One of the things I am starting to like about twitter is that if I connect to someone expecting certain types of tweets and I don't get them, iow I'm expecting marketing insights, but all I get are updates on the person's kid, then I'm wasting my time following them.

If the people/things I am talking about on that network have no value to me or my business, then I am not talking to the right people or about the right things... So I need to better focus.

You will quickly discover that THOSE who are directing you OFF of the social network you are on in order to network with you, are NOT using that social networking the way it is supposed to be used. They are doing, what those of us in the social networking habit call mining and their intent is not to get to know you and then to share their rolodex and knowledge with you, but rather to sell you their certain something. Aka, spam, people who behave like that are as unwelcome on this as on all other social networking sites, and they will often decide that social networking doesn't work and stop it, or they will learn how to social network.

It takes time to find your niche, sometimes, but if you know who your target market is, and you know where they are hanging out, you can find a social networking site that targets them. And, if you can't you can always create one.

T

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!