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How May I Help You?

October 20, 2008 By
Following on from my post on Friday – How to Improve your Twitter gradings and why you should – if you have decided to follow those steps you are probably already seeing results, growing your network, so what is the next step?
This coming Friday, October 24th I have decided its time to put online social networking to the test. I have a growing network, followers on Twitter, readers of this blog, LinkedIn users. I am sure that you do as well.
I want to run an experiment to see if we can all do something that, in my opinion, is what Social Networking is all about. Putting connections to work. Last Wednesday was Blog Action Day, bloggers around the world took part, posting stories, comments, and observations on World Poverty. This experiment is focused a little closer to home.The basis of the experiment is, to paraphrase JFK, Ask Not What Your Network Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Your Network.Set aside Friday, October 24th, reach out to your network first thing in the morning and ask what you can do for people in your network. Can you introduce them to someone, can you brainstorm with them, can you help them solve a problem, can you share an experience.You probably already post useful links, answer questions etc. Douglas Karr posted a useful “how-to” that can help you, by using Google Alerts with the networking site LinkedIn.

Here are some other ideas to get you started:

  • Do you know someone in need of a job, how about sending their resume out to some recruiters you know?
  • Know a web designer who could give one of your connections a free review of their website so that it creates more opportunities for them?
  • Are you an experienced blogger, can you give someone new some tips on how to create a better experience for their readers?

I am sure you will come up with more creative ideas than I can list here.

If you run your own blog repost this idea there, get your own network involved so that they too can reach out to their network and ask the same question – How May I help you? The idea of this is not just to give everyone a “warm fuzzy”. But to seriously show the power of social networking. I have no idea how far it will spread, what will be achieved.

If you are the recipient of a How May I Help You? Message, be realistic, don’t ask someone to send you a check, or get you a lunch date with Jennifer Aniston / George Clooney!  But also think about how that person might help you and then of course, return the favor, make it a circle of helping each other out, because if they have reached out to as part of their network, it follows that they might need your help as part of your network.

If you would like to join in please leave a comment here and then on Friday or over the weekend come back and let me know what you were able to help your network with.

As you are giving your time to read this, I consider you part of my network, so, How May I Help You

I'm glad you took the time to read this post.
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  • http://www.4rmarketing.com Trish Lambert

    Simon,

    Great post and great idea. I am committed to reaching out to my network on a daily basis, and am having moderate success at that, but not as much as I would like. Definitely count me in on October 24th!

    And to your last question…I will give it some thought…and backatcha! How may I help YOU?

    Trish

  • http://neo1seo.com David Brown

    Hey Simon, Great post and AWESOME idea – it has a real “pay it forward” feel to it. We have something launching this weekend that should allow me to reach out to my entire network and help several tweeps ;)

    DB

  • http://www.christammiller.com christammiller

    Great idea, Simon. I plan to tweet separately to each “group” in my network – freelancers, moms, freelance parents, and cops – to make sure they know I can offer them ALL something.

  • http://QuittingYourJob.com David

    Great idea! When you strip away all the hype and marketing, isn’t that what social networking is all about?

  • http://hooversbiz.com Tim Walker

    Excellent idea, Simon!

  • http://www.emarketed.com emarketed

    I’m in! Thanks.

  • http://simonsalt.com simonsalt

    Thank you to everyone who has joined in so far. Today I was able to help someone solve a Twitterberry issue & send a resume on for someone who has been looking for work for a while. What did I get? A sense that there is more in Social Networking than just being cool on Twitter :-)