Building A Following

Now that we are in an age of vast technological advancements taking place in the computer world every day, it is seemingly becoming very easy to network with people with shared interests throughout the planet. One way to get people to notice your brand, writings, art, music, product, or whatever it is that you are promoting is to build a following of supporters online.
What does it mean to “build a following?” To build a following means to have a number of networks and people who support your cause, whatever that may be. These are usually people who are interested in being part of your online “community”. Sounds easy huh? Well with the genius invention of social networking it can be.
Some of the most popular ways to build a following using social networking include twitter, Facebook, blogs, and YouTube. If you are already among the 7% of the country using twitter than I’m sure that you have already noticed the way twitter works. To get the best twitter experience its best that twitter is used as a marketing, and networking tool instead of just a social network where people just tweet their everyday random thoughts. To build a following on twitter is not as simple as it often looks. For one, you have to be tweeting topics of “substance” to get a solid following. What I mean by substance is unless you are an uber popular celebrity; tweeting boring details of your life will usually not garner too many followers. Tweeting about important issues, funny stuff, or marketing your business or product might just get people’s attention and in return they follow you. Getting a twitter following is about how interesting you are to follow.
Facebook is another tool to use to gain a following and many of us use it already. Facebook can be very easy as a networking tool because half of the time you already are connected to your followers, or “friends.” To get a following on Facebook it doesn’t take any interesting topic statuses, all it takes is to use the site for what it’s for and that’s networking with other people that you meet through the people already on your friends list.
Blogging is another great tool to build a following and network but it will take some work on your part to make sure that you are blogging on news, issues, or topics that people will want to read. Your blog should have all the proper elements to keep people coming back. YouTube has taken the world by storm and has also become a great tool to build a following as well. The thing about YouTube is that if you are going to make videos and want subscribers you have to have videos with elements like humor, important topics, good video quality, and relatable storylines to gain a following of subscribers. When used properly using the internet to build a following can be easy as 1, 2, and 3.

Do you use any of these social networks to gain a following for your cause? If so, which one do you think works best as a networking tool? Do you use twitter? If so, how many followers do you have? Can you think of any other online networks to use to gain followers? How do you feel about the whole idea of having people “follow” you? And finally, can you add any elements to this posting about building a following that I may have missed?

By: Jessica Dames

Networking: Do's and Dont's

Networking can be defined as the exchange of information of services among individuals, groups, or institutions ; specifically : the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. For many people networking, is a key resource to the community, to advertising, to business, and to even finding a job. In order to network effectively...you have to know how to connect with people around you. For college students networking is easy and always at our fingertips, with our phones, computers, and tablets. But what we don't realize is how some of things we do now through networking will effect us later.
For a resource here are some do's and dont's.
Do's : stay connected and interact with people, join groups...but be selective, use your profile and such as a tool.
Don't: publish everything you did that one night last summer, badmouth anybody or any employers, just friend random people (because associates can see your friends), or carelessly post things especially personal information (think before you do).

Here lies the questions...do you agree with the do's and dont's? If so, do you personally have any other suggestions you would add to the list? Also in your personal opinion how much information is too much information (such as your address, phone number, your age), and how comfortable are you with random people accessing your personal life?
Finally do you think employers should be allowed to go through your personal pages without notification or release? And do you think that having a facebook, twitter account, or blog is worth it if you cannot really express how you feel due to people watching your every move/statement?