate images or content, monitor your friends’ pictures and comments that appear on your page, or if they “tag” (i.e. caption) a risqué photo on their own page with your name.
• Demonstrate that you know the difference between personal websites and professional websites by having a professional online profile that the employers can easily find.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: MySpace ignorance can hurt your child.

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  MySpace ignorance can hurt your child.  If you have a child 14 or older, you need to register for MySpace (which is free) and check to see if your child has a webpage up there.  Not only will you be able to monitor whether it is safe from online predators, but if you take a constructive approach, you also will be able to share an experience with your child as well as learn a little bit more about technology.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Stay alert

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Stay alert.  One easy way to keep track of your online image is to set up a news alert.  This is a service offered by almost all search engines where you can type in your name (or your company’s name) and whenever you’re mentioned on the Internet, the search engine will send an email with a link to the site.  Check out Google or Yahoo for free offerings.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Build your online portfolio

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Build your online portfolio.  The more information you post online about yourself, the more you control what people find when they type your name into a search engine.  Press releases in particular are a relatively easy and accepted way to disseminate information that will drive networking opportunities your way.  Depending on your goals, online content can attract media attention, potential clients, headhunters, conference speaker coordinators, or anyone you hope will find you online.  Always remember that networking, online or offline, is not just about who you know; it’s about who knows “what” about you.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Online press release audiences have OADD

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Assume your online press release audience suffers from OADD (Online Attention Deficit Disorder).  When writing an online press release, craft a headline that will catch people’s attention in the first five words.  Then, make any important information easy to find and include links back to your site for more detailed information.  Don’t try to do too much with a single press release.  It’s better to run a few back to back, rather than fit it all into a single release.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Be your own online PR agent

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Be your own online PR agent.  Did you join a new firm, get a promotion, or close a major deal?  Don’t forget to let the online world know about it.  Submit your news to your college alumni magazine, local newspaper, or trade organization.  Many of these publications also run the announcement online, which means it will be picked up by search engines if people are looking for the latest information on you.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Avoid online identity theft

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Avoid online identity theft.  We’re not talking about the online theft of your bank account, but someone innocently co-opting your online image.  It happens, especially if you have a somewhat common name.  The best way to stand out from the crowd is to populate the web with content by, or about, you.  You also might consider using a nickname professionally or your middle initial.  Both will help distinguish you from any online “twins.”

**Want to know about the other type of online identity theft?  Check out my friend George's blog at http://ivebeenmugged.typepad.com.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Think of web-searching as a treasure hunt

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Think of web-searching as a treasure hunt.  Start with search engines where you can use a few different combinations of names, including nicknames, or by using “quotation marks” to limit your search to relevant queries.  You can also combine the person’s name with her company, or even the town where she lives or works.  Try the different functions on search engines, such as “news,” “images,” “blogs,” and “groups.”  Other good sites for finding information about people include www.LinkedIn.com, www.DWCFaces.com, and www.ZoomInfo.com.   Then there are also blog searches like www.Technorati.com and www.Bloglines.com.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available don Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Use your own judgment as a filter

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Think about all the networking emails you get and make note of which ones you answer and why (and which ones you let slip through the crack either consciously or subconsciously).  Use this as a reference point for your own email writing.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?), available on Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Don't forget the signature line

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Always include a signature line or attach a virtual card (vCard—a function available in Microsoft Outlook and other email services) at the bottom of your email messages.  Make sure no one has to go digging through their RolodexTM (if they still have one) to find your phone number.  This is also a great way to drive people to your website or other web content you’d like to promote.

Technical note:  If you use a picture or logo in your signature line, it may get blocked by certain spam filters.  This could mean that (1) your graphic does not go through; or (2) your entire message will not be delivered.  Sometimes it’s best to leave off the image part of the signature line when writing to a new contact for the first time.

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This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Don't be a networking bully

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Don’t be a networking bully.  We know that your product, service, or dynamic personality would brighten anyone’s day, and if they can’t figure out how, then you would love to explain it to them.  However, you can’t assume that at the particular moment you sent your email, the other person really wants his or her day brightened by you.  This is where networking differs from sales.  Your earnest persistence may come off as bullying if you don’t leave some “wiggle room” for your contact to politely decline.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available through Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership

Online Networking Tip: Choose your subject line carefully

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Choose your subject line carefully.  Just as you can’t win a point in tennis if you can’t even get the ball into play; you can’t network effectively if your emails don’t get past spam filters and the receiver’s delete button.  Put succinct details about some connection (however slight) you might have or clearly state your specific request.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) available on Amazon or free with a Downtown Women's Club membership.

Online Networking Tip: Make your name memorable

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Make your name memorable.  When meeting people for the first time, we find it easier to remember individuals who give us a first and last name.  This is why, even though it makes for a longer email address, we like email addresses that include both your name (first or first.last) and the company name.  It puts the two names—yours and the company’s—literally right in front of our faces.  The one exception is if you have a very difficult-to-spell name, then you might want to keep it simple.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Do the 60-second search first

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Do the one-minute search test before you hit the send button.  If you’re approaching a new contact via email, take one minute to search his or her name on the web.  If there’s a wealth of information out there, and it’s easily discoverable within 60 seconds, then it’s likely that person will assume you have, at a minimum, that base knowledge before you attempted to make contact. 

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: If you wouldn't do it in person, don't do it online

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: If you wouldn’t do it in person, don’t do it online.  This means no skipping over polite chit-chat and heading right to a sales pitch on the first email, or failing to reply to personally addressed emails.  The former we call a “verbal brochure,” which comes off like an online telemarketer; the latter is an online version of walking away from someone right after she’s said hello, stuck out her hand for a shake, and introduced herself.  And finally, if you couldn’t say something negative while looking a person straight in the eye, then it’s not appropriate for email.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Know your audience

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Know your audience.  Are they email or phone people?  You never want to force an email person into a phone relationship (or vice versa).  We all know that forced relationships never work (despite the fact that some of us like to test that theory every once in a while in our personal lives).  However, here are some reasons a person might prefer email to phone:

• A phone call is done at the caller’s convenience; an email can be responded to at the receiver’s convenience.
• It takes less time to scan an email subject line than it does to listen to voicemail.
• Email helps people keep track of communications (much better than Post-it® notes all over the office).

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Online job hunting is not just about the job listings

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Online job hunting is not just about the job listings, but who else is out there online looking for you.  Recruiters, hiring managers, small business owners, and anyone else looking for strong job candidates are bound to look online, so make sure your name comes up in their searches.  Use job boards to find the keywords related to your desired job, and then include those words or phrases in your online resume, your professional network profiles, and anywhere else you appear online.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Privacy is key in online job hunting

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Privacy is key in online job hunting.  If you want to keep the job you have until you get that fabulous new one, never put down a home address or phone number on a resume posted in a public place (one of the big job boards for example).  Instead, set up an email account just to receive job inquiries.  Then be sure to check that account often. Here's a general rule of thumb: If you wouldn't post the information on a bulletin board at the supermarket, don't post it online.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Have an online pre-reunion

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Have an online pre-reunion. If planning a high school or college reunion, it’s best to check and register on as many alumni-oriented sites as possible (including your own former high school site—many have options to do so).  Some require a small registration fee, but think of how much you can save in postage by doing the invites by email, not to mention building a new database of potential business contacts.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Don't play "Guess who's coming to your network?"

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Don't play "Guess who's coming to your network?"  Think carefully about whom you invite into your network, because you will be exposing your other contacts to that person.  When in doubt, use the “dinner with friends” test.  If you don’t know certain people well enough to invite them out to a dinner with your friends and close colleagues, then you might not want to invite them into your online network either.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: An address book that updates itself

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Think of LinkedIn and other social networks as an address book that updates itself.  With today’s transient population, sometimes email addresses are the most consistent contact method.  With social networks, the onus is on the members to keep their own information up-to-date.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Do an e-newsletter audit

Savvy Gal Networking Tip:  Do an e-newsletter audit.  Go through all the e-newsletters you receive in a month.  Make a note of which ones you read and what you liked about them.  This will serve as a great outline for launching an e-newsletter that not only boosts your status as an expert, but also makes it past your audience’s delete button.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: The only beneficial e-newsletter requires readers to "opt in"

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: The only beneficial e-newsletter is an opt-in e-newsletter. E-newsletters are a terrific way to build your network, keep in touch with your network, and earn business from your network, but only if people receive them voluntarily. To avoid spam status, ask people to sign up to receive your e-news, and always give them an easy way to unsubscribe. Web-based programs can help you manage this process.

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)

Online Networking Tip: Four basic questions for email intros

Savvy Gal Networking Tip: Remember these four basic questions for email introductions:  With whom do you want to connect?  Why do you want to connect?  How would that person like to connect?  When would he or she like to connect?

Here’s an example of a great email introduction from a mutual friend:

Mia,

Hi – As I mentioned in my recent email, I’d like to re-introduce you to my friend Wendy.  She is involved in chairing a women’s affinity group luncheon at her company.  She enjoyed meeting you briefly at my get-together last month and wanted to find out more about your motivational speaking.

Wendy is cc’d on this email.  Let us know if she can contact you directly, and what’s the best time and method for reaching you.

Thanks so much for your time, and please let me know if there’s anything I can ever do for you.

Best regards,

Carla

This tip courtesy of The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?)