Is Social Media Changing International Business Networking?
Posted on | May 29, 2011 | Comments Off
This questions is beginning to haunt me. “Is Social Media Changing International Business Networking?” I have only been active in social media for a relatively short time. Yet I find myself reacting to old-school networking tactics. They just seem so obsolete now. Am I the only one?
When you have been active in social media for a couple of months it becomes easy to identify the newbies and the gifted communicators.
Is this the reason why I now find myself questioning other communication methods?
Or is this the reality of this new customer-centric environment we are in?
In order to make this online media work for your business, you need to move conversations to real connections.
In international marketing, this often means phone calls for me. Face to face meetings do not happen often. So since Christmas, I have drastically increased the number of networking phone calls I make every week.
This is simply to correspond with the amount of online networking I am doing.
Old-School Communication Versus New
My questions started last week, after one of my routine networking calls. I was struck by the “old-school” tactics my caller was using.
One of the obvious tell-tale signs was when this person asked if they could put my email address on their newsletter distribution list.
I remember hearing this tactic several years ago. This was before the spam laws came out, wasn’t it? And it was definitely before information overload became an issue for everyone.
It seems like everyone now uses Google Reader. And just like I fought using Twitter for a very long time, I also fought adopting Google Reader up until very recently.
I guess this was why this rather old tactic seemed so out of place to me.
This caller is obviously very skilled in these old marketing and networking tactics. We have so many things in common that we really should have hit it off much more than we actually did.
The communication lacked authenticity. But is it my fault. Has my own online communication mind set overtaken all of my own communication expectations?
Has Communication Changed?
This got me wondering just how much social media has changed my networking tactics. The old communication style just seemed to clash too much with the new one.
Last week I also had two great phone calls with people who are social-savvy. And in reality the generation gaps and different backgrounds would normally have limited the power of our connection.
But our phone conversations were extensions of our Twitter conversations. The connection was authentic right from the start and continued to be authentic through the transition to the live phone calls. These two phone connections proved to valuable resources for my business.
Do social media communication skills also help you when networking over the phone? Or is it just the continuation of the initial authentic conversation? Is networking catching up with our customer-centric world?
International Connections On Social Media
Earlier today I caught a thread of a conversation on Twitter, where someone thought social media will improve cross-cultural communication. Now, I am looking forward to taking this conversation live, but time differences have not yet made that possible.
It is an interesting thought. In some cases, I do think social media tears down cross-cultural communication barriers. But there are still some cultural combinations that are mined with difficulty.
A common problem I have involves people from cultures with high context and low individualism scores on the Geert Hofstede cultural behavioral scales.
This usually involves a “hello” and no direct communication. There is never enough information for me to work on. I feel their sincerity in starting a conversation, but the conversation seems to be one-sided. One-sided from my end, even though they were the ones that initiated the contact.
It is very difficult to create an authentic conversation online with these cultural differences.
There is one overriding factor. Social media federates people. So if two people from very different cultures have acquired social media communication skills you would think that this would topple quite a few barriers.
Different Ways Of Using Social Media
There is one question you have to answer first.
How do other cultures use social media?
It is easy to assume that social media communication skills are the same in different countries. But they cannot be. People use social media differently in different countries. They have different expectations. People approach social media with different mind sets.
Every time I put my nose into the French social media scene I am amazed at how different the climate is. And I must say that I rapidly close the door.
It is not a place I like to linger.
Social media is much, much nicer in English.
I guess the differences in atmospheres relate back to how North Americans smile much more than French people. And how smiles are not accepted on the same level here in France as they are in North America.
Opportunities To Connect
Apparently there are huge populations of social media users in the East. But would you find these social media scenes nice or would you want to rapidly shut the door? Or would two people be having conversations in parallel without connecting?
This brings us back to the question of whether social media improves cross-cultural communication and international networking.
If you have any thoughts or experience of social media in other cultures, please do take a moment to leave a comment and share them below.
Tags: Authenticity > Centric Environment > Communication Methods > Communicators > Distribution List > Google > Information Overload > International Business > International Marketing > Many Things > Newbies > Newsletter Distribution > Old School Tactics > Phone Calls > School Communication > School Networking > Short Time > Spam Laws > Tactic > Tell Tale Signs
2 Weird Credit Report Laws That Help Protect Your Credit Score (Even If You NEVER Need Them!)
Posted on | May 29, 2011 | Comments Off
Who else is wondering about legal credit repair? Are you one of the millions of people who are suffering from the deleterious effects of a derogatory credit score, simply due to the DISASTROUS state of the economy? Have you lost your job… or your health insurance, or even your HOME due to factors outside of your control?
The simple truth is, as bad as your credit may be these days… you DO have lots of company, and believe it or not there are ALWAYS folks who are way worse than you. (and believe me, I’ve seen a bunch of them first hand… 
The GOOD news?
There are many laws set up to protect your credit file from all sorts of danger and damage, and while it is estimated that 98% of the American population does NOT understand how credit laws operate, the fact remains, they ARE there to protect you.
Filed Under: The Credit Repair Organizations Act This is actually a bit “strange” to include in this article, but in my view, it’s really important nonetheless. Why? Because this law, especially right now, protects you against the very COMPANIES that promise to help you, when your credit is damaged.
Years ago, in similar times of financial crisis, credit clinics could charge ANY amount they wanted, and create their own billing practices, make OUTRAGEOUS guarantees, etc… and they did to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. (and ironically LOTS of people who damaged, or worsened their credit as a consequence of hiring them)
Today, this law puts in STRICT codes of conduct for all credit repair companies, and keeps you from falling into a slippery slope when what you really need is genuine help.
Filed Under: The Fair Credit Reporting Act (and its subsequent amendments and name revisions) This is actually one of the OLDEST credit laws on the books, passed by Congress 3 decades ago and re-written (and recently renamed) many times to keep current with changes in the credit system. The truth is, the FCRA is the single BEST protection you have for making sure you’re credit report is accurate, as it MANDATES that the bureaus keep records that are true, fair, current and VERIFIABLE, or if not, anything you want to see off of yours… MUST come off. (and this law is the basis of action for EVERY credit repair lawyer, clinic or service in the world… PERIOD!)
Tags: Amendments > American Population > Billing Practices > Codes Of Conduct > Credit Repair Companies > Credit Repair Organizations > Credit Reporting Act > Credit Score > Deleterious Effects > Derogatory Credit > Disastrous State > Fair Credit Reporting Act > Financial Crisis > Guarantees > Health Insurance > Legal Credit Repair > One Of The Millions > Revisions > Simple Truth > Slippery Slope
Investment Calculator
Posted on | May 29, 2011 | Comments Off
An investment calculator can be a wonderful tool if you are contemplating investing but are not sure which scheme will give you the best financial rewards. With so many companies now advertising on the internet, it is easy to gain access to a great many investment opportunities.
Many companies who are available to handle your investments will feature an investment calculator on their website. These are usually easy to use and will give you an idea of what return you can expect if you put your money with them. The calculator is there to help you get a clear picture of what you can expect back after a certain length of time. There are many variables which you can enter into the equation and all of these can be taken into account when calculating the results.
There are two basic types of investment available. You could invest a lump sum or you could invest in a regular contribution plan. Alternatively you could use a combination of both of these schemes. To use an investment calculator efficiently, you will need to enter some details regarding your chosen method of investment and the sums involved. You will be asked to enter a timescale. Would you like to invest over a long period of time, perhaps for your retirement, or is it going to be a shorter timescale? You will also need to know how much you are willing to save and whether this is going to be a lump sum or regular contributions.
Once you have entered the necessary information the investment calculator will be able to let you know what your investment will be worth after a stipulated length of time. You can then change details to give a comparison. For example you may get a higher return if you leave your money in the plan for an extra five years or so. Alternatively, by adding just a few more dollars to your monthly contributions, you may find that you get a disproportionately higher return at the end of the term. A good investment calculator will be able to plot graphs and charts for you so that you can easily see what happens if you change some of the variables.
An investment calculator is only recommended as a guide for investment planning. It will not give you a definitive answer. Some investments plans have potential for high returns as they are based on fluctuating interest rates and some of these are potentially risky. A calculator that is published by a company that offers you a plan is by no means a guarantee of the returns that you will receive and you must consider that the value of investments may go down as well as up.
Tags: Advertising On The Internet > Financial Rewards > Graphs And Charts > Investment Calculator > Investment Companies > Investment Opportunities > Investments > Length Of Time > Lump Sum > Money > Period Of Time > Retirement > Sums > Timescale > Variables