Social Networking - I Needed to Improve My Business

NOTE: This lens was originally written in January 2009. A lot has changed in the social networking arena. Most of this information is outdated, but, still interesting if you are interested in seeing how important Social Networking has become and different it is today.

The last few years everyone has talked about "Social Networking" to grow your business. I thought I was pretty good at it. Recently, I realized how much I needed to improve how I was networking my business on the internet. I found myself so isolated I couldn't make the necessary networking connections. My primary social contact seemed to be the postman and he started dropping the mail and running when he saw me coming because I was so starved for social interaction he knew I'd talk his ear off if I had a chance. But there is hope for us. I found a way to network, and you can too.

When a person gets out of the house everyday to go to a job, or, talk with people, it seems to me that your creative juices are flowing and you are involved in positive networking. Like many of us who work from home, this is difficult because we are basically isolated from the world. My day consists of working, creating and talking on the computer. When you get out and see people everyday, you get positive strokes from those you come into contact with and you go to the next meeting feeling pretty good about yourself. When you work on the computer one must convey what they are doing in writing and sometimes the people you are talking to don't get back with you for hours. That positive stroke still gives you a good "pumped up" fleeting feeling, but really, you have already moved on to the next idea and it does not have the same impact as a "LIVE" atta boy.

I started an ecommerce mail order business in 1998 after retiring from my first career. I didn't have a lot of friends from my first career and prided myself to having a few "quality" friends...whatever that means. I have never been really good at having a lot of friends. I've made a lot of acquaintances in my lifetime, but never developed them into long term relationships.

I used to be very entertaining/funny....according to me anyway. It seems as I have gotten older I say some things that are considered politically incorrect...even though I have always thought I was a sensitive and caring person. See what isolation does to you? I've made a lot of fatal business decisions over the years and I never wanted anyone to know that I was a failure. I have had a horrible fear of failing my entire life and when it has happened to me, it was devastating. I guess I would say that this is probably one reason I don't open myself up to others more. But this is another lens topic...

When I was young and attended business functions there was always the stay at home mom with small children attending with their spouse who probably felt the same as I do now. That stay at home mom is now probably a fireball in the corporate world while I sit isolated at my computer trying to grow my business talking in abbreviations and smiley faces.

You know it is bad when your only human contact during the day is when you attempt to corner your mail carrier that you see running up to your front porch and who continues to inch backward as you talk trying to get back to their truck. I often wonder if they are on a time schedule...? Or, when you do get to talk with someone, most likely on the phone, your side of the conversation involves a discussion about the guests on the Dr. Phil Show and Dr. Phil Speak, or, Oprah's events of the day.

A couple of years ago, I had to sell my warehouse full of inventory due to illness. I couldn't keep up with the business. Business was good. I belonged to several networking groups in my city. I had walk-in wholesale customers, I participated in the Home Shows and I regularly went on sales calls. Sales on our website and eBay were decent. Then everything stopped.

Now, a couple of years later, my health is better.

To solve the problem of my isolation and inability to network naturally, I have joined several online communities. First I tried MySpace, then I learned about Blogging, facebook, Twitter and recently opened an account with Merchant Circle. You can read below about how each of these venues helped me get the benefits of social networking without leaving my chair.