Social Networking Site

							    NEW
 Social Networking Site
http://metgroup.ning.com/
    Quick History of the MET Group
•   Started about 1 year ago on meetup.com
•   Several excellent face-to-face meetings
•   Recently moved group to this new site
•   Organized by: Nancy Parker, PVOS Office

Ultimate goal of the group
  To build business referral connections through
  an “exchange” of ideas and information
http://metgroup.ning.com/
  Building business
connections with the
“Latest Activities”
 What
happens
 here...
  stays here
      or
 comes direct
to your desktop!


   LATEST ACTIVITIES

                       This info can come directly to you via an RSS feed.
Activities – provide “opportunities”
The MAIN page streams the latest member
activities – showing you all that’s going on
Use these connection starters to:
  – Introduce yourself to new members
  – Join conversations that interest you
  – Read new content as it happens
  – Stay aware of community events
    SHOW OF HANDS
Is this RSS icon
a part of your
routine workflow.
       Time-saving Networking Tip
You don’t have to miss a thing!
Stay aware even if you can’t
visit the site every single day
Linking to the RSS feed (the “orange” button)
will bring all activity right to your desk.

WHAT THE HECK IS AN RSS feed…WHAT?!?
If you don’t have any idea what an RSS feed is….talk with Nancy
about next week’s PVOS Workshop on RSS & Google Reader
  Expressing yourself
“My Page, Widgets &
 Mini Applications”
      MY PAGE


Express
yourself
 here...
Add info about
your business
     and
 add custom
applications!
    SHOW OF HANDS
Do you know
what online
mini apps and
widgets are?
Add Applications to Your Page
           (almost ANY web widget can be added)


• You can add features and
  functionality to your profile page
EXAMPLE
• Real estate - a Mortgage Calculator
• Apps/widgets keep people on your
  page a little longer – try a game

List of Applications
 http://opensocialdirectory.org/wiki/List_of_Ning_Applications
        Organizing Your Profile Page
• MOVING: Put your mouse on
  title bar of box you want to
  move. If it can be moved, a
  small crosshair will appear.
• Certain elements on your
  profile page cannot be
  moved—your profile photo,
  basic info and the My Friends
  box, as well as anything in the
  right column.
• The comment wall can only
  be moved within the center
  column.
Getting to Know
 “Members”
MEMBERS
  SHOW OF HANDS

Do you
have a
blog?
Opening your door
    to others
    “Blogs”
BLOGS
Make the Communication Connection
• Blog posts let you to share your information
  – Podcasts, Audio clips, Videos, Tips, Tricks, Special
    Offer, Meeting Notice, YOUR BLOG CONTENT
  – The bits and pieces you contribute to this site
    helps everyone
• Your posts “personalize” you – people begin to
  see who you are and sense what you’re about,
  making it very comfortable to connect
         Great Reason To Blog
• Consumers buy from those they know, like
  and trust. To get them to like and trust you,
  they have to first come to know you. Blogs
  begin this process by encouraging readers to
  interact with you.
You can write anything you want!
To get started, go to your profile page
and locate the "Blog Posts" module in
the middle column.
Click the "Add a Blog Post" link.
        Bring Your BLOG Here!
• You can add RSS feeds from external websites,
  blogs, or networks to your profile page.
  – Your own business blog content can be linked
    automatically to your profile page
  – Easy way to broadcast your message
• This is a great way to pull in other content
  MET Group members might be interested in
    SHOW OF HANDS
Have you
participated in
online chatrooms?
Talking with members
    who are online
      “Chat”
   CHATS




Participate in a live network-wide
chatroom or private one-on-one chat
with other members on the network or
host a group chat event or spontaneous
chat with online members
   Ongoing Topics to
Participate & Comment
     “Forum”
FORUM
  Same as a traditional bulletin board
Use the Forum to:
• Discuss any topic that is on your mind
• Ask members your questions
• Build bonds with each other
• Comment on Metrowest news topics
How you can help others
• Reply, ask questions, leave comments, add
  content, actively participate
• Discuss any topic in your network's forum
To use the forum, just
go to the Forum tab.
Check out the existing
discussions, or start
your own by clicking the
"Start Discussion" link.

If you find an interesting
discussion you'd like to
participate in, just type
your reply in the
"Reply" box.
Inviting members
 to your business
   “Events”
EVENTS
       Equivalent to an Invitation
Use the Events to:
• Post your events
• Watch for group events
• Notices of scheduled chat discussions

TIP
If you’re planning a seminar, why not take a moment
 to also blog about. Information relating to the topic
might stimulate more response, especially if members
start commenting on your blog post.
Create an event



To create an event, go
to the Events tab and
click the "Add an
Event" link.
    SHOW OF HANDS

Who has used Craigslist’s
online classified listing
service?
Selling Your Stuff
 “Classifieds”
CLASSIFIEDS
Use the same as Newspaper Classified
• List anything you want to sell
• Sales and coupon offers
• Posts can be business or personal


 IMPORTANT: EXCEPT FOR THIS CLASSIFIED SECTION
 NO DIRECT SELLING IS ALLOWED WITH THE MET GROUP.
 Members are here to build referral relationships, relax and get to know
 other community business owners, without having the “pitch” hanging
 over every conversation!
SHOW OF HANDS

    Can you easily
    get your digital
    photos online.
  Pulling Out Your
Business or Personal
   Photo Albums
    “Photos”
PHOTOS
 Give ‘em Something To Talk About
• Photos are very popular – it’s one of the
  favorite features on sites like this
• People like looking at photos, especially if
  there are people in the picture
• You can post product photos, family photos
• THEY ARE TRIGGERS. Photos give people a
  comfortable way to approach connections.
  Posting your photos, invites people to start up
  a chat with you.
 Profile Photos Are Very Important
• Options for those
  who look like this

• Real photo is best
• If you prefer to go faceless, consider using:
    A company logo
    A photo representing something about
      you or your business
SHOW OF HANDS

    Do you have
    any company
    marketing
    videos online?
Introducing Yourself to
 MET Group Members
      “Videos”
             VIDEOS




We NEED many more
 videos on this site!!
     13.5 billion videos watched
       online in October 2008
• Videos are very popular – even more than photos
• 13.5 billion – a 45% increase over last year
• “Introduction” video from all members!!!
  – Wouldn’t it be great if we could click on a profile
    and watch a 2 minute video introduction? Sure
    would help members get to know you
• If you have existing videos
  (podcasts/YouTube), please post them.
Upload photos, videos, and music
• Using the bulk media uploader, you
  can add up to 100 photos, 30 videos,
  or 100 songs at a time.
• Photos: .jpg, .png, and .gif file formats
• Videos: .mov, .mpg, .avi, .3gp and
  .wmv formats
• Audio: .mp3 format.
• You can also import photos from             • Available
  your Flickr account, embed videos             on your
  directly from YouTube, GoogleVideo,
  or another site, and play external            profile
  songs and podcasts.                           page
Posting Your Information
  “Business Cards”
BUSINESS CARDS & NEWSLETTERS
        Business Cards & Notes
• Post a photo of your business card, that links
  back to your website
• Consider it a member directory page

I have more tweaking to do with some of the
site pages, but for a new site, you can see the
options are endless. This section has “Notes”
and “Newsletters.”
Joining with Members
 on Common Subjects
    “Groups”
GROUPS
     You can start a SUB-GROUP
Within the MET Group, you can start a SUB-GROUP
• A sub-group lets business-specific members
  establish a group.
Examples
• Real estate brokers and agents may want their
  own section to exchange real estate info
• Contractors may have an area where they can
  quickly locate sub-contractors and exchange
  trade info
   The “MET Group” Group

• This is a carryover from meetup.com
• It’s not really an active group
• Currently it links to the replacement content
  on meetup.com, which is the PVOS Workshop
  sessions
• This NEW “ning” site is the only “HOME” of
  the MET Group (Metrowest Exchange Team)
SHOW OF HANDS

    Have you told
    any of your
    business
    associates about
    the MET Group?
   Spreading the
    “MET” Word
“Badges” & “Invite”
BADGES
• Can be placed on
 your website
• On other social
  networks, such as
  Facebook
• Use these to help
  spread the word of
  the group
• To use: grab code
  and insert it in your
  html web page
INVITE
SHOW OF HANDS

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