Transitioning from the Digital Decade to the Connected Culture - By now most of us have added our profiles to various social networks, first of which for most of us was right here in ActiveRain.

As we began our first efforts to absorb what the term social media was, we learned in simple terms that it is about having a conversation with others. Engaging them if you will, one on one. (Understanding that others are always welcome to join in the conversation) We were warned early on that this is also about being personal and not about advertising, at least in the sense that it requires each of use to put ourselves out there and exchange our lives and experiences in hopes of attracting others with similar experiences or at least that would have common interests.

ActiveRain as a network helped us recognize through various tutorials from Brad Andersohn, Jeremy Blantan and Bob Stewart and many others associates in the network on how to log in , set ourselves up with accounts and then invite others to join in. I expect knowing how to do this and actually doing it, there is sometimes a gap or least a couple big questions that pop into our minds.

For some they may see this effort as a frivolous waste of time, as surely no one ever listed their home or bought one because when they were kids they collected stamps and you happened to do that as well. Don't try and draw any early conclusions just yet as I begin to explore with you, some easy, friendly and very social ways to get started and stay connected.

So let's assume you already signed up and connected your self to Facebook. Now what? The system in place takes over and voila, you have 3 or 4 friends in the first couple hours. Is that it? No, but it is a beginning of what you already know to be a form of Viral Marketing- which is nothing more complicated than having many others spreading the word. In this case you do a little and others each do a little  and before long, lots of people are spreading the word. Your word.  The problem is that the 3 new friends are also in Real Estate and the chances of them Buying or selling anything with you is about as remote as winning the lottery. Since you don't play the lottery either, guessing that analogy doesn't mean much, right? Stay with me.

So do you get the bigger group of networked  friends and actually connect with others that you don't know but would likley accept as a friend if someone referred them? You can log off Facebook for a bit because you have some thinking and writing to do. Maybe a bit more work than that but try this much smaller effort.

Talk to anyone of your clients you are presently working with and ask them if they have ever heard of Facebook. If they aren't in advanced senior living, they will likely say yes that they have heard of it or even have a profile there. Ask them about what their experience is and 1. ask if they have already or would add their own profile to Facebook. 2. tell them you will help them get started if they haven't already. ( 2 newbies and some acquaintances can be a good start).

But how do build somehing meaningful that might help you gain business in the longer run.

Set a goal for yourself to make lists. A list of important business connections you already have. A list of friends, past clients, church members, members of clubs or professional organizations you belong to. Lists of everyone you know, and even lists of those you would like to know. Keep that list for last. So lets identify a few and see what that looks like.

If you have been in real estate  for more than an aftrernoon, you will know a real estate attorney, you will know a building contractor, you will know a plumber, you will know an electrician, you will know a doctor, you know lots of people actually that usually escape you when you are thinking of your business sphere of influence . ( meaning that if you paid them or referred them for a product or service, they consider you either their client or a business friend). And all these people know lots of other people.

After you have made up your list and have an e-mail address or phone number beside each name, log back into Facebook and see how many are already there. Searching is quite easy. When you find them, set them up as a friend. For the ones you don't find, send them an e-mail and ask them if they have a profile on Facebook or call them. If they do have a profile, add them as friends. If they don't have a profile  set up, invite them to join Facebook. You can offer to help them get started in the network.

And you will notice as each of these people begin to add friends, there will be others that you might have known, have met in the past or just sound interesting and you could also make them to be a friend. They will see you immediately with the automated "Friend" request when they log in, you will pop-up in the friends in common.

So even with out building more friends from more lists , it is time to contribute to your new connected culture. Write something on the walls of your friends. Or send them a note to say hello. It should be personal and the goal is seek a common interest. So reading around about what they are saying to others might give you a clue of their interests. Furthering that goal, remember that it is "not about you" , it is about them and what you can easily  and comforatably share with them. So find ways of recognizing them even if it is just a Birthday or Anniversary wish. Try this and so you will see how easy it is to find that common denominator for a comment thread.

This is about conversation. An easy way to strike up a conversation if you can't think of anything beside the weather ( boring), is to ask them a personal or engaging question. Ask to meet them for coffee some time, just keep the connection about personal and not about how good real estate is or how bad it is. There is plenty enough time for that should the need arise.

If someone shares a personal moment, don't try to be the One -Uppsman. It doesn't inspire conversation, it usually shuts it down.

Learn about your new friends and the interests they have that drives them. What inspires them, what do they like to respond to. Learn what you have in common.  You will build new friendships and revitalize old ones. It is easy. And there are wonderful ways to build your friendship lists up. It is not how many friends you have on the list. It is about how many of those friends you take the time to engage with.

Facebook like all the other networks has many features and even subcultures that at first might seem daunting. Don't worry about them or cram them into your learning curve. Much of the best part of Facebook is that you can learn easily by doing. It so much more important to participate than to learn it all and not use it. Join in , it's fun and so easy. Remember , "you can learn most easily by participating".

Friends would much rather have business relationships with the friends they know and trust then the plethora of people that mean nothing to them. Our Digital decade has evolved and as we transition to our new connected environment, it will one day be as natural as answering the phone. You can optimize your friendships further by sharing links to all your real estate advise and counsel as it is a friendly way to say, "Hey, if you have questions about real estate, you know I'm here". Not a bad comment in itself, feel free to use it.