“A trusted network is a group of like-minded people who have come together in a common place to share thoughts, ideas and information about themselves,” according to Lon Safko, author of The Social Media Bible.
We rely on our online networks more today than ever before. We look to our trusted networks for things like:
- Information
- Friendship
- Entertainment
- Support, and
- A sense of community
The best way to understand a social trust network is to first participate and then create networking opportunities for others.
We all participate in some of the common social networks like Facebook or Twitter. But the size of these networks limits their effectiveness in creating close, lasting trust bonds.
For example, how many people are you friends with on Facebook who you don’t really like? How many people do you follow on Twitter who you don’t even know how you came to follow them?
This, I think, is why we begin to form smaller, niche groups within our social media networks.
For example, there are people who I have never met, but I know enough about them through reading their blogs and interacting with them on Twitter that I would consider them part of my personal network. For example, @danielnewmanUV, @HowellMarketing, @MackCollier, @JPlovesCOTTON, and @AmberCadabra. These are just a few of the people in my social network who would have my back if necessary and vice versa. This is a deeper level of online network, formed through the same surface tools.
Ultimately, these are the types of social networks human beings need. They also are the type of networks that businesspeople must understand. After all, you cannot create a meaningful network for others unless you’ve experienced one yourself.
Let’s Talk Nerdy!
What is your online social network? Go beyond the obvious Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Who do you really connect with online? How was this connection created? How do you foster or build it now?
