Social Networking--Connection and Communication?

Social Networking offers new opportunities in this age of global technology.  One of the challenges is that people who are connecting with each other using social networking sites may or may not be communicating.  Both are essential, as are the development of relationship and trust.

At least at present, social networking sites offer potential resources to help others with challenges.  This is a global connection and people can be helping each other from various points on the planet.

LinkedIn has helped me connect with resources in India and China, with French-speakers in Chicago, and with close friends and colleagues I had lost touch with many years ago.

The good news is that I am connecting and communicating with my network and am renewing relationships so that we can all benefit from what we do together.

Marketing Consulting Services and Tools--the eBay Connection

In today's economy, many organizations are looking for ways to reduce their expenses and to do more with less.  Embracing that idea, I'm creating a series of self-help tools for organizations to use to diagnose challenges and opportunities and to begin to plan how to overcome the challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities.

This isn't a "quick fix" situation--I need to work with the tools and to make sure that people can understand them.  As a working prototype is developed, I am marketing it on eBay.  I'm sure the marketplace will give me feedback on how to improve the tools--and the services that complement the tools for those who want more than self-help.

Selling the tools on an eBay auction seems to be a first step.  I shared the DrM-Business Improvement Survey yesterday and today have released the DrM-Business Snapshot tool.  The DrM-Workforce Training Needs Survey is now available.

I've had feedback from some professional friends that I need to change the vocabulary in my questions.  At the same time, I have been developing the tools based on 40 years of experience in working with organizations in the area of development and change.  Sometimes the tools are "just right" for certain circumstances.

CBS is starting a new "reality TV" series called Undercover Boss (on Sunday nights).  I would be interested to see how these bosses could use the tools I am creating to help their organizations after their "undercover" experiences.

Leveraging Trust and Making New Connections

Between 1993 and 1998 I worked at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).  In that time I met many wonderful people associated with "the firm."  One of the things that impressed me was the hiring practice used by the firm.  They always found top-quality people, most of whom were very trustworthy and had a terrific work ethic.  (Of course everyone is human and we have to learn to trust everyone we work with and this firm got us off to a good start.)

In fact, many of the consultants at Andersen Consulting/Accenture ended up marrying each other.  The "joke" was that HR (human resources) had already qualified the people and now they just had to fall in love.  The other "truth" was that, as an Andersen Consulting/Accenture employee, both partners realized how much work and how many working hours were involved on the job.  They had some shared experience to relate to.

Part of the time when I was working at Andersen Consulting Education (ACE) in St. Charles, IL (where Andersen Consulting and Arthur Andersen and Andersen Worldwide had their corporate training center--now called the Q-Center), I had a chance to work with many multinational consultants in the USA, in Europe, in Australia, and in Asia.  I valued those contacts, though I have lost track of them in the years since I left the firm and went on to other consulting.

Now I need some trustworthy contacts in Europe and Asia.  It occured to me that a very good place to start was with the LinkedIn alumni groups associated with Andersen Consulting/Accenture.  What worked for the people getting married may work for me in terms of finding people I can work with on new ideas for Europe, the USA, and Asia.

I've posted a discussion starter in one of the alumni groups, so now I get to see who may be interested in at least discussing what I am looking for.

"What's in it for me (WIIFM)?"--Theme song of education and business

"What's in it for me (WIIFM)?" is a theme of adult learning that also permeates K-12 education, business-to-business relationships, and business-to-consumer (and consumer-to-business) relationships.

Educators need to address the WIIFM concerns to get students ready to learn.  Business-to-business (B2B) sales must address those concerns as must business-to-consumer (B2C) sales.  President Obama faces these concerns in issues over health care (and everything else he is proposing.)  Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives must address those issues for themselves and for their constituents (voters) in the votes they take "on the hill."

Is that so bad?  Abraham Maslow documented his "hierarchy of needs" (see slide 5) and talked about moving from survival to belonging to recognition to self-esteem to self-actualization.  WIIFM deals with levels one through four on this hierarchy.  Self-actualized people are seen as more altruistic--looking to add value to others.  We certainly need more people operating at these higher levels when the lower levels are met.

At the same time, when we want others to to connect with us or to become involved with us, we need to address the WIIFM concerns so that our target audience will find reasons to engage with us.  Our messages need to take these concerns into account.