Social Networking with Training Wheels

Social Networking with Training Wheels
Look, I don't really think that the mySpaces and Facebooks
of the world are that important for the typical small
business as they stand today. There may be very practical
business reasons for some to actually use these and other,
what are called social networks, for business gain, but
most people that have jumped on the social network
bandwagon have found themselves left with a "is this all
there is" kind of feeling.

To those I say this, the value of the current public social
networks for business folks is not what you can get out of
them for gain today, but what you can learn by using them
for practical gain tomorrow. That's why SpacebookedIn makes
sense for you now

The Facebooks of the world are busy teaching millions and
millions of business folks how social networks work, how
social networking works, how shared applications can be
viral and ever-present. The real payoff in my opinion is
that the wave to come after the Facebook bubble bursts is
the "personalized business network." Once everyone of your
customers and prospects knows how to use what are easily
replicatable social networking tools, like building
profiles, sharing video and connecting based on mutual
interests, your job of building your own social business
network around your own very specific community of niche
will get a whole lot easier.

2008 will be the year of the personalized social business
network. So, if you've decided to take a pass on the whole
social networking trend, I would suggest that you use this
handy list to start learning to ride this bike with the
training wheels on.

Ten ways to get started with Social Networking.

1) Read 10 blogs - sign-up for a Bloglines account and
search for and subscribe to 10 blogs about social
networking - you can return daily to your page on Bloglines
to find and read all the new content on your 10. Of course
you can add blogs about your industry and interests here
too.

2) Comment on 10 blogs - posting relevant comments to blogs
you read is a very simple form of social networking. It's
also a good way to get some extra visitors your site or
blog.

3) Join Facebook - Join and create a profile. Find and
friend some of your existing contacts using tools on
Facebook. You'll be surprised how many people you already
know have Facebook accounts. Facebook has some real value
for you because of the rich set of tools and large amount
of active users. This is a great place to experiment with
how people interact in social networks. Once you get your
feet wet you may also find that Facebook is a great way to
connect with business contacts you may never bump into
otherwise.

4) Create a mySpace page - this service is really embraced
primarily by musicians and the younger set. It also happens
to have a large underbelly contingent so be warned, but it
is a great tool for learning how to build a presence
outside of your web site.

5) Join LinkedIn - this is a service that's been called
Facebook for business. It is really about meeting and
connecting with like-minded business folks. It is a great
service for people looking for a job or to make connections
with people who may be out of reach without an introduction.

6) Visit Ning - this is the largest custom social
networking service that allows you to create your own
community using a variety of tools that can be branded to
match your current site.

7) Create a Workbench profile - this one's a little
self-serving as this is my new social business networking
site but it's a good example of the personalized business
community that's the next wave for small business.

8) Create a Twitter account - this tool is pretty silly on
the surface, it allows you to type in 160 characters or
less what you are doing right now. It feels like a giant
waste of time but a very large and active community has
grown around this kind of micro-blogging and you should
understand how people are using it.

9) Create a StumbledUpon profile - This is a social network
built around discovering and recommending sites that you
like. Active stumblers can send a lot of traffic your way

10) Create a Digg account - this site allows you to keep up
to the minute with what's happening in the world of
business. Users submit and vote on what is believed to be
the most important content.

You might also consider Mixx, Squidoo and Flikr as places
to find and develop niche related communities when you're
ready to really get out there.

Think of mySpace, LinkedIn and Facebook as your labs - get
in there and experiment for the future. then start planning
your own personalized social business network.

----------------------------------------------------
John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning
blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most
Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. You can find more
information by visiting http://www.ducttapemarketing.com

How To Write Your Resume to Overcome Age Bias

How To Write Your Resume to Overcome Age Bias
DO trim your resume back to the most recent 10, 15, or 20
years. Your resume is a marketing document. It is NOT an
autobiography. Readers want to know what you have done
recently to add value in the companies you have been
associated with. Skills, experiences, and achievements from
25 or 30 years ago or more are almost certainly irrelevant
at this point. But, if those early experiences are still
relevant, you do have options...

DON'T be afraid to mention early experience that is still
relevant. Just don't mention the dates associated with it.
You might choose to highlight the undated achievements or
qualifications in the summary profile section of your
resume. Or, another effective strategy is to summarize that
experience at the end of your resume. Your description
should be concise. Just one or two sentences that begin
with the words "Additional experience includes..." will
usually suffice.

DO be creative and strategic in how you list employment
dates on your resume. Don't feel locked in by the
traditional way of including dates. For example, I recently
worked with an executive candidate who had three years with
his current employer but more than 35 years of progression
with his last employer. Traditionally, on a resume, you
would show the total span of years with each company and
then the dates in each position (illustrating progression).
But this method clearly wouldn't work for this client
because he began working for that last employer sometime in
the mid 1960s - a date that we did not want to include on
the resume. So instead, we left off the total dates with
each company and just listed dates in each position, going
back approximately 15-20 years. Like this:

Employer 1, location

Current position (20xx - Present)

Employer 2, location

Position a (20xx - 20xx)

Position b (19xx - 20xx)

Position c (19xx - 19xx)

Position d (19xx - 19xx)

** Additional experience includes...

DON'T leave dates of education off of your resume unless
you have a good strategic reason to do so. One of the most
common errors that I see are dates of education left off
the resume when they should not be left off. For example,
if you earned your degree 15 years ago and began working in
your current career track the same year, you will actually
raise questions about your age by not including your degree
dates. The dates on your degree tend to close the "loop"
and eliminate age-related questions in the mind of the
resume recipient. But if you leave the dates off, the
recipient will assume you are hiding your age and are older
than your work experience indicates. On the other hand, if
you have shortened your resume to the most recent 10, 15,
or 20 years, and your most recent degree was earned earlier
than a year or two before that cut off point, it is
probably in your best interest to leave the dates off the
resume.

DO be proud of your age and the associated experience and
perspective that you bring to your employers. Even though -
in most cases - you should not emphasize and draw attention
to your age, do recognize that you bring to the workplace a
value offering unmatched by your younger competitors in the
job market. Your self-assurance and confidence will come
across in your resume and during interviews.

DON'T forget to fill your resume with achievements and
results that illustrate your personal brand and the unique
promise of value that you bring to the workplace. Position
yourself for the position. Demonstrate through past
accomplishments and value add that you are the perfect
candidate for the job. When your resume is filled with
achievements that illustrate you will deliver a strong
return on an employer's investment in hiring you, your age
will NOT even be an issue.

DO create a resume that showcases achievements that
illustrate the traits most valued in older workers - your
credibility, your depth and breadth of experience, your
judgment and decision-making abilities, your range of
professional contacts, your work ethic and reliability,
your emotional stability, and your commitment to company
goals. Subtly, in your resume and cover letter, touch on
achievements that illustrate a high energy level, strong
technical skills, and adaptability to change.

----------------------------------------------------
Nationally certified resume writer and career marketing
expert, Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive
Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com

Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of 101
Before-and-After Resume Examples
http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com

Georgetown Tx Properties: Is It A Worthwhile Place To Call Home?

Georgetown Tx Properties: Is It A Worthwhile Place To Call Home?
Several factors determine purchase of real estate
properties. To buy a small piece of real estate is once in
a lifetime deal for many of us, and it is but natural on
the part of a mediocre investor to be skeptical and
cautious before he can invest into one.

After considering many factors a right decision can come.
Firstly investing in a property should be worthy for the
big money that you have after all saved for many years to
acquire one.

Georgetown, a small town about 35 km north of Austin is one
place that is looked up by investors for realty investment
these days. Georgetown Tx properties are worth giving a
thought at least for the attractions that the town place
has to offer. The small town in Texas is with plenty of
scenic beauty. For the same reason the residents of
Georgetown call it as an abode of peace and beauty. The
neighborhood of Georgetown Tx is another worth considering
factor for an investor to invest in Georgetown Tx
properties.

Georgetown Tx realty also boasts of some really high
quality schools and employment options which makes it a
good choice to make an investment here. For the elite who
are looking for new vistas of real estate investment
options, Georgetown Tx properties can be one. Close
proximity to schools and Hospitals, well connected highways
and its distance to the city of Austin are added
attractions for the investors to put in their investment in
the real estate properties here. Leander is very close to
Austin, just about 5 miles and very accessible. Its
proximity to the city of Austin is actually a plus factor
in considering residing in Leander, a place with not so
expensive houses but has a lot to offer to residents.

The town is continually progressing as is evidenced by the
growing number of natural recreational facilities including
public, state and national parks, zoos, and amusement theme
parks. Georgetown Tx properties do have appreciation value
from an investors perspective. The historic and ancient
looking buildings in this place attract the retired and the
elderly communities to invest in the properties and come
and settle down to take a chance of reliving their past.

It is not a bad choice to invest in Georgetown Tx whether
residence or commercial properties. While a resident will
start feeling at home here right from day one, commercial
property investor can expect his property to appreciate
well in the next few years. The nature lovers and the
animal lovers and the peace lovers can feel at home in
Georgetown Tx. Once the Federal laws curb recession, the
properties here promise to go up. So invest in Georgetown
Tx properties now before they start going up again

----------------------------------------------------
For more information on Georgetown TX Properties please
visit http://www.wilsontx.com/GeorgetownTXProperties.ubr