7 Habits Of A Highly Effectual Social Network Maven
Social Networking Done Right
All right, there are people who understand this whole social networking thing better than I do. When it comes to building online contacts, I rank as a novice in the eyes of some.
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On the other hand, I have figured out how to work a handful of internet tools to my advantage!
I’m not about to give all of my secrets away — you’ll have to read Dosh Dosh blog’s for his latest social media marketing tips. What I will share with you is some quick pointers on how you can build your relationship with other social network pros without turning them off.
The following is my list of 7 tips (or habits) of social networking:
1. Sign up and get a feel for the network: The New York State Lottery uses a 
tagline, you gotta be in it to win it. The same holds true for socializing online — you need to join several networks in order to reap the benefits. No one wins the lottery without buying a ticket, in the case of social networks your ticket is free. And, unlike the lottery, all users are winners!
2. Do not be a N00B: Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you come across as a newbie, then you’ll likely be ignored. Worse, people will think that you are a pain in the rear quarters. Read up on that network, google a search for related articles, and experiment. Do not expect someone to take you under their wing — they’re too busy working the network.
3. Be consistent: Joining a network and not participating on a regular basis will reduce 
the chances that your articles will get stumbled, your blog posts read, and your contacts will not consider you a serious player. Although I belong to several networks, StumbleUpon is my favorite, with Sphinn, MyBlogLog, and BlogCatalog in the mix.
4. Ask and you shall receive: If you want an article stumbled, then ask. However, ask only on occasion and be prepared to return the favor when asked. People are busy managing a wide variety of tasks every day — don’t consume their time with wasteful stuff!
5. Ask specifically, do not be greedy: Nothing frosts me more then when someone asks me to stumble their post and then follows up with a secondary request to leave a message 
on their blog. Sometimes I leave comments with my stumble, sometimes I do not. I will leave a message on a blog if time permits and if I have something worthy to add. Give me one request and I may follow up with a bonus if I am in the mood.
6. Build up your silent network of social network pros: There are a handful of people I contact from time to time to ask for a stumble, a sphinn, or a digg. I will never publicly reveal who my contacts are and I certainly do not want everyone to know that I am good for a stumble (okay, I am!)
7. Give, expecting nothing in return: This is a hard one for some people — stumbling, digging, and leaving comments behind unilaterally. True, I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine is the prevalent theme of social networking, but why not set yourself apart and simply pay it forward for somebody?
How Popular Do You Want To Be?
For some people, dominating a particular social network is their way of measuring their online success. Personally, I am not so much interested in building friends (I’m maxed out on StumbleUpon), rather in sharing stumble juice, the digg effect, sphinning, etc. Operating just below the radar has its advantages, namely you won’t get every Tom, Dick, and Harriet begging for your help.
Social networking is constantly changing so keep up with the changes and you’ll be fine. If too much of your time is being consumed “building relationships online” then maybe it is time to shut down the computer and go out and seek some human contact.
Great points. I especially like #7. As someone who is just starting to use a few of these networks, paying it forward is probably the best way to learn.
Thanks for the mention, Matt!
Consistency and generosity are two sure ways to get you noticed on every social network.
Asking the right people for votes is important too… you want to ask people who know won’t mind giving. Ask the wrong people too much/too often and you’ll turn them off.
Hey Matt,
I favor SU as well, Mybloglog is a close second. I agree that you really need to get a feel for the programs, how they work and what not to do.
I really like the pay it forward approach. I’ve found that there is less stress on yourself if you aren’t expecting anything in return.
#4 is so true. I’ll stumble or digg someone that asks, but not after every post. After a while the asker becomes annoying and you end up ignoring them.
EB, Maki & Steve — Thank you for your comments.
I like helping people out, but there are some folks who seem to put a big target symbol on me expecting that I’ll spend an excessive amount of work on their pages. Usually those sites aren’t that good anyway and I really don’t want to promote sites that add little value to SU.
Occasionally, I’ll throw in a Sphinn or a Digg, but that is a bonus when I have the time or desire to follow through.
Enjoyed the article, and the philosophy behind your participation on social networks.
Was wondering how I could join your SU network, but stumbled around a while before noticing the icon on the sidebar!
All success
Dr.Mani
Dr. Mani, welcome! My StumbleUpon friends limit has been reached, so I cannot reciprocate at this time. Still, from what I gather, when I stumble with the friends icon everyone who has friended me they still receive the stumble benefit.
No matter, I just finished stumbling your site. I hope this helps!
Reached limit on SU? There is a friend limit? Granted, I only 67 fans or so and I think I saw you had 350+. What is this magical number?
thanks, j
Julian, I can have as many as 200 friends, but anyone can “friend” me thereby driving the numbers up near that 350 figure.
Crazy, isn’t it?
This is a very informative post for anyone interested in getting involved in online social networks - thank you for the valuable information!
These are all valid points, Matt. Number #7 is probably my fav out of all of them although #4 runs a close second.
Mike, I believe having a helpful attitude is the formula for business success. These two points seem to embody that point the most.