I’m in Bournemouth at my Mum’s and have the luxury of visiting the local library where I pounced on a book by the founder of Ecademy – Penny Power. Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me is about using social networking and I thought it was totally brilliant!
I’ve been a member of Ecademy for many years but have swooped in and out of it. Penny’s book has made me want to go back and really make the most of it. I had no idea that Ecademy was the world’s first social networking site but that was just one of many, many inspirational nuggets in this book.
The very heart of social networking is in giving not getting. No upfront marketing or sales pitches but sharing, helping and supporting. I like that very much but was never really sure whether I was using sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and Ecademy properly. Should I be mentioning my services? What could I say that would make people interested? Should I be accepting a gazillion friends request from people I didn’t know? Can you really have online ‘friends’?
I have always maintained that my experience of the internet has been overwhelmingly positive, I’ve met great people, have always gone to the top when looking for interviews or information and been surprised and gratified when people have given generously of their expertise and time. Penny’s book confirms this. Her personality and values sing from every page. She gets to the heart of social media and explains it in a clear and compelling way. I loved this book.