I'm an old guy. I started “doing video” in '81. That's 1981, a mere 40 years after Pearl Harbor. Today, social networking is becoming is becoming a staple in our social lives and our business lives. It can't be ignored. And what's the point? To be connected. Connected to others with whom we have something in common, or in business terms, a common goal, right? People like you and me join Plaxo, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter so that we can connect with others who have the same interests or are trying to solve similar problems.
Isn't it great-this new tool? I'm glad the internet was invented so that we have this advantage today. No matter what your interest- finding others who have this interest in common is merely one google search away. How hard is that?
What's this got to do with MCA-I!?! This concept is not new!
Okay, here's the deal; the whole social networking thing..... it's not new! MCA-I members have been doing it for, yeah, that's right, a little over 40 years. We didn't use the internet but we were finding ways to connect with each other for the same reasons people are using social networking today.
Editors, videographers, directors, writers; they could use the association as a means to connect with each other, internationally. We called those Special Interest Groups (SIGS). Forums? All the video folks who worked in financial services had a forum. Other who worked for religious institutions, healthcare, manufacturing, each had their own forum within the association. They would connect by way of newsletters (BLOGS), conference calls, and in-person, locally and at our international conference, kind of like face-to-face (F2F).
Are you leveraging your MCA-I membership to network? Chapters are your first networking tool, but are you doing it right? Remember networking isn't selling.
- Arm yourself with your business cards
- Your elevator speech
- And your interest in learning about the other person
But even without a chapter, MCA-I members can connect and share with other members, and with the people seeking our services though our website and through our other Social Networks.
- Post a Press Release. Not only will it be spidered within hours, it could be picked up to run in eNews.
- Post an Article. Again, not only will the spiders be by and your listing will show up in Google, but if it is timely and well written, it could end up in eNews where it will be delivered to nearly 3000 eyeballs.
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