Tips for 2008 -- #5 -- Connect and reconnect

We are social people. We need other to talk with, bounce ideas off of, and get things done. Nothing we do is truly a solo activity. It is likely that you have a defined circle of friends and colleagues, yet you actually know many more people than that. Take some time in 2008 to connect and reconnect with those other people.

• If you have connected to them through LinkedIn, take time to look at their profiles and drop them a note. Consider sending notes to a couple people per week, so the task is not overwhelming.
• Do the same for the others social networking sites that you are involved with.
• Use the search function of the social networking sites to find old friends and colleagues, or people with similar interests as you. But remember that you need not connect with everyone -- it is okay to be selective.
• Don't forget about those contacts you have stored in your contact management software (like MS Outlook) and in your Rolodex. If it is unreasonable to think about contacting them all, at least go through these "cards" and eliminate those that are not needed. (Hint -- if you can't remember who the person is or why you have his card, you're never going to contact them.) Along the way, you may find a few people that you will want to contact.
• If you have a newsletter, blog, or other content that you want your contacts to know about, this would be a great time to remind them about it.
• If you are going to attend any conferences this year, use those to meet face-to-face with colleagues and friends. Consider arranging an informal "happy hour" where everyone can gather at the same time. Not only will you see everyone, but your colleagues will get to meet each other and possibly form new relationships (thanks to you).
• Schedule informal meetings (think breakfast, coffee break or lunch) with those colleagues locally that you want to build a better relationship with. In order to be kind to your calendar, consider doing only one a week. Also consider setting a defined length for the meeting so that it doesn't last longer than you're comfortable with. (You do have work to do!)
• Finally, try not to see this as a chore. Find ways to have fun with it.
  

So this is the last tip to get your started with 2008. Could there be more? Yes! However, we don't want to overwhelm the start of the New Year.

By the way, if you use these tips and want to provide feedback, leave a comment on these posts or send an email message.

Related posts:

• Tips for 2008 -- #1 -- Budget your time
• Tips for 2008 -- #2 -- Don't answer every communication (and if you must answer, be efficient)
• Tips for 2008 -- #3 -- Use the tools that add value
• Tips for 2008 -- #4 -- Find ways to work smarter

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Technorati tag: Social Networking Tools, 2008, Tips

Tips for 2008 -- #4 -- Find ways to work smarter

We often hear the advice to work smarter, not harder, but what does that really mean? Consider these ideas:

• Stop playing telephone tag. Instead leave well thought out voice messages when you get the person's voice mail. Include your name, phone number, time, and -- quickly -- the information you wanted to tell her. For example, you might be calling to give information on a project or leave a status report. If you were calling to ask a question, then ask it in voice mail along with information about how you want to receive the response. And if the person doesn't need to call you back, say that. (BTW remember to smile when you're on the phone, which will come through in your voice.)
  
• Use collaboration tools (e.g., Zoho) when working with a colleague on a project. That will eliminate knowing which file version is the correct one. It also means that you could be on a conference call with your colleague to review the project, and both be looking at or editing the files at the same time.
  
• Customize your Internet browser's start page, so that it contains tools and information that you want to have at your finger tips. For example, using iGoogle, I've customized my start page to display news, weather (including cities I'll be traveling to in the near future), time time, a calendar, a calculator, a notepad (which I'm using to keep a list of high priority projects), a timer, and a few RSS feeds.
• Have information sent to you via RSS feeds whenever possible. Don't keep going to a specific site to see what's new; instead subscribe to its RSS feed (if one exists). And consider doing this for a news site, so that important news comes to you automatically. (I even get some newsfeeds sent to my Twitter account.)
  
• Customize the toolbar in your Internet browser with links to those sites you visit frequently.
• Organize your bookmarks (or favorites) in your Internet browser so that links are easy to find. And while you're at it, delete those that are no longer useful.
• If you need to have access to your bookmarks from several locations (or computers), consider using Del.icio.us (or another bookmark sharing service). You can upload your bookmarks to Del.icio.us and you can make specific bookmarks private (See this help page).
• Organize the emails you keep into folders, so that important emails can be found quickly. For example, create folders for specific projects or clients.
• Organize the files on your computer into folders for specific projects or clients. And give your files meaningful -- but short -- names, so that the names themselves will help you know what they are. Why short? Because some computers and software still only recognize the first eight characters of a filename. (And if you ever run into a disk crash, you may find that the longer names are deleted in favor of the first eight characters, which you will then hope are very meaningful.)
• Hand off those projects or tasks that do not require your specific skills. This is a hard one, but it can be done. Hire someone to do your payroll, file your taxes, mail your marketing materials, schedule appointments, proof documents, etc. Don't assume that the person you hire has to be in your geographic region. You might find a person with the correct skills halfway around the world.
  

mmm...I think those are enough ideas to get you started! Of course, you may find your own tips for working smarter. Just remember to not only read the tips you find, but also to try them. Even if you can shave a few minutes off your workday, that could have a huge impact.

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Technorati tag: Social Networking Tools, 2008, Tips

Tips for 2008 -- #3 -- Use the tools that add value

Tip #3 is obvious...so obvious, that we all forget it.

There are many tools you can use. Some are incredibly useful, while others are time-wasters. Some generate the connections you need to other people, while others generate noise and distractions. Therefore, only use those tools that provide a discernable positive impact to you and the work that you do.

Of course, you may not know right away that a tool won't provide them impact that you desire. You may have to use the tools for a few days or weeks in order to decide if it's worthwhile. For example, I joined Ryze in January 2004 because it was recommended to me. I joined several networks on Ryze, contributed to discussions, and made connections. Here's my page on Ryze. It took me a few months to realize that Ryze wasn't going to be where I found my next clients or projects. Yes, it was working for others, but not for me. So I've kept my Ryze account, while investing my energy elsewhere.

If you look at the tools you are using, you may quickly find one that is a distraction. Consider eliminating that tool or using it less often. In other words, acknowledge that it hasn't paid off for you and move on.

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Technorati tag: Social Networking Tools, 2008, Tips

Tips for 2008 -- #2 -- Don't answer every communication (and if you must answer, be efficient)

We all receive a lot of email, IMs and text messages. Likely we are all tempted to respond to every message, even if it is to say that we got it. Here are three strategies for spending less time answering the email messages we receive.

First, recognize that you do not need to respond to every message you receive. Yes, there are important messages that do require a response or an acknowledgment. However, there are messages that don't require a response -- jokes, "hi" notes from friends & colleagues, FYI messages, and [fill-in-the-blank for yourself]. Although you may think that a response will be quick, it is likely that you might agonize over some of the wording, which means that it will take more time than it is worth. So...consider not sending responses to non-critical messages and saving some time. (You'll also help the other people save time too, since they will have less email to read.)

Second, if you must respond to email messages, consider sending very brief messages. There is a movement to simplify email -- whenever possible -- to two, three, four or five sentences. Yes, brief emails can carry a lot of information, without the fluff. Not only are they quick to write, but they are also quick to read.
Finally, don't delay responding to a message, if there is no need to delay. Instead, respond immediately. That means that you will not need to re-read the message later before replying. Instead you will have read the message once and answered it (and saved a bit of time).

If you use these three strategies, you'll save time and likely feel better about your communications.

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Technorati tag: Social Networking Tools, 2008, Tips

Tips for 2008 -- #1 -- Budget your time

Today begins a five-part series on tips for 2008.

Although we tend to make big resolutions, it can be the small changes that we make that have the biggest impacts. This year, I want you to make small changes to how you use the various social networking tools in order to gain more from the tools (and that includes making better connections with others).

With that in mind, tips #1 is to budget your time. Often we find that social networking tools can consume our time because they are fun. For example, we dive head first into Facebook, try out many of the widgets, connect with people, play games, etc., and soon find that we're spending too much time in Facebook without the correct level of payback. Although an initial deep dive into a tool is necessary in order to understand what it is, you should decide how much time you really want to budget for that tools and then stick -- as close as possible -- to that budget.

Perhaps you feel uncomfortable budgeting your time. How about deciding what functions you'll do on a regular basis and which ones you'll delay? For example, you may decide to read/skim specific blogs and RSS feeds each day, but only read/skim less critical ones once a week.

One of my resolutions for 2008 is to not check all of my RSS feeds everyday. Instead, I will check those that are most important to my business on a daily basis, then check the others a couple times a week. I know this will take discipline to do, since curiosity may kick in. But I also know that it will save me time and keep me from being distracted 9and then going off-track).

As for budgeting time in specific tools, one of the things I decided early in 2007 was that I didn't derive the same level of benefit from all of the tools. Therefore, there are some tools -- e.g., Ning -- that I use infrequently (on an as-needed basis).

As we begin 2008, take a moment and look at the tools you're using. Consider if any of the tools seem to be controlling your life, and then think about how you can budget your use of them. Not only think about how you'll limit the time spent in those tools, but also think about what you'll do with that time. It could be valuable time found for use elsewhere.

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Technorati tag: Social Networking Tools, 2008, Tips