It’s been a really busy week for me…with getting this blog launched & getting our organic garden completely planted, but the world of social media has had an even busier week with some interesting announcements like the one about the soon to come Google Wave & Microsoft’s Bing.

I wanted to start posting weekly about some of my personal social media networking favorite reads of the week. Many times I am tweeting on Twitter or re-tweeting articles I’m reading. If you’re not following me, make sure to stop over to @TimothyCarter (this will open in a new window) and don’t miss out on my Twitter stream. But not all readers of the Social Networking Lifestyle use Twitter (what are you waiting for???) so I thought I’d post them here as well.

Okay…here are my top 5 Social Media blog posts reads of the week (in no particular order):

Warning: Do You Recognize These 21 Blogging Mistakes? – problogger.net

Could Google Wave Redefine Email and Web Communication? – mashable.com

From TIME magazine – “10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business”: http://TwitPWR.com/gpJ

How to Be Naked (and then, how not) – ChrisBrogan.com

Twave: Google Wave + Twitter – Mashable.com

Leave a comment with a link to your favorite social media networking story/post of the week.

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Social Media Marketing Training- Two Things That Everyone is Looking For in Social Media

When you think about it, there are only 2 things that people are looking for in Social Media. It does not matter if you are in real estate, mortgage banking, insurance, or even in marketing of some type. People are always looking for something.

You just need to make sure that you know what those things are.

Most people in the Social Media arena are progressive thinkers and progressive people. Most are ahead of the curve in the web 2.0 world, and most have a focus of being ahead of the pack. The early adopters of Social Media, which I am one, started on the Social media scene 5 years ago. There as not much there, but what was there, was used as best as it could be used.

People then, and people now, are still the same. They always will be. But in the Social media arena, they are looking for 2 things that will help them.

Help them feel better about whom they are. Help them feel better about what they do. And help them feel better about where their life is going. All people are in some way looking for that forward focus. That is why in the social scene, there are 2 things people seem to be seeking more than anything.

Only two.

1) CONNECTION.

Most people in Web 2.0 ville are looking for Connection. They want to connect with people, information, new ideas, new trainings, new events, new groups, new videos, but whatever they are looking for, they want to CONNECT.

Connection is part of the culture we grew up in. People in real estate understand the person want to feel emotionally connected to a house before they purchase it. People want to feel connected to a car before they decide to buy it. And people want to feel connected to something before they start building that bridge of trust with you. You must make an effort to connect in a way that they will respond to in social media.

IN Social Media Marketing, Connection is NOT Correction as so many people think. They are NOT looking to be told that their life is not any good, or is lacking. They are not looking to be told their home is too small for them. They want to Connect to something or someone that will make them feel better about themselves and where their life is headed. You do that in conversations on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, LinkedIn, and the like.

They want to feel GOOD about a conversation with you, no matter the social network. They want to feel FOCUSED ON and Tied into a conversation that will help them feel more a part of something that can increase and enlarge their life and future.

CONNECTING with people is simply reaching out and taking their hand over the internet and letting them feel PLUGGED IN to something and someone that can help you connect to new possibilities and to new destinies.

THAT is simple and the truth. Keep the Connection authentic and real, and they will listen to what your conversation is about and start drawing closer to you and your message.

2) Elevation.

People want to feel like they are being lifted higher in their life. They want to feel like their life is going somewhere and means something. We all do. We all are looking for that special feeling that we are special, and as trite as that sounds, it is the truth.

What can you do to create that feeling that they truly believe they are walking on air?

• Lift them up by noticing something they said that has helped you.

• Compliment them.

• Give them a kind remark about their efforts in what they are doing in Social Media.

• Ask questions they might know the answer to show you appreciate their knowledge..

• Send them new ideas on their passion.

• Notice something about their conversation that you can totally appreciate and let them know about it.

• Empower them with encouragement.

• Thank them for learning something from them.

WHY?

It will make them glad they talked to you in Social Media. And they will remember you the next message, tweet, or conversation. They will move from the Awareness stage, to the Appreciation stage in Social Media.

As a realtor for example, you will see that they can start to trust you, and even start referring possible clients to you as people they know are moving out or into – your area.

Remember- it is NOT what you said. But how you made them feel by Connecting with them and Elevating their hope and future in the Social Media Marketing arena.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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Image by Gare and Kitty via Flickr

Before you can create a social media strategy, you need to clearly identify what you want to accomplish with social media marketing. You can easily find yourself aimlessly driven to distraction if you don’t have a focus on what you want to accomplish on a daily basis…even an hourly basis. Here are some common goals to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

• Increase brand awareness
• Build authority
• Develop Personal Branding
• Learn more about your target audience
• Gain inbound links
• Educate and inform customers
• Improve customer service
• Monitor brand reputation

But seriously, this list could go on and on…and ON, but you see there are some things to consider. Don’t start your social media actions until you’ve clearly established and made a written record of these goals. Once you’ve got some goals, then some basics are in order to establish your social networking presence the right way.

Try these from the mind of Chris Brogan:
The Vital Importance of Your Network
Starting Points for Online Presence
Social Networks- Time to Specialize

And there are 7 more. Chris Brogan brings the goods on his blog post, My Best Advice About Social Networking.

So what are your goals for the upcoming month for social media networking?

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Image by luc legay via Flickr

Why Live A Social Networking Lifestyle? Furthermore, how DOES someone live a social networking lifestyle & earn a living from it?

Why would anyone want to live a social networking lifestyle? What could you possibly do besides spending 20 minutes looking at your friend’s Facebook pictures, or randomly watching tweets on your Twitter stream?

Social media networking opens up an entire world of people you never would have had the chance to meet that share some common ground, interest or passion in life. With that connection comes responsibility as well as opportunity to gain a friend, a customer, an associate, a partner, even a mentor or a joint venture!

Social media networking provides you a unique way to:

• Pursue your passion/dream

• Learn to do something OTHER than your job or unemployment

• Potentially turn your hobby into a way to make money

• Self-employment/Home business tax deduction

• Economic security building an income from home

• Meet other people who share your passion

I live a social networking lifestyle. Social media affords me the freedom to work my own hours which are limited some days as I’ve been recovering from the car accident. But social networking has given me the opportunity to create a life, an income and a future INCREDIBLY different than the one we were living on prior to the car accident.

Have you found your reason why you’d like to live a social networking lifestyle? It is time freedom? Financial freedom? A dream? A passion you’d love to pursue? What do you love?
Lemme know your thoughts.

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 Twitter marketing.

This is a new phrase that is starting to hit the streets and blogs.

You can hear it on podcasts as well as videos today. It is all over blog posts and articles in articles directories.

But most are striking out as far as marketing goes. They do not seem to connect to many of the basic principles of marketing.

And many never will as they do not seem to understand the truth about marketing.

There are 5 Power Secrets of Twitter Marketing that I would like to briefly share with you and hope they can help you in your endeavors.

They have rocked our world in our twitter marketing.

First off, what in the world is twitter?

If you have been out on the moon for the last 12 months, you may have not heard of it. But it is a little service that asks you ‘”hat are you doing?”  and you let the world know. In 140 characters or less. Much like a text on a cell phone.

Seems pretty innocent does it not?

But then marketers started using twitter to market their wares, and many have polluted much of the “twittersphere”  with hundreds of pitches and deals that are disguised as tweets. I counted over 75 of them today. And  most of the tweets seemed “innocent” until you clicked on the url- and then BAM! You were right in the middle of someone trying to sell you something.

Classic bait and switch.

But there are those that are successul with twitter that do not practice that type of marketing. They do it right and people love them for it.  Coach Deb and Warren Whitlock talk about twitter with their Twitter handbook. & their book Twitter Revolution! Joel Comm has the Twitter Power book. Darren Rowse with TwiTips talks about it. Chris Brogan talks about it. Scott Monty talks about it. Even Facebook maven Mari Smith is now teaching it.

You can too- if you can embrace a few twitter marketing secrets.

This brings me to these 5 Twitter Marketing Power Secrets:

1) Marketing is all about Relationship FIRST- SECOND- and THIRD.

This is a no brainer. Relationships and Connections drive marketing.

And if someone has tens of thousands or more followers- that is quite an impressive list. But are they results of some leads harvesting software or honest to God relationships that you can market to? This is critical for long term marketing and business.

People expect something from you- a relationship if you are promising something. Can you do that?

You can decide that.

2) Twitter is about “Peripheral Connections” that are in sync with you.

If you want to market your message- find someone that has a similar message, and then take a look at their followers. They are following this person for a reason. (Unless they are software generated/harvested
which is quite popular today on twitter.) Start following some of these proven interested folks after you have looked at their profile and they fit your prospective customer profile, and find the ones that makes
sense to follow. And then start holding conversations with them. Introduce yourself. Join the conversation.  Find out what they are looking for, and then see how your message can help out with their
search.

Make your marketing of Value FIRST and build that bridge of Trust before you ever suggest they purchase something.

It works.

3) Twitter Marketing is about TRUST, TRAILS, and TEAMS.

First off, you must build that Bridge of TRUST before anything. If your followers do not TRUST you, you will lose them. Give Value first- and then more Value second.

Give them FREE downloads and reports and Little Known Secrets. They will start to trust your INTENTIONS. Then you start leaving what I call “Tweet Trails.” These are trails of messages that people can follow on search.twitter.com that are part of a series of information or conversation that leads to a place that they can click to to find out the answer or solution to a problem. The trails point ot the solution the whole time. It may take a dozen tweets or more to eventually send out the “Impact Tweet” that creates that marketing process. THEN- you start forming Teams of prospects and customers and then get them on a conference call and webinar to create a greater Impact with your message.

This Is a critical part. TAKE IT OFFLINE.  Many do not.

4) Twitter Marketing is about Secondary Exposure- not just Primary.

Secondary exposure is called “Viral marketing” or “Re-Tweeting” using twitter vernacular. This is when someone is impressed with your message or tweet and sends it out to their base of followers creating a whole new exposure zone- and extending your reach dramatically with
your message. And then they do the same thing. And then they do the same thing. It is powerful to see twitter marketing in full force.

Give them a reason to re tweet something. Give them an “aha” tweet. Give them a freebie. Give them a url to a great blog. Give them some little known news. Point to an interesting read that points to something in your product or benefits of it.

I call it “Layered Marketing.” The second, third, and fourth layers of people sending out your tweets are sometimes more powerful than the first in twitter marketing.

5) Twitter Marketing rests upon the platform of “First Effectual Impressions.”

What EFFECT do your twitter marketing efforts have on people? Yes, you can learn all about the applications, sister twitter sites, and the best and coolest ways to get followers.

But here is the BOTTOM LINE: What EFFECT are you having Visually, Emotionally, and Psychologically that will keep these folks coming back and reading your tweets, building a trust bridge, and then acting upon what you suggest that they do? Whether you have a traditional business, home business, or work for a business, you must consider this before ANYTHING.

What effect does your profile have on people Visually? Is it unique? Is it powerful? Does it Brand you Visually? Our twitter profile is different and brands us well- Check it out here.

What effect do your messages and suggestions have on followers Emotionally? Does it open them up to new possibilities? Does it teach the HOW to do things which grows them? Does it encourage them? Create something that will make people FEEL GREAT ABOUT YOU and a your message. if you give them what they are looking for- answers and solutions- they will feel awesome about you.

What effect does you message have Psychologically on your followers? This is critical. You should establish in your twitter marketing what we call “Growth Anticipation.” This is simply where people anticipate to GROW following you- and will GROW when they do what you suggest. But this takes time-and you have to prove you are worth following and being listened to. If your twitter marketing creates new focuses and hope for people- you will develop that “Growth Zone” and people will stay in it and develop that “relationship” – and you can market to them new growth ideas that will help them that much more.

Yes, there are many things that you can cover in twitter marketing, and it is imperative that you are familiar with the twitter applications and sister sites that make twitter more effective. There are hundreds of them and we have covered and will cover more in the future concerning marketing.

But YOU must become more EFFECTIVE with your prospects and these are 5 Power Secrets of twitter marketing in social media.

blessings…Doug Firebaugh
PassionFire Training
Follow Doug on Twitter

Editor’s note: this post was written by Doug Firebaugh of PassionFire International. If you’re passionate about social media, social media marketing and social networking lifestyle design, contact me about writing an article yourself.

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Welcome to Social Networking Lifestyle

- the Blog that helps people use social networking methods to develop income streams from their passions through social media.

My name is Timothy Carter and I’m a full time social media networker from Seattle making a living from this new and dynamic way to build a home based through social media around my passions and building relationships online.

Back in 1997 I stumbled into the beginning of what was the beginning of social media networking on America Online or AOL for short. I didn’t know it at the time but that moment changed my life.

I started utilizing “social networking” when there wasn’t a name for what I did in 1997 on AOL to build relationships & find people interested in starting a home business. For five years I worked at home full time by networking with people on AOL via email & Instant Messenger. Then the network marketing company I was with got themselves in trouble with the FDA & FTC for their marketing claims & ultimately got themselves shut down because of it. That cost me my financial freedom and plunged me back into the work force in sales & property management until 2008 when a car accident nearly took my life.

So I had to relearn a way to make a living. Social media was the channel that would give me the opportunity to work from home again as I continued to recover. I’ve never looked back or regret not working a job.

This site is dedicated to helping other people learn the skills of social media networking, share their own social networking experiences and promote the social networking lifestyle where people can make a living through social media. As well as be a place where I share what I’m doing to continue to learn and build my businesses.

SocialNetworkingLifestyle.com is a blog about creating a living and living a lifestyle with social media networking. Millions of people around the world have started Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, blogs, Tumblr accounts over the last few years. Many of them are personal & private to family and friends, but an increasing number of people are looking to use social media networking to make an income from home due to these economic times.

Unfortunately many people don’t earn enough to buy themselves a triple shot iced americano every month because they don’t know how to EFFECTIVELY utilize the social media tools and networking methods to establish connections and relationships with people.

Social Networking Lifestyle is a blog that aims to share with you the tools & resources entrepreneurs need to make their social media networking better and in doing so, increase their potential earnings from home.

The blog will be covering everything from:

* social networking for beginners
* to finding people in your niche
* to social media articles that inform
* to writing great content for microblogging & blogs
* to using social media to grow your blog & influence
* to make connections with people and build relationships
* to social media, blogging & networking resources and tools

I’m really excited about this and looking forward to sharing this lifestyle here…and someday soon, reading stories of people setting themselves financially free through using social media and networking to build an internet business. We can’t sit around and wait for the government to help bail us out financially…we can take hold of the reigns of our lives…and truly master our destiny…instead of listening to the fear being spread on TV. Plus, it’s a lot of fun living this life!

Thanks for being here and reading this. Leave a mark, let me know you were here with a comment.

Timothy Carter

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