Busybee
Norgdom
Perth MusicSome great advice for Cit J’s or digital networking for fun and profit
About a month ago I was invited to give a talk at Perth’s Port 80 mini talks, a great little event put on by the innovative IT crowd here in Perth.
A few weeks ago it was my turn to be in the audience to hear Richard Giles from Scouta give a presentation on Digital Social Networking for Fun and Profit. Richard and I have been on a couple of panels together so it was a change to actually listen to what he had to say and I can say I learnt a lot. While Richard’s focus was on using the internet to socialise and build contacts, his talk had some invaluable tips for Cit Js’s as well.
One of the areas Richard is well known in is podcasting, he was one of Australia’s early podcasters and until recently co-hosted G’Day World with Cameron Reilly on The Podcast Network. He also had his own very popular show The Gadget Show. What Richard was essentially doing was acting as a citizen journalist - he was just a guy with an interest who successfully took it upon himself to approach others to interview, record it as a podcast and broadcast it through TPN. He got to talk to some big names like Robert Scoble, John Romero and Chris Messina. So how did he do it? Here are his tips for digital networking and what I got out of them as a Cit J.
SET A GOAL
Richard said he’s always operated by setting himself a goal to do something and then working towards that.
It’s probably an obvious one, but that also makes it easily overlooked. It can be a long term goal like building a name for yourself in a particular area or simply ‘writing a story on the Tech scene in Perth”.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK
This is the most important point for me. What’s the worst someone can say? No. They could even say “yes” and in most cases you will find people like interest in themselves
so let them know that’s what you are.
If you would like to do a story on something or get some more information on a subject - just ask. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.
IT TAKES TIME
Setting yourself up as a recognised Cit J can take time, so be patient. But if you are persistent with points one and two - it will happen.
BE YOURSELF
Be honest, be transparent and be yourself.
USE SOCIAL SOFTWARE
By this Richard means - put yourself out there, get involved. PerthNorg is very much an avenue people can use to build up their online profile. So use it!
Apologies to Richard if I have done his great talk any injustice. I’ll put up the link to the talk - it was recorded as a podcast - when that’s done.
So go forth and norg it! Hope to read you round the norg …
May 10th, 2007 at 11:28 am
I’d also recommend building real relationships with people — and not doing things that are only about yourself. The more you can do for others, the better off you’ll be.
As well, to do something well as an independent, you’ve really got to be passionate about it. So in terms of waiting, letting yourself become open to things that come along — and following your instincts is also really important. I don’t think that Richard was following any trends when he started podcasting — it was just something of interest to him that he enjoyed doing. Oftentimes that’s the best way to get yourself out there and to find other passionate people looking to collaborate on great things!
May 10th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Thanks Chris - great points. As always.
May 10th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Exactly Chris.
You’re right, I started podcasting because it was fun, and I had a topic that I was passionate talking about.
In all honesty, I think that setting long term goals, obviously ones that you’re in love with, is the key. I think a lot goes on subconsciously, so although I had no idea I was doing it, I was putting myself in the right place at the right time to realize my goals.
It is definitely about passion Chris!
May 11th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Yet again Richard avoids to give me due credit for inventing him! When I found him he was nothing. NOTHING! I tell ya…