by Ashley Andrus

If you’re like most people, you finished that saying with, “…it’s WHO you know.”

That was true for a long time…but in the age of online social networking, it’s more accurate to say, “It’s not who YOU know, it’s who THEY know.” More than ever before, the internet makes it easy to access the networks and circles of influence of the people you know.

As networking expert Sarah Michel explains the equation in today’s market: The value of others + the value you bring to others = your netWORTH (™) . In this economic climate of free-falling 401(k) values, your network has become quite literally your netWORTH (™) . Are you putting social networking tools—especially LinkedIn and Twitter—to work for you?

There’s a catch, though. Too many people forget about the second variable in that equation (the value you bring to others) and focus exclusively on the first (what’s in it for me?) REAL WORLD TIP: The people you’re reaching out to don’t care what’s in it for you—they care about what’s in it for THEM.

Some quick tips on maximizing your efforts so your equation is balanced:  Read the rest of this article »

by Gina Schreck

In the past 7 days, I have Linked In with 23 people, written on my daughter’s Face Book wall, sent 3 Jott messages to myself (my memory isn’t as good as it used to be), and read at least 12 Jott messages from our daughter’s soccer coach, who uses it constantly to send broadcast messages out to the parents and girls. I set up a new Ning network to check it out and see what that has to offer after reading an article in Fast Company. I have attended 3 different meetings in Second Life with my avatar, where I met two new business contacts on our island, and even “followed” my husband’s appointment activities using Twitter.

In that same week, I listened to 3 podcasts on different business topics, took some short video footage of my daughter’s winning football toss at field day using my Flip Video camcorder (where, by the way, she whooped all the boys), and then loaded them onto YouTube so her friends could watch them. I constantly use the Bluetooth connection in my car to talk on my cell phone, and can’t live without “Gloria,” my GPS (Gloria Petunia Schreck is the name my daughters gave her), to find me the closest Starbucks!

At Synapse 3Di, not only am I one of the founders, but I am the DIGITAL IMMIGRATION OFFICER. My job is to help those of us over the age of 35 immigrate into this foreign land of digital technology. While I have accounts and profiles at all of these places and I am more connected than a person really has a need for, I do not consider myself a “hyperconnected” individual. I check my email and text messages throughout the day, but check in on most of the other accounts perhaps 3 or 4 times a week. But look at those 20-somethings in our work environments or in our homes: they are connected 24/7—at work, home, restaurants, everywhere. They are hyperconnected! Read the rest of this article »