Are you still interacting online with a username that hides your identity or are you using your real name? Have you gone so transparent that everyone knows who you are, what you’re doing, and where you are all day, everyday?

Last week’s release of Facebook Places produced a whole new flurry of discussion about social media and Internet privacy. And frankly, I’m confused.

When I first got started online (more than twelve years ago), most people tried to be anonymous and maintain privacy. I think many were like me – fearful of who would be getting our private information and what they’d do with it. While there are still people whose identity is well hidden online, I think many others have gone way too far over to the other side.

Not only are people using their real names and sharing photos of themselves and their families, but now many are using applications that announce their whereabouts to the world.

Personally I don’t want strangers to know whether or not I’m home, at the coffee shop down the street, or cruising the Caribbean. To me, it’s a safety issue. Did you see the site PleaseRobMe.com? The site no longer post tweets that announce users’ locations; now they are trying to raise awareness of potential dangers of announcing when you’re away from home.

Plus, I just don’t understand the need to tell anyone besides my immediate family where I am.

But that’s me.

At the same time many are sharing their every move online, I think most people would say that they highly value privacy and don’t want their private information shared. Perhaps we have a false sense of security because we use privacy settings to determine who can see what we post. Or perhaps we’ve just given in because the “bad guys” seem to be able to get our information no matter how much we try to protect it.

I’m pretty middle of the road when it comes to what I share online. I use my real name, and I post my picture, and I’m sure other information about me is pretty readily available. But I don’t post much about my family, and I don’t share my exact location or announce when I’m going on vacation.

I’m still of the mind that if you post it online, it’s available to the world. If I don’t want the world to know, I keep it to myself.

How important is privacy to you? How much Internet privacy do you want and how much information are you willing to share?

[Image courtesy of Faithful Chant.]

We all know that connecting with our target market is important in online business. The problem is a lot of us only use surface strategies to “connect” with our prospects. To really connect with your target market, you’ll want to dig deeper and build a stronger relationship that’s mutually beneficial.

Here are three important steps to help you do just that:

1 – Engage your audience. Once you know who your ideal customer is the next step is to really engage them. Have you noticed how some people can have many, many friends yet each friend feels as though they are the most important friend to that person? It takes a real knack to accomplish this on and offline, but if you can then you are well on your way to building a strong relationship with your audience.

One way to accomplish this online is by writing in a way that implies you are speaking to only them. Write in a friendly, clear tone appropriate for your chosen market. Share some information about yourself if necessary to let your customers know that you understand their needs and situation. A good tip is to write as though you were chatting to a good friend over coffee.

2 – Know their motivation. People are motivated by different things. When you do your market research an important point to focus on is what motivates your target prospect to act – in other words to buy something. Some people are motivated by social status, others want to feel good about themselves while others simply want to feel part of something.

By knowing the motivation trigger of your target market, you’ll know how to communicate in a way that gets better results. You can also cater your products and services to help your ideal prospect resolve their problems. A win/win situation for all involved.

3 – Take a “real” approach. Online people do business with people they like and feel a connection with. You can accomplish this by taking a personal and “real” stand with everything you do. If you’re a small business say so. Let people know a little about you, your business, why you started it and so on. If you have a family then it’s fine to say so too. In other words, be “real.”

People will appreciate that you are a real person and not just some entity flowing in cyberspace. Connect with your customers in a similar way you would with a neighbour or friend. This is one of the best ways to build a strong connection with your audience. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you do this in a professional manner but with a little practice getting the balance right isn’t difficult.

Connecting with your target audience means better profits, long-term customers and the satisfaction of running a business which helps people. It’s really worth taking the time to do this right from the beginning and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.

And if you’re looking for a great tool to help make building a website that helps you connect with your market effortlessly, try the Internet Based Family Easy Website Builder. It includes online support and full training to help you build a profitable website from the ground up – no technical or previous experience required!

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Whether you’re building your direct sales business offline or online, networking is a very powerful prospecting tool. Effective networking will help you gain customers and build your team.

When you set out to network, you may be thinking about the benefits you will receive, such as new clients and increased business. To get the most out of your networking, however, you need to build trust and relationships between the people you are networking with. The following are some tips to help you in this process. Continue Reading

Increasing your circle of influence offline can help you expand your client base. Your circle of influence is the group of people that make up your friends, family, current clients, acquaintances, etc. It’s the group that is often referred to as your warm market by direct sales and party plan business consultants and mentors.

When you increase your circle of influence offline, this opens up new possibilities for your business. You may meet someone in need of your services, or someone who will recommend your services to others.

Here are some things you can do to expand your circle of influence or warm market. Continue Reading

Marketing your business online requires more than putting up a website. You need to build relationships and establish yourself as a trusted source.

To grow your business you will want to consider widening your circle of influence online. You have certainly heard how important ‘word of mouth’ marketing is. That is because almost half of all Americans will ask their friends and family for advice when they shop for anything, including a new business. Continue Reading