Bubbles: Networking for the Now Generation
Remember the relics of the past, your grandfather’s generation of how they used to network? Picture in your mind those bound business card books – remember these? They were small, leather bound with clear sleeves to hold business cards. Some of them were tabbed or alphabetical. That relic was replaced by saving business contacts in Act! Contact software and finally made accessible to all of us via Microsoft Office Outlook. How about the rotary phone? A Rolodex? Actually traveling physically just to network? All things of the past, almost nostalgic in the “Now Generation” of social networking.
So what is the “Now Generation?” Now is Twitter, now is Facebook, Friendfeed, Linked-In, Google Docs, V-cards, and on and on. Social media, instant messaging, email these are the networking tools of the now generation. And many of them can be a huge time suck. We post here, Tweet there, Like and share on Facebook…where does it all come together? And how in the world do we understand, manage and keep it all together?
Enter the bubble concept! Imagine as a child, dipping the blower into the soapy solution, and blowing a constant stream of shiny, tiny bubbles. Then try to imagine yourself gently keeping all of those bubbles in the air at the same time?!? This is a direct parallel to today’s networking life.
Consider your networking efforts as a series of bubbles. A Twitter bubble, a Facebook bubble, a Linked-In bubble. How about your ecommerce and business networking and marketing? We have bubbles on local levels like neighbors, trade association, hobby groups, etc. Each bubble has its place and importance in our lives. Many often intersect and interconnect while others simply stand alone. Once conceptualized the efforts do not seem quite so distant or in the clouds.
Be sure to nurture each of these bubble. Understand that each will shrink, expand and change – do not distress this point, it will happen and is a natural progression. Many in your current bubble will not be there a year from now, as you grow and learn. Guilt over your own self growth in personal or the business realm is not allowed. Move on and adapt, continue to surround yourself with non-toxic people that are where you want to be. On the other hand, there will always be those contacts that you do not wish to allow to fall by the wayside. No matter what, don’t allow them to fall and whither. Here is a personal example…
I have a contact with Mr. Dave White of the eBayandBeyond: Basics to Business podcast. Dave is the godfather of podcasting! Dave was podcasting when podcasting was not even cool many years ago. He knows more about podcasting and the equipment involved for producing a quality podcast than I could probably ever hope to.
He has selflessly shared with me information, tips, tricks, and has simply been a dear friend. I sent him an email once, after several weeks had passed with us not making any contact. We have both been very busy as we moved forward in our lives. The email simply stated;
“Some connections are just too important to me to allow them to go to long without being touched. Consider yourself touched!
—- Phaedra”
Dave replied in a very positive manner and we did not allow our relationship to fall by the wayside. It was quite simply just too important to me. And it obviously worked, since I was sincere. Don’t allow important relationships to fall away simply because you are busy. An email takes mere minutes to compose.
Having laid the foundation for the concept, next we will delve deeper into the meanings, meanderings, and actual workings of networking with today’s tools. It is cloud networking, but we are bringing it down to eye level.
This is part one in a series of posts on “Networking for the Now Generation”. I hope you will tune in for part II soon!
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Be in it to win it
Conversion Conference
Very interesting. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Phaedra
Thank you so much for the kind words. This is a very insightful article which should be read by all those in social networking.
I have had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of wonderful people by way of social networking and podcasting.The feeling of “paying forward” is rewarding more than I can ever express.
“Bubbles” is a great metaphor! I've thought of it in the past like juggling, where I have to catch every single ball or fail utterly and completely. Bubbles makes it seem more possible to keep up. Some of them I'll “touch” more often than others, and some may indeed drift away as the contact and I move apart and our relationship no longer serves us well. But some of those big shiny bubbles are more important that others. Instead of wasting my time trying to catch all of them, I'll try to focus on the most important ones, while enjoying the fleeting ones for what they are.
Excellent Post, Phaedra – looking forward to more!
I am so proud of you Phaedra, and proud to know you. There are so many people in our lives in the world of on-line relationships. I have a core group that I have moved away from, but look up to more than any other people that I have met. You, Renagade, John, Dave, Wally, Kat, and more. Sending a little touch out is an awesome way to let them know your still around, although busy.
Excellent post!
Nicole,
You truly 'get it'. We all agonize over 'losing touch' in our networking, but sometimes is perfectly acceptable, others it is not. Making that decision makes our lives easier.
Thank you so much for reading and your insightful comment.
Phaedra
Call it what you may… Bubbles, Clouds etc… all really sad metaphors if you ask me.
Bubble, cloud, etc are set pretty much in perimeters… and those who fit in it are considered by some to be their important contacts, and those who dont seem to fall out.
I personally prefer to view it more like a garden, planting seeds and nuturing contacts and friendships, knowing no matter what the weather, or the season, they are deeply rooted there in my garden to make my life more beautiful.
Some may spread out, and take root and grow in other gardens, but that does not mean I pull them up and throw them out of mine. My 'circle' of contacts…. friends is not really a circle, but a outwardly sprialing web of special people whom have shaped my life.
Bubbles is an apt metaphor as all social contact can be fragile. Another key is to allow some of the bubbles to collide and merge into a larger bubble. Which then advances the contacts not only of yourself but the others in the original bubble.
Then all they have to do is avail themselves of those contacts
life is nothing but a series of metaphors, and you can choose whatever metaphor fits your situation. Bubbles, gardens, ponds, shooting stars, or like my life it is frequently an earthquake things shake up and I work with what is still standing.
I look forward to your series
Karen
This really made me think haha. Great post by the way! I will truly nurture my bubbles because those will benefit me as time passes.