I do call a lot of us in this country “consumptionholics.” I also found myself playing this role at times. But not today. Not this month. Not in the near future.

What would you do? If you don’t have an answer I’ll give you some of my own.  For those executive at AIG and, in fact anyone who gets a bonus this year, think of giving some to those in need. There are so many food pantries that need extra food. There are so many children who need clothing. There are so many places to volunteer.

And if for some reason the bonus monies have not left the corporate coffers yet . . . stop. Don’t give out bonuses for “retaining top talent.” As one of my colleagues said, “Why would these companies be afraid that these people will go elsewhere? Where is there to go? Who is hiring?”

So, Tom Peters. I’ve watched you over the years. I always said I would like to be more like you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in this time and there is no question you have a great heart. Now, even though this economic bust has already occurred, please continue to use your influence next year to help people wake up and walk out on the craziness that this year has seen. Keep promoting the idea of giving and social responsibility–especially to companies that don’t seem to get that consumers CARE what goes on inside the corporate walls–between cubicles and departments and inside and outside of boardrooms. Keep promoting strategies that show companies how to “do well by doing good.”

In the end, the more people who speak out against greed like you have done the better off we will all be. Thanks Tom.

What a simple concept, but, just like so many companies during the dot.com boom, companies today have what I call an "80′s mentality." They are actually stuck in an old network paradigm of paying for "passive" eyeballs to look at pictures or even video "passively" on a screen, and, then, somehow, miraculously, decide to "actively" go buy whatever the company is selling in their very friendly, fun ad.

Juxtapose the sliding hope of selling those old-fashioned ads, now, to online social networks and communities that create "active" participation where people move from visitors into loyal fans as the site and the people on the site become one of their favorite places to hang out. We have only touched the surface of online communities. If I had my way, these communities would be much more active and even facilitated by experts who further engage the participants through ongoing events—both live and online. I am now engaged with several large organizations helping them build online networks with their customers helping them grow their brands as well as their revenues with a socially responsible focus.

I have also been building my own communities that I use as feeders into other communities. To this end, anyone who wants to visit our online community can join at www.networlding2.org or on LinkedIn if you are socially responsible. These communities bring companies and people who practice the values of making a difference, integrity, innovation and collaboration together to make money while making a difference. The good news now its time for ANYONE and I mean ANYONE who really wants to grow a vibrant company and who is entrepreneurial and has even a small amount of investment capital, to throw his or her hat in the ring. May the best men or women win and, I believe like you do Terry, they will be people like you and me who get social networking and online community building.

Warmest Regards,

Melissa Giovagnoli

Social Media Visionary and Author

www.networlding.com

melissa@networlding.com

Career Centre

It Seems As If Everyone Has One, And Experts Say They’re A Great Marketing Tool. But Is The Time Commitment Worth It?

There’s no doubt about it, blogs are hot. With their interactivity and
their ability to position even micro-business owners as niche experts,
blogs are the "it" marketing trend [see BW Online, 5/22/06, "Into the
Wild Blog Yonder"]. There are more than 39 million blogs in existence
and 75,000 new blogs being created every day, according to Technorati,
a resource Web site with a search engine that covers the universe of
blogs, known as the blogosphere [see BW Online, 4/18/06, "Blogs
Multiply. Our Heads Explode"].

Some definitions for the uninitiated: A blog [the term comes from a
slurring of the phrase "web log"] is an online journal. The blog owner
regularly posts journal entries, usually fairly short essays including
links to relevant information, that readers can react to in a comments
section. Additional readers comment on . . .
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Have a question about your business blog? Call Networlding at 312) 421 – 4213 or Click Here.

Networlding is the science and art of making meaningful connections and leveraging those connections in new and powerful ways.  Networlding is an accelerated networking program based on growing mutually beneficial relationships with key “connectors” who have similar and complementary values.

Networlding  is  much more effective than traditional networking because it will show you how to create an entire support system that includes both people who will help you in the short term as well as  people who will help you leverage long-term, transformational opportunities, time and time again.  It also shows you how to create for others and yourself, true fulfillment in the process. 

When Peter Drucker, the guru of management, asked a recent class of MBA students what they would call this new, connected society, they responded, “We’d call it the New Network Society.”  To take full advantage of this new age, we need to understand how we are all connected and how to use these connections for mutual gain.  We also need to make a shift in our professional and personal strategies for getting ahead.  This shift is from a “me” perspective to the more leveraged “we” perspective. This means forming and maintaining relationships in radically different ways.

Networlding is the strategy that will allow you to shift your focus from the opportunities, to the people who can help you take advantage of those opportunities . . . to transform relationships from a pipeline to opportunities to a lifeline in our new world of work.

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