80 to 90 % is Just Showing Up Woody Allen has been quoted as saying that 80 to 90 % of success is due to “just showing up.” Apparently this quote is controversial, as I found out when I searched for it. Some people think that “just showing up” is not to be applauded. They […]

Opportunity Cost Choosing one path has kept us from another. The difference is called “Opportunity Cost.”  As we reflect on our past, we may say, “Gee, I’m glad I did!” or “Gee, I wish I had…”  John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, “For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are those “It might have been”.  Choices […]

Information overload and overwhelm are two terms that have become active in my vocabulary in the 21st century. On the web, you can find out more than you ever wanted to know about anything and everything. I feel like I am almost drowning in the quicksand of information overload! The most refreshing advice I have read lately was in an encouraging articlein Harvard Business Review by Michael Schrage, a research fellow at MIT Sloan School’s Center for Digital Business, called, “Tip for Getting More Organized: Don’t.” Michael says, “When it comes to investing time, thought and effort into productively organizing oneself, less is more.” Basically, his advice is to use search instead of filing.

Love is a “many splendorous thing.” Love is best shared live and in person. Non-verbal communication enhances the whole experience. However, there are many situations in which lovers are not in the same location. Modern technology has provided many channels of communication to bridge the gaps. One of the most wonderful new video-conferencing tools is  Google Hangout , which allows […]

  Interdependence versus Independence                                     Interdependence is a concept that is so important, and so complex, that I have been putting off writing this post for quite awhile, because I wanted to do it justice. Independence, financial and […]

Personal Branding and Google + Circles Personal branding may be even more important on the internet than it is offline.  Circles on Google Plus (or Google+), along with SEO and social media profiles, are replacing the old school Rolodex in the internet age.  It was always true that people did business with those they knew, […]

Making friends is one of the most valuable activities in life, whether measured by happiness, helpfulness, or financial benefits. Making friends usually begins with finding compatible people. In a previous post I wrote about How To Find Friends. Social networking websites have made it easy to find new friends online, but winning their loyal friendship is an art.

Leadership is about Leverage and Synergy. The leader has a vision and a mission, and he or she leverages the talents, the energy, and the resources of the followers to accomplish that mission. Leading from Behind Leadership involves synergy, i.e., the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. One of the fundamental roles of […]

It’s How People Feel About You (a Kind of Branding) Actually, I believe that what counts most is how people feel about you. Knowing is not enough. Being known is not enough. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. It is not just a matter of who you […]

One thing I have noticed and reflected upon over the past few decades is the tremendous impact relationships have had on my life in every way. There is no question about the fact that relationships have practical value beyond their intrinsic emotional satisfaction. At every turning point or tipping point in my life, it was a relationship that made the biggest difference.

“Everyone” says that video is “the future” on the internet.  More and more websites and blogs use video.  Video email is now a big thing.   It seems that most tutorials are in video format. Video conferencing is “in.”           Credit for the images above goes to the VideoConferencings blog, which states […]

Photo credit to toettoet’s photostream Social media marketing is a relatively new and often misunderstood concept. Adding “marketing” to social media need not horrify those of us who value relationships per se.  In fact, idealists (like me) may actually welcome this new form of marketing once marketers get used to the idea that relationships come first […]

Social media relationships are impacting our lives in many significant ways. First and foremost, the quantity, diversity, and locations of people we’re enabled to connect with has expanded dramatically. Social media are changing our relationships and including many more “weak ties.” For networking purposes “weak ties” could be more helpful than strong ties, because they connect us to resources and information we would not otherwise know about or have access to.

Social Media makes it amazingly practical to form new relationships anywhere in the world. They make it convenient to communicate globally, instantly, virtually for free. This is truly revolutionary!

The vastly increased pool of potential friends made accessible by social media allows us to sort and find relationships that are a better fit than we could find from a much smaller set determined by geographical proximity. Now our exciting challenge is to nurture and cultivate deep relationships with “the vital few among the trivial many,” as in “Pareto’s Law.”

“Relationship Marketing” “Relationship marketing” is a term often identified with network marketing or “attraction marketing.” However, it seems to me that relationships are at the heart of all kinds of successful marketing in the 21st century. Generation after generation of marketers have learned that Love endures and that good service breeds brand loyalty and referrals. […]

Relationships are Built with Communication Interpersonal communication is the fundamental basis of relationship, regardless of which channels we use to communicate. The internet has added several new channels of communication to the toolbox. These new media work well when combined with the telephone — and preferably face-to-face encounters, as well. The “Togetherness Blog” expresses my thoughts […]

Multimedia Usage and Non-Verbal Communication Components of multimedia include a broad spectrum of channels and devices. Usage of multimedia spans an even more diverse explosion of applications. As a professional networker, I am most interested in the usage of multimedia for connecting with new friends and nurturing relationships with existing friends and followers. Especially on […]

Business Networking Whatever you need and don’t have, somebody else does have, whether it be knowledge, resources, ideas, skills, or contacts. Synergy is the main reason for networking. Of course, relationships, which are precious per se, are a very nice by-product of networking and collaboration. In an article on BrightHub.com entitled, “The Benefits and Challenges of Team Collaboration,” […]

There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays Extended family gatherings used to be a hallmark of Christmas celebrations. Watch our short video about holiday celebrations. Bel Mooney wrote a disturbing article in the Mail Online about the sad fact that millions of grandparents are left alone at Christmas.  Ms. Mooney lamented the fact that […]

Social Networking Social networking has been around for centuries.  Synergy and empowering relationships are the essential ingredients of civilization. The internet is an efficient channel of communication for human beings who would like to interact for mutual benefit. I’ve been a fan of social networking for decades, and I was delighted when social media arrived […]

Interdependent Relationships Relationships have values which are often greater than material possessions. Love, of course, is “the greatest of these” few things which endure. I hope we all remember how precious Love is, per se, aside from any practical fringe benefits. But I also want to point out the motivational power and the synergistic leverage […]

Interpersonal Attraction   Attraction has been linked to similarity of attitudes, belief, and interests in university research since the 1960’s. Personally, I invested four years in post-graduate research into interpersonal attraction. The implications for social media are profound, because we open to the public intimate details about our attitudes and interests on our Facebook profiles. […]

Emotional Decisions Relationships are always between human beings, and humans have always been emotional creatures. We make decisions emotionally and then justify them rationally. Whatever the media or communication channels, we, the people, are attracted to those we know, like and trust. Online or offline, we don’t care how much you know — until we […]

One of the best things about true network marketing, online or offline, is the win-win relationships. To quote Zig Zigler, “Help enough other people get what they want, and you will get what you want.” Sales and internet marketing, as opposed to networking, have the potential to be win-lose games. The seller wins, whether or […]

Alliances, tribes, and virtual teams are popular among internet marketers today. SEO has incentivized reciprocal tribe syndication beyond the normal reasons to cooperate. Personally I have been wrestling with my entrepreneurial tendency to focus on my own creative projects, rather than to contributing a lot of time as a team player. I’m just being honest […]