Wanna get some gossip at the water cooler?

But you don’t have a water cooler, you say. Well actually I do, it’s in the storage area. Just one of those things I really want to get rid of, but haven’t yet.

But what I am discussing here is a virtual water cool. There has been a lot of discussion lately on Twitter and places I hang out about social networking and the WAHM. The Marketing Sweetie even has a blog post relevant to this subject. I have written an article on Market What You Make about the need to network.

I have to admit, I am a member to quite a few of these social networks. Twitter mentioned above is my favorite, but I also have a myspace and a facebook that I use semi-regularly as well as the linkedin and Ryze.

So what are all these networking sites for? What use are they to you? ARE they any use to you.

I do think they each have potential, both good and bad.

Let’s talk about Twitter to start with

http://www.twitter.com is where you can sign up for an account. You follow people on twitter, they follow you. You can enter little snipits of what you are doing, a URL, anything that may interest you. There are all sorts of addons you can have. You see on every blog post I have “twit this”. That is a WP Plugin that allows you to twitter about my blog. It’s good for getting out there and being social. But…

It’s very social. I have used twitbit and now use Snitter. I follow a lot of WAHM. While the conversations can be entertaining and very informative, it can be down right distracting sometimes. I do enjoy snitter, as it can be set to run in the background and I can turn off the notifications when I need to work. That is key. When you need to work you need to turn off Twitter.

Over all I do enjoy Twitter and can see it as a great business tool and a social interaction that us WAHMs do need sometimes.

MySpace

Oh my where do I start? I have been on Myspace forever. It is a great way for me to stay connected to family, friends and I have some fellow writers I keep up with there. I can keep an eye on my kids MySpaces as well. They have them as private, so the only way I can “see” them is through being a member and their friend.

The only thing I have found useful for business there is when I blog or bulletin and refer it back to my business URL. That works sometimes, but not a whole lot. I don’t get a whole lot of traffic and it is mainly from people who I know in “real life” that think my online business ventures are a bit fruity. So while I see some people working MySpace for business, I don’t see the application for me at all. Other than to network and make connections.

Facebook

I am rather new at facebook. I have to admit that I just don’t get that much at all. It is always asking me to download new applications to get something to work. I am not so keen on that at all.

I do though like that it has a type of feed reader, and I can keep up on blogs that others are writing, and while I have my business blog up there, I have not gotten any traffic from Facebook, I am probably doing something wrong in that world. I do see great potential there though. Unlike MySpace, Facebook is not viewed as a pickup place.

I should put in more time with the others, but lately I find it hard to get the work done I need to get done, let alone figure out some new social network system.

And that brings up another topic about social networking sites. They can take up HUGE blocks of time. And not just in the learning stage. We as WAHMs can only put 24 hours in our day. While this may be depressing for some, it is only fair. Its the same as the competition gets as well. These places and others can take all of your time and gobble it up if you aren’t careful.

Another point I would like to make is you can not rely on these and only these for your market and traffic. For starters it is unwise to put all your eggs into one basket. You find that Facebook is really working for you, that you have found your niche and it is doing great for you. What are you going to do the day it crashes? or heaven forbid that you get blocked or banned for a reason only Facebook knows? This has happened.

Some social networks we find the majority of friends are other WAHMs. If this is your target market well then great, if its not? Well you need to break out of that and go in search of your niche’s target market.

We often get stuck in our routines and our social patterns. Learn to get out, spread the wealth. Find your niche and your target market. Make them work with your social networking, not your social networking work with your target market. Social networks should be a nice add on, not the main source.

See there is a virtual water cooler! Now I just need to find that virtual coffee pot!

Well yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday picture was actually taken yesterday. Yes you see that green tree outside my window was taken in January. And I honestly don’t think it is in the evergreen family, but I could be mistaken. There is a story, so let me explain about that tree I stare at all year.

Shortly after our move here to Ft Stewart, GA my mom came down from our home, Upstate NY. She wanted to go in and see Savannah. Since I had never been downtown either away we went. We decided to do a trolley tour of historic Savannah. We got the coolest driver/tour guide. He had all sorts of great stories to tell about all that we we were seeing. The great history of Savannah. And wouldn’t you know, he was from Upstate New York too!

I know you are wondering what does this have to do with the tree outside your window, Judi? Well I am getting to that, honest.

So our tour guide pulls up next to a house and tells us about it. Then he points out this tree. Just like the one in my back yard. He tells us when he first came to Savannah he worked with a landscaper. Being from NY this tree kinda struck him as funny. It’s green all year long after all and has leaves not needles. I guess he was working for some one very southern, (not to knock you southern folks at all!) because when he asked what the tree was, his boss said, “That there is a live oak”, in a nice southern drawl, which our driver imitated. Our guide being a bit mystified said, “I see it’s alive, but what kinda oak is it?” I guess his boss thought he was being daft cause he replied to him, “I just told you, it’s a live oak, ya dumb yank.”

So as not to offend anyone, and be called the “dumb yank”, I just rake up the leaves as they fall, all year long. And admire my green tree through all the nice warm winter months. Would still like to know what the tree is, but now I am afraid to ask anyone. But the story sure made all us New Yorkers on the tour laugh.

I am sure there is a moral to this story, but I am just so not sure what it is?

Have a great Tell Me Thursday!