Social media has changed the world forever. In just 140 characters or an update to your Facebook status, you have the potential to connect with a complete stranger in the same town or across the globe. In an instant, Friendships are being formed. Business is taking place. People are connecting. And the world will never be the same.

But it isn’t that easy…

Many people are standing on the sidelines of social media, unsure of how to jump into the conversation and contribute their thoughts. There is uncertainty about how one can form bonds with people they have never met “face to face.”

Are you one of many asking the question, “how?”

That is why we are here and you can know one thing for sure… You are in the right place! We have teamed up with Ricki Lake, one of the most engaged celebrities on social media, to share 5 tips for connecting with people in an instant on social media.

Watch this video to hear Ricki Lake’s #1 Tip for Connecting on Social Media

2. Be Respectful.

Leave judgment at the door and respect that other people on social media have beliefs and opinions that are their own. This is what makes them unique! Just as in offline relationships, if you want to make friends, you have to be one first. If you want people to respect you, start by being respectful of them.

3. Be Inspiring.

People like social media for many reasons. Many will share that they feel uplifted and empowered to live their best life by connecting with inspiring and positive people. If you want to make a lot of friends on social media, be inspiring. Be encouraging. Be a friend.

4. Be Generous.

The more you offer to help others in life, the more “likeable” you will be. When on social media you can help others by supporting their work. Take the time to mention people, and give them positive feedback. When you re-tweet or share the content of others they feel good and are more likely to appreciate and connect with you. Remember, “it’s not about me, it’s about we”.

5. Find a Fun Community!

Following a hashtag community on Twitter or joining a group or community on Facebook is a great way to connect with people who are like you and who are usually looking for the same type of connection you are looking for. Twitter and Facebook are the largest gathering of individuals on the planet. Communities are simply small groups within. Think of communities on social media as you would small break-out sessions at a very, very large conference. The name on the door is the community. Pick the door that tells you that you share common interests with those on the other side. Then, open the door, step inside and say hello via a tweet or a post on the Facebook wall. You will be surprised that many are waiting for… you!

If you are looking for a community that is based on friendship and connection, please join Ricki Lake and the Friends of Ricki for a very special announcement and a first hand look at social media connection on Ustream at http://ustream.tv/rickilake and using Twitter hashtag #FriendsofRicki at 5pm PST this Wednesday, February 1. We look forward to seeing you and connecting with you there!

Do you have any ideas or questions about making connections on social media? Please leave your thoughts in the comments and let’s discuss.

Ana Maria Sanchez "AFTER"

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. I would like to extend that definition to business owners: The definition of insanity is doing the same things, expecting excellent results and being frustrated when you are still operating in a state of mediocrity.

I have an example of a woman who wanted excellence, a business makeover (if you will), and to achieve this excellence she decided to do things differently, and now it is paying for itself with dividends that are both rich in experience and her bottom line.

Her name is Ana Maria Sanchez. (Note/Disclaimer: Ana Maria attended Bestseller in a Weekend in April 2011. She also attended my extended program, Bestseller Business Blueprint, and now is a member of my Bestseller Profit Mastermind. I might be a wee bit biased, but I’m so proud of her!)

Biased or not – the proof is in the pudding! Since launching her book on September 28, 2011 and becoming a bestseller on Amazon, Ana Maria’s entire business shifted. The following has occurred since publishing her book:

• Interviewed on Local Cable TV (in San Jose and other bay area locals)
• Increased visibility attracting more TV producers and event planners attention (increased inquires and bookings)
• Signings and presentations at book stores including Barnes and Noble, East West Bookstore and Moonfrye (Holistic/Spiritual bookstores in SF Bay area)
• Booked for a broadcast Channel 2 Interview
• Classes fill up quicker and programs are selling out.

If you are looking for a business makeover, I suggest the following:

1. Visualize the person you want to be. What does he/she look like? Sound like? What is she wearing, doing, saying? Write it down and set the intention to be that person.
2. Align yourself with people you want to be like (or who can get you there). We are the average of the 5 people we hang out with. If you want to be a speaker, connect with speakers. If you want to be a bestselling author, hang out with other bestsellers. If you want to have a 6-figure business, connect with those people. You net worth is your network. Even paying to be around these type of people is well worth it. Hiring mentors with a significant following and network is a wise investment.
3. Act. Use the principles you discover from your new network or mentors and act. Find the resources to write your book, or start that business, or travel around the world. You have the same amount of hours in the day as the Oprah, Bill Gates, and x [add your ideal mentor here], so there are no excuses in creating the ideal life you want.
4. Timeline. When do you want to be that person? When will you contact that mentor to work with them? When will you act? A goal is a dream with a deadline. Nothing happens without scheduling in. So take your dreams and schedule them on your 12 month wall calendar.

If we are not always changing, we are not growing. Stretch yourself more in 2012. Leave the before and chase the after.

Ana Maria Sanchez "BEFORE" with another bestselling author Jen Duchene

Here’s what you’ll discover in the video:
1) All business owners need to create content (Kindle ebooks, books, professional video, etc) so that are discoverable online.
2) Amazon.com is a search engine. Are you coming up in the results?
3) How to write a book fast.
+ much more

Of course, the video is 28 minutes, so we go into more depth. I hope you enjoy. – Alicia Dunams

[Click here for for a tweetview of the event.]

One speaker to note was Ann Winblad. Ann Winblad is the co-founder and a Managing Director of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners (a Venture Capital company), which is solely focused on software investing and “manages over $1 billion in cumulative capital.”

Winblad shot off tons of “not-so-shocking” statistics regarding  the VC community. Most notable, that the majority of venture capital to distributed to white men, who are graduates from Harvard or Stanford, very similar demographics to the majority of VCs (White men over 40 who are graduates from Harvard or Stanford).

Winblad encouraged the women in the audience (and elsewhere) to become Venture capitalists to stop the cycle, so to speak. She mentioned that in 23 years, no mother has called to ask how their daughter can get in the VC industry, but she get fathers consistently asking about how their sons can make it a career.

Then her speech was over.

About two dozen women rushed over to Winblad after the event to ask individual questions on how they can become a VC. Questions such as: How can I become a VC? Do you have any resources? What are the next steps? What should I put on my resume? And on and on. It took about an extra 35-40 minutes for Winblad to field all of these questions.

Obvious that scenario doesn’t work very well.

Many of the questions went unanswered or she just scratched the surface. Many of the women needed more information on how to get started, or what would be the next steps.

All of these problems could be solved if Winblad had a book or ebook called, How Women Can Get Started in the Venture Capital Industry (you get where I’m going here.)

As I viewed this interaction, I realized that there were 3 signs that Winblad needed a book.

1) Answering Individual Questions is not possible at such a large event. The fact that two dozen or so women surrounded her to ask her individual questions on how they can get started in the VC industry. Obviously, they were excited about learning more. Answering everyone’s questions doesn’t scale, but if she had a book to refer them to (there was actually a book store at the event), there’s a good chance that they would buy the book to answer the questions that they needed answered.

2) All careers need a “How To” Book. The fact that for 23 years, Ann has been fielding calls from fathers about getting their sons into the VC industry. Obviously, people need a “how-to” book on this sought-after career.

3) A book is available anytime, anyplace, when you are not. The fact she had to stay additional 40 or so minutes to answer people’s questions . That’s wonderful that Ann stayed after the event to answer questions, but we always don’t have the time to do that. It would have disappointing if she needed to zoom of to the airport and not answer their questions. A book is available anytime, anyplace, when you are not.

All of the above have to do with leveraging your time for the maximum benefit of your audience and yourself. In all three cases, if she referred them to a detailed book it would have been more efficient in terms of time, resources and energy.

Disclaimer: Ann did write a book in 1990 called, Object Oriented Software.

Are you writing a book to make more money in your business?

Business book authors need to understand the “end game” before they begin writing and publishing their book. Business owners need a road map, if you will. That’s why I created the Bestseller Profit Revenue Model, which shows you how to earn a 6-Figure Income as a Published Author in 5 Proven Steps.

If you don’t have a plan you will see your book as a loss leader or expensive business card. By creating your Bestseller Profit Revenue Model, you can map out how you can earn an extra 4-7 figures a year on top of your current income.

Take a look at this video for an interactive two-hour intensive, designed to help you find the money in your business and discover how you can make a 6-figure income as a published author. (Click below)

Personally, I know hardship is often an igniter to creating a great business and life. Hardship ignites your reptilian brain, and forces you to focus on survival. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as many businesses are created out of a need to survive.

In a time when self-employment may be the only time of employment, you may have to use this as a motivator to create something new, innovate, invent, fulfill needs that are currently not met.

Hardship is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s often essential for change.

Think of a niche market as a small market segment, targeted toward a very specific group of people. For instance, women’s shoes is not a niche market because it’s too broad; however, bridal shoes a very niche and targeted to a very specific population. Using the same concept with wine, Cabernet would be considered niche, while red wine would not.

Other niche market: think local. Cabernet lovers of Marin, CA, or Hoboken, NJ. The exciting thing is the Internet aggregates content or curates content based on the niche market. So you as a business owner can create and curate content based on your expertise and passion. The Internet allows you to market to your niche on a global scale.

Some examples of niche markets:

• Women over 50 who likes scrap-booking.
• Bust business owners that are aspiring authors.
• parents who want to heal their child without medicine
• Filipino women who want to start a business so that they can have finical independence
• MBA graduates who want to secure a job offer from the top Consulting Firms
• People who want to cure back pain fast
• Business owners who want to use worthy cause marketing to make a difference and build visibility

In the video, I  discusses how publishers (big and small), agents, and other people cut out of the Amazon.com food chain can profit by providing other services.

 
If you are interested in learning how you can provide Bestseller in a Weekend to your clients and community, please contact me at Alicia [at] AliciaDunams.com.
 

I want  you to get smarter too.

That’s why I want to share this amazing PPT (Power Point) I got from Web 2.0 Summit, a 3-day conference that featured speakers including the CEO of Twitter, eBay, Salesforce, Foursquare, MC Hammer et al.

It’s called Internet Trends 2011. (Related: Mary Meeker’s state of the Internet report via @DigitalTrends)

In it are facts and nuggets that will impress your dinner guests (and clients), including:

• In 3 years, China added more Internet users that exist in the entire USA
• 81% of Users of top global Internet properties (i.e. Google, Facebook, etc.) are outside the USA
• 85% of world’s population has wireless signal access (vs. electrical grid, 80%)

Delve in below:

KPCB Internet Trends (2011)

Dr. Genevieve Bell is an Australian-born anthropologist and researcher. As director of User Interaction and Experience in Intel Labs, Bell leads a research team of social scientists, interaction designers, human factors engineers and computer scientists. * Taken verbatim from the Web 2.0 Summit.