The Truth About Profiting From Social Networking (Book Excerpt) by Patrice-Anne-Rutledge Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, & beyond: “social network” your way to success, step by step! • The truth about using social networks to supercharge your career • The truth about building your business through social networks • The truth about social networking privacy, safety, and security This book reveals 50 Proven Social Networking Principles and bite-size, easy-to-use techniques that work Social networking is one of today's hot topics, and its popularity is predicted to grow over the next decade. An integral part of the Web 2.0 strategy of online collaboration, social networks are enabling millions of people to make the most of online connections and social networking strategies. Link to Live interview with Patrice-Anne Rutledge (June 4, 2009): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jon-Hansen/2009/06/04/The-Psychology-of-Social-Networking

2. Praise for
The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking
“Smart business people are using social networking to support their marketing and
overall business strategies. But it is hard to do it right without understanding both
social networks and the community norms you’ll find there. Rutledge’s book not
only gives smart advice on how to navigate those waters, but does so with examples
that are easy to understand and translate for use in your business.”
Jason Falls, Social Media Explorer Blog
“This book could help your business make money and sales using social
networking. From using MySpace and Facebook to using an internal social
networking system, it covers it all.”
Linda Roeder, Social Networking Weblog,
and Personal Web Pages Guide, About.com
“Social media takes community effort. As such, networking is of utmost importance
on social networking sites. To become a successful contributor, you need to be
a team player. Don’t be afraid to reach out to anyone, big or small. Making that
connection and maintaining that connection is critical; everything else will fall into
place from there. Rutledge uncovers all the necessary skills to use these tools in this
easy-to-understand book.”
Tamar Weinberg, Techipedia
“Using online social networks for business and professional advancement requires
more than just understanding the technology. Social networks are all about human
interaction. This book provides numerous examples, ample advice, and easy-to-
follow guidelines for those looking to navigate the previously uncharted waters of
technology-enabled social networking.”
Amanda G. Watlington, Ph.D., A.P.R., Owner, Searching for Profit
“With The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking, Rutledge provides deep
insights into social networking and how to profit from its proper usage, both
financially and in your career.”
Allen Stern, Editor, Center Networks
“There is a right way and a wrong way to use social networks. Rutledge uncovers
these truths and makes understanding the difference between them clear so you
can achieve success and avoid failure.”
Jason Bean, Blogger, b5media

3. THE TRUTH
ABOUT
PROFITING
FROM SOCIAL
NETWORKING
Patrice-Anne Rutledge

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Rutledge, Patrice-Anne.
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5. CON T E N TS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Part I The Truth About the Social Networking
Phenomenon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
TRUTH 1 Social networking is a lot more than MySpace and
YouTube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
TRUTH 2 Forget everything you think you know about
social networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
TRUTH 3 The traffic stampede: numbers don’t lie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
TRUTH 4 With social networking, change is the only constant . . . . . . . . 15
Part II The Truth About the Most Popular
Social Networking Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
TRUTH 5 MySpace isn’t just for teenagers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
TRUTH 6 LinkedIn is the place for business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
TRUTH 7 YouTube is for profit, not just play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
TRUTH 8 Facebook extends beyond the collegiate crowd . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Part III The Truth About Finding a Job Through
Social Networking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
TRUTH 9 Forget the old rules of the job search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
TRUTH 10 Throw away your traditional resume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
TRUTH 11 If you want to get hired, go where people are hiring . . . . . . . . 43
TRUTH 12 Recruiters really do want to find you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
TRUTH 13 It’s who you know that counts…most of the time . . . . . . . . . . . 51
TRUTH 14 Following up outside your virtual community is key. . . . . . . . . 55
Part IV The Truth About Recruiting the Best
Candidates Through Social Networking . . . . . . . . . .59
TRUTH 15 The world of recruiting has changed forever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
TRUTH 16 The best candidates are often the ones who
aren’t looking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
TRUTH 17 Be your own detective: finding candidates’ secrets is
easier than ever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
TRUTH 18 LinkedIn is the recruiter’s favorite social networking tool . . . . 71
Part V The Truth About Networking Your Way to
Business Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
TRUTH 19 A social networking marketing plan is not a traditional
marketing plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
TRUTH 20 The right kind of “socializing” can lead to big profits . . . . . . . 79
TRUTH 21 Reaching key decision makers requires trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
vii

6. Part VI The Truth About Launching a Product or Service
Through Social Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
TRUTH 22 The $2.2 billion tip: advertising where the crowds
gather pays off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
TRUTH 23 If you don’t “get” social networking, your campaign
won’t work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
TRUTH 24 Marketing to the MySpace generation is different . . . . . . . . . . 95
TRUTH 25 Making them hungry makes them buy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
TRUTH 26 Viral videos are for business, not just fun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Part VII The Truth About Corporate Social Networks . . . . 107
TRUTH 27 Corporate social networking has arrived . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
TRUTH 28 You need to embrace the virtual water cooler . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
TRUTH 29 You can get something for nothing: free,
open-source social networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Part VIII The Truth About Social Networking for
Social Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
TRUTH 30 Social networking is changing the world of
online fundraising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
TRUTH 31 Networking for good makes good sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
TRUTH 32 Get social, get elected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Part IX The Truth About Social Networking Success. . . . . 131
TRUTH 33 Online networking is still networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
TRUTH 34 Quality counts: more isn’t always merrier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
TRUTH 35 Online branding: your profile is how the world sees you . . . . 139
TRUTH 36 Learning from the masters can make you a
master social networker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
TRUTH 37 Six degrees of separation is more than just the
name of a movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
TRUTH 38 Social networking doesn’t happen in a vacuum . . . . . . . . . . 151
Part X The Truth About Making Connections
That Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
TRUTH 39 Connect and reconnect: develop a network
that works for you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
TRUTH 40 You can never have too many friends…or can you? . . . . . . . . 159
TRUTH 41 You can connect with the rich and famous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
TRUTH 42 You’ve got mail…but you shouldn’t always answer it . . . . . . 167
Part XI The Truth About Social Networking
Privacy and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
TRUTH 43 Social networking makes your past an open book. . . . . . . . . 171
TRUTH 44 You never know who is reading your profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
TRUTH 45 Knowledge is the key to safeguarding your
privacy online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
viii

7. Part XII The Truth About the Future of
Social Networking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
TRUTH 46 Social networking will expand exponentially in the
next decade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
CON T E N TS
TRUTH 47 Social networking is going mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
TRUTH 48 Not all social networking occurs on
social networking sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
TRUTH 49 Creating your own social network is easier
than you think. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
TRUTH 50 You don’t have to follow the trends just because
they’re there . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
ix

8. Introduction
Social networking is just one component of what’s called
INT R ODU C T ION
Web 2.0, the next generation of websites and services that
emphasize collaboration and connectivity. Although the experts
continue to debate the exact definition of Web 2.0, one thing is
certain: Social networking sites, blogs, and wikis are connecting
the online world like never before. Web 2.0 has changed the
way the world connects and communicates, and the evolution is
continuing.
Social networking has generated a lot of buzz, media coverage,
and conversation in the past few years. In spite of all this attention,
however, many misconceptions remain. Social networking isn’t just
for the young. It now reaches a large, mainstream audience. Many
popular sites report than half their visitors are over age 35. It isn’t
just for fun or pure socializing, either. Companies, organizations, and
individuals around the world are profiting from their participation on
popular social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Social networking also isn’t just for the tech-savvy. Strategy counts far
more than technical skill in developing a successful social networking
campaign. In this book, you learn 50 “truths” about real-world social
networking and how you, too, can profit from your social networking
experience.
This book is written for anyone who wants to tap the power of
social networking for professional reasons. Marketers, publicists,
small business owners, independent professionals, job seekers,
fundraisers, and activists all can find ways to profit from strategic
social networking. It’s a viable business tool that opens up new ways
to connect with others who can help you achieve your business
goals. The goal of this book is to provide you with a solid foundation
on the basics of social networking, give you some insight into future
trends, and encourage you to think strategically about the best ways
you can leverage the power of social networking to enhance your
business, your cause, and your life.
xi

9. PART I: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE
SOCIAL NETWORKING PHENOMENON
1
TRUTH
Social networking is a lot
more than
MySpace and YouTube
1

10. Just what is social networking? Ask three people,
and you’ll get three different answers. Although most
people have a general idea of the basic concept, social
networking means different things to different people depending
on their background, interests, goals, and level of computer
savvy.
MySpace (www.myspace.com)
and YouTube (www.youtube.com)
Just what is social
are two of the most popular sites networking? Ask
on the web. For many people, these three people, and
two sites satisfy all their social
networking needs. But the world
you’ll get three
of social networking is much larger different answers.
than its two highest profile sites.
Business networkers could determine social networking isn’t right for
them after visiting MySpace and YouTube if they didn’t also check out
the many business-oriented sites that could offer them much greater
benefits.
In other words, the world of social networking is wide and diverse.
Although early adopters of social networking skew to the young, the
trend has now moved into the mainstream with sites for all ages,
backgrounds, and interests. There’s something for everyone, but you
need to know where to find it.
A quick tour of the world of social networking gives you an idea of
the vast differences between these sites as well as the possibilities
for how social networking could benefit you. Some of the best-known
and most-visited social networking sites include
Bebo (www.bebo.com)—Bebo reports more than 25 million
members and is particularly popular in the UK. Bebo Bands and
Bebo Authors draw musicians and writers looking to connect with
their audience.
Ecademy (www.ecademy.com)—A business networking site with
150,000 members, Ecademy offers numerous networking groups
based on your interests. It also offers in-person networking
events, primarily in the UK.
2

11. TRUTH
Facebook (www.facebook.com)—Starting as a community for
Harvard students, Facebook opened its doors to anyone with an
1
email address in September 2006 and increased its membership
SOC IAL N E T WOR KIN G IS A LOT M OR E THAN MYSPACE AND YO UTUBE
by 89 percent in less than a year.
Friendster (www.friendster.com)—Friendster has a member base
of 50 million users worldwide and is particularly popular in the
Asia Pacific region.
hi5 (www.hi5.com)—With more than 60 million registered
members and 25 million unique visitors per month, hi5 aims for
an international audience with a localized interface available in
multiple languages.
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)—The largest and most popular of
the business networking sites, LinkedIn offers profiles of more
than 19 million professionals and is particularly popular with
recruiters…and those who want to capture their attention.
MySpace (www.myspace.com)—Arguably the most popular
social networking site on the web, MySpace is expanding from
a youth-dominated demographic to encompass members of
all ages. Although poor site design and numerous less-than-
professional MySpace pages can be a detractor, MySpace is still
a great networking tool for the right people (think musical artists,
marketers aiming for a general audience, authors of mainstream
novels, and so forth).
Orkut (www.orkut.com)—Google may have founded Orkut,
but that hasn’t translated into worldwide popularity. Its most
significant user base is in Brazil and India, where it captures a
high market share.
Ryze (www.ryze.com)—Another business-oriented social site,
Ryze has more than 500,000 members and offers a number of
special interest networks.
XING (www.xing.com)—An active business-oriented social
networking site that is particularly popular in Europe. XING was
renamed from openBC/Open Business Club in November 2006.
YouTube (www.youtube.com)—The world’s most popular video-
sharing site.
3

12. Want even more options? Niche social networking is a hot trend, with
microsites sprouting up for almost every conceivable niche audience.
Some examples include
aSmallWorld (www.asmallworld.net)—By invitation only, for
celebrities and the business elite
BlackPlanet.com (www.blackplanet.com)—Emphasizing
connections between African Americans
85 Broads (https://secure.85broads.com)—For career women
who attended a select list of leading universities
CafeMom (www.cafemom.com)—A networking site for mothers
Dogster (www.dogster.com)—For dog lovers everywhere
Gaia (www.gaia.com/community)—For the socially conscious
crowd
GLEE.com (www.glee.com)—For the gay and lesbian community
MilitaryPlanet (www.militaryplanet.com)—For members of the
military
New England Venture Network (www.venturenetwork.vc)—
Social networking for venture capitalists
Ning (www.ning.com)—For do-it-yourselfers who want to create
their own social network
Shelfari (www.shelfari.com)—A site for book lovers and authors
ShoutLife (www.shoutlife.com)—A Christian social network
Ultrafan (www.ultrafan.com)—For sports fans
Although these “person-to-person” sites represent the most common
type of social networking, other sites also fall under the realm of the
somewhat fuzzy definition of social networking.
4

13. TRUTH
These include
1
Photo-sharing sites—Flickr (www.flickr.com), Zooomr (www.
SOC IAL N E T WOR KIN G IS A LOT M OR E THAN MYSPACE AND YO UTUBE
zooomr.com), and Photobucket (www.photobucket.com).
Social bookmarking sites— Digg (www.digg.com), del.icio.us
(http://del.icio.us), and StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com),
which enable you to share your favorite sites and news stories
with other users.
Micro-blogging sites—Twitter (www.twitter.com), Pownce (www.
pownce.com), and Jaiku (www.jaiku.com), which merge brief
blog-like text updates with social networking functionality.
Video-sharing sites—Revver (www.revver.com), Veoh (www.
veoh.com), and Google Video (video.google.com), as well as the
frontrunner YouTube.
Savvy social networkers have found ways to promote
their businesses, products, and causes—and even
themselves—on the variety of social networking sites
available on the web.
5

14. 20
TRUTH
The right kind of
“socializing” can lead to
big profits
79

15. The huge traffic that social networking sites generate
makes many marketers see equally huge dollar signs.
To be sure, any site that draws in hundreds of millions
of visitors on a regular basis has the potential to bring big profits
to savvy marketers. The key is understanding the right way—and
the wrong way—to make “socializing for profit” a viable business
model.
There are two main ways to use social networking as a business
development tool. First is the advertising and sponsorship model. For
certain businesses, this can be a good way to generate awareness
and drive traffic to their site.
Advertising on the major sites can
work well if the goal is to attract
Any site that draws
a large, general audience. If the in hundreds of
target is a niche audience, such as millions of visitors
dog owners or moms, advertising
on relevant niche sites can be
on a regular basis
even more lucrative. There are has the potential
some downsides to this approach, to bring big profits
including competition, expense, to savvy marketers.
and the inundation of this type of
advertising that has resulted in visitors conditioning themselves to
ignore website ads. The campaign must be compelling enough to
stand out from the rest.
The other way to use social networking as a business development
tool is the active participation model. In this model, investment is
in time rather than money. By creating a solid presence on a social
networking site, you can engage with potential customers and
develop brand loyalty. The main downside to this approach is that
it takes time to develop the kind of presence that creates a true
relationship with your customers. It’s an ongoing effort as well, not
something that you can do once and then ignore.
When talking about a social networking marketing campaign,
the second approach is what most people have in mind. Using a
comparison to the traditional business world, social networking is
more like public relations than direct sales. It’s what creates the buzz
that makes people aware of your products and want to buy them.
80

16. TRUTH
If your goal is to make a lot of money through direct sales on social
networking sites, think again. A presence on a social networking
20
site that comes across as a hard sell puts you at risk of alienating
T HE R IGHT KIN D OF “SOC IALIZIN G” CAN LEAD TO BIG PROFI TS
your audience and driving them away. On some sites, you may even
violate their terms and agreements.
Emphasize a low-key, relationship-building approach when using
social networking for business purposes. That doesn’t mean that you
can’t be strategic and focus on increased sales as one of your primary
goals for participation. In fact, if
you don’t have a solid plan, you’re
unlikely to succeed. It just means
Emphasize a low-
that you need to understand the key, relationship-
unwritten rules of social networking building approach
and play by them to develop that when using social
special connection with your
audience that makes them buy. networking for
For an example of what works and business purposes.
what doesn’t, let’s look at one social
networker’s experience in carrying out a social networking marketing
campaign to increase the sale of his products.
Andy is a fitness trainer who creates his own line of fitness DVDs.
To compete with DVDs produced by larger companies with bigger
budgets and better distribution, Andy decides to generate some
good buzz and word-of-mouth marketing through social networking
sites. To start, he creates a presence on MySpace. He uploads sample
clips of his DVDs, highlights his qualifications as a fitness trainer,
and reposts the heavily sales-oriented, call-to-action web copy that’s
focused on driving sales on his own website. He also tries to befriend
as many people as possible who share his interest in fitness.
Unfortunately, he sees little impact on overall sales. He even
receives a few messages from people who tell him to stop trying to
sell them things. It’s time for a new approach. With a revised strategy
in place that emphasizes building awareness and generating buzz,
Andy reworks his MySpace presence. The new page offers a custom
design geared to fitness enthusiasts as well as blog posts and other
useful content of real interest to his target audience. With Andy’s
new commitment to posting content on a more frequent basis and
81

17. becoming a truly active participant, his audience begins to grow.
Andy also develops an innovative contest with valuable prizes that
encourages viral, word-of-mouth marketing and additional publicity.
Within weeks of launching the revised site, sales are picking up.
Andy then decides to create a similar campaign on a social
networking site dedicated to fitness buffs. He also posts a number
of video clips on YouTube. These videos include clips from his DVDs
and a series of quick video fitness tips that become popular with
the YouTube community. Andy soon becomes known as “the fitness
guy” on YouTube. With his combined campaign on three targeted
social networking sites, Andy’s sales—and his reputation as a fitness
expert—continue to grow.
By focusing on the right way to use social networking, you can
definitely generate a profit. But you need to clearly understand
the kind of “socializing” that really works with this medium. Social
networking is about relationship building. It’s an online opportunity
to develop a connection with your target audience, to generate the
kind of buzz that makes people think of you first when they
need a product like yours, and to convert casual visitors
into loyal customers.
82

18. Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Michelle Newcomb, Laura Norman, Karen Gill, and
Lori Lyons for their feedback, suggestions, and attention to detail, all
ABOU T T HE AU THOR
of which made this an even better book.
About the Author
Patrice-Anne Rutledge is a social media consultant, bestselling
author, and Certified eMarketer (CeM). She specializes in teaching
others to maximize the power of new technologies, such as social
networking, blogging, podcasting, and social media, to promote their
business, career, or social cause.
Patrice is the author of 25 books on technology, business, and
communications for leading publishers including Pearson, Macmillan,
Prentice Hall, Random House, and Ziff-Davis Press. Her most recent
books include Special Edition Using Microsoft Office PowerPoint
2007 and The Web-Savvy Writer: Book Promotion with a High-Tech
Twist. Her books have received strong reviews and endorsements,
several awards, and have been translated into 11 languages.
Patrice has also contributed hundreds of articles to magazines,
newspapers, and websites around the world including Interactive,
Business Strategies, Microsoft Office Solutions, Dot-Com Builder,
Small Business, Career Woman, InformIT, and ZDNet. In the corporate
world, she has held senior communications management positions at
leading technology firms including Oracle and PeopleSoft, where she
led a team of 60 professional communicators around the world.
Patrice is a member of the eMarketing Association and Public
Relations Society of America (PRSA). She is active on several social
networks—including LinkedIn, Facebook, XING, and Ning—which she
credits with further developing her own career as well as increasing
sales for her many books. She can be reached through her website at
www.patricerutledge.com.
207