3 Big Lies About Networking...

 OK, I don't know if these are really the three biggest lies or not but they are frequent excuses heard from myself and other people. What makes them not true or are they true? You tell me...click on the comment link or twitter me a reply @thirstyfishinfo

Amplify’d from www.entrepreneur.com

Think about the most successful people you know. What's one thing they have in common?

They have mastered the art and science of networking, and business flows to them almost as a matter of course.

Before you can commit yourself to the task of building a healthy network, you probably need to overcome at least one of these three major networking misconceptions.

1. "I can’t network if I'm not an outgoing person."

2. "Person-to-person referral business is old-fashioned."

3. "Networking is not a hard science. Its return on investment can’t be measured."Read more at www.entrepreneur.com

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How much influence do you have?

Maybe a better question would be how do you get it but as you will read below, that is not an easy answer. Of course, measuring it isn't easy either. What we do know is that influence is essential for any type of leadership or business success. What about relationships, like the intimate kind?

Amplify’d from www.brasstackthinking.com

Influence is simple… which makes it complicated.

When we talk about influence, and particularly when we talk about measuring it, we have to define our terms…and know the limits.

Influence is contextual.

Someone writes a post. Someone else retweets it. Another person sees the retweet, reads the post, and writes a comment. Still another person finds the post on his own and then follows the commenter’s advice, to the benefit of hundreds of others.

Influence is the product of reach and authority.

To influence the actions of others, you have to have access to them—and they have to perceive you to have some level of authority, either over them or in an area of expertise they value

(Most) Influence is invisible. Read more at www.brasstackthinking.com

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Can artist benefit from social media?

In other words, can you make any sales of your artwork using social media? The answer is YES...

Amplify’d from www.artprintissues.com

There is undeniable demonstrable value in social media for artists and other entrepreneurs.

Social media is far more than the ubiquitous Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn mentions. It includes blogging, publishing. networking, commenting, photo sharing, and more.

Working smarter is far more effective than working harder

Here are a few art marketing / social media suggestions

Look for groups and people where you might find potential collectors. Being in a bunch of groups with other artists may help you gain career or business insights, but not collectors. Limit the amount of time you spend posting to family, friends and old high school chums. When you do, find creative ways to remind them your art is for sale.

Get a tool like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck that will allow you to write a bunch posts that are set to publish at different times. Limit the amount of time you spend on social media. Don't sit there with it on all day long. It will suck your time and deplete your energy.

Don't try to work too many social media venues at one time

Make sure you do everything you can to get the email address of every potential collector you encounterRead more at www.artprintissues.com

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Music Therapist Bloggers to Watch...

I have been taking a closer look at the inter-relationship between music and therapy lately. Specifically, how does can it aid me in working with children and families that have suffered trauma? What does music do to the brain and how can it improve attachment between parent and child. In my effort to know more, I ran across these blogs...I plan to read them in more depth later but thought you might enjoy them now. Got others to share or something to say on this topic? Let me know by leaving a comment...

Amplify’d from www.musictherapymaven.com

Top 6 Music Therapy Bloggers

1. Rachel Rambach is a music therapist in Springfield, IL. She works full-time at the Hope Institute with children with multiple disabilities and maintains a private practice. Plus, she runs the awesome blog Listen and Learn music

2. Daniel Tague is currently pursuing his doctorate in music therapy. He posts lots of useful, concrete information and tips on his blog, Music Makes Sense

3. I have yet to meet Erin Breedlove in person, but I’ve connected with her frequently on Facebook. She’s a new music therapy student and is VERY passionate about her new-found calling. Erin runs the blog Empowering People and Changing Lives,

4. Roia may not post often (she had 39 posts in 2009), but when she does it’s insightful, thought-provoking, and genuine. Her posts on the Mindful Music Therapist

5. Michelle Erfurt is a music therapist in Florida with big ideas to help other professionals and students. She founded The Music Therapy Tween

6. I can’t believe I forgot this one! My original list did not include Matt Logan, but it should have. Matt launched the Music Therapy SourcRead more at www.musictherapymaven.com

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What is the H.E.A.R.T. of Social Media?

I find that using social media is a very simple process. This may not be true for everyone however. Here is a simple formula to help anyone get to the HEART of the mattter...

Amplify’d from dannybrown.me

So how do you keep up and make sure you’re not the one left in the social media wastepaper bin? How about getting to the HEART of social media?

Hear what’s being said

Engage the conversation

Acclimatize to your new surroundings

Reach outside your core audience

Transparency is key

Most happy endings come from following your heart – why should it be any different for social media? Read more at dannybrown.me

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How do you use social media?

Cover via Amazon

Chris Brogan is the author of Trust Agents and a great pragmatist when it comes to social media uses. Here's a great bit of how to make social media cool and use it for some great power business tools. What do you do with social media sites like twitter, linkedin, myspace or facebook that is cool?

clipped from www.chrisbrogan.com Social media are a bunch of tools. They let us see things a bit differently. They empowered new ways of working together. But they’re just the tools. When this all gets cool is when we start really turning this stuff on our own passion projects, on our bigger goals, on what COULD happen. Start a public list of Twitter accounts from local businesses. Point everyone in your community to it. Start small mastermind groups on Google Wave (I have an incredible group going. Very small. Very useful.) Donate four hours a week to a charity, giving them more promotion and exposure for their causes, equipping them with more ways to find what they need. Connect to 10 people every day. Make it a blend of 5 people you’ve been in touch with, and 5 people you need to stay fresh with. Ask for nothing. Offer everything. ( Tim Sanders does this well.) Give your local school teachers or library a free class on how to use the tools for their projects.

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Should a Therapist "Friend" a Client on Social Networks?

When I talk to therapists about marketing via social media this is one of the biggest concerns that arise. It is a good concern! Dr. Zur does a great job explaining how to manage this issue. Additionally, my answer is that dual relationships is a problem in all contexts. Social media is just one more area that caution and boundaries is needed.

clipped from thirstyfishinfo.amplify.com How to respond when clients send “Friend Request” to their psychotherapists or counselors on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter or other social networking sites Most therapists with Facebook or MySpace profiles cringe at the idea and dread the moment when a client posts a Friend Request. They wonder whether it is ethical to accept such a request, and they are concerned with the clinical and relational ramification of ignoring it. Questions for therapists to consider before responding to clients’ Friend Requests What is on the Facebook profile? Did the therapist use privacy controls to control access? What can a client view on the therapist’s profile? What is the Context of Therapy? Who is the client? Why did the client post the request? What is the meaning of the request? Where is therapy taking place? What does being a friend with this client mean for the therapist? What is the potential effect on other and potential clients? Read more at www.zurinstitute.com

How Starbucks Does Social Media...

Who says social media can't be monetized and help you build a brand? If they do say this, they haven't checked out Starbucks recently...

clipped from thenextweb.com Starbucks has over 705,000 followers on twitter and over 5,428,000 fans on Facebook. You could say that they’re doing something right on the Web. What is it about Starbucks’s social media strategy that makes it so successful? 1) Starbucks on twitter - Starbucks engages with customers on twitter, answerING questions, retweets, what people are saying about the brand and creates an open communication channel to speak with the public. 2) Starbucks on Facebook – Starbucks uploads content to their Facebook page such as: Videos, blog posts, photos. The company also invites people to events. Fans have a place to open discussions and comment as many of them do. 4) My Starbucks Idea – Starbucks’ own version of a social network where customers are asked to share their ideas on anything related to Starbucks. 5) Starbucks Blog entitled “Ideas in Action” - This blog is written by various Starbucks employees and talks about what Starbucks is doing

Starbucks VIA™Ready Brew Italian Roast Coffee by Starbucks CoffeeStarbucks VIA™ Ready Brew Colombia Coffee by Starbucks CoffeeStarbucks VIA™ Ready Brew Colombia Coffee by Starbucks CoffeeThe Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into ExtraordinaryStarbucks French Roast Coffee, Ground, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 3)

10 Tactics for Activists to Use Social Media

As someone who has always worked for nonprofits, this type of information excites me. Social media or "information into action" as the creators of the film call it, is ideal for nonprofit organizations. Read further by clicking on the links and download the tactic cards in pdf format.

clipped from beth.typepad.com Activists around the world are using social media tools to make change.  A new 50- minute documentary  film called "10 Tactics for Turning Information into Action" is a guide to how best to use take advantage of the power of these tools and avoid hidden dangers.  The site and film include inspiring info-activism stories from around the world, a set of cards with tool tips and advice.  The project comes from Tactical Technology, inspired their info-activism camp in India. incorporated tools like Twitter and Facebook to take on governments and corporations. The Ten Tactics 1. Mobilise People 2. Witness and Record 3. Visualise Your Message 4. Amplify Personal Stories 5. Just Add Humour 6. Investigate and Expose 7. How to Use Complex Data 8. Use Collective Intelligence 9. Let People Ask the Questions 10. Manage Your Contacts clipped from www.informationactivism.org