The terms “Social Networking” and “Social Media” are unfortunate because the primary function and use of the so-called Social Networking sites is not social at all, it is business, lifestyle, influence and earning money.

On my website www.LifestyleBook.com and in my book “Creating the Perfect Lifestyle” I talk about passive income and semi passive income. I also talk about finding a way to make money doing things you love doing. I also talk about following your mission or calling in life. The Key Point about Social Networking sites is that they can help you earn money or increase your influence by following your interests, doing what you love, and achieving what you want to achieve.

Critical Principle           Social Networking sites enable you to earn money or increase your influence by following your passions, doing what you love, and achieving what you want to achieve.

I will let you in to a secret. I am a connector. This term was coined by Malcolm Gladwell in his excellent book “The Tipping Point”. This means I really enjoy connecting with a large number of people. Not only that, I really like to re-connect with old friends and acquaintances. It gives me a kick – that is just who I am. So when the Social Networking sites like MySpace and Facebook started getting popular I joined up as a new way to connect with people and re-connect with people I had lost contact with all over the world. These sites are fantastic for that purpose and most people I know use these sites exclusively that way.

However, this is NOT what these sites are primarily useful for!

These sites are primarily useful for doing business, influencing others, communicating with customers, and more importantly communicating with prospective customers.

Think of it this way. There has just been a new country established. The country has over a billion people who:

• Are connected to the Internet;
• Are computer savvy enough and connected enough to have a presence on a Social Networking site;
• Speak English;
• Are comfortable buying through the internet;
• Are potential customers of yours, now or in the future;
• Are able to respond to you (and purchase from you) sometimes within seconds, often within minutes and almost always within 24 hours.

To tap into this new country, all you need is a computer, an internet connection and some time to develop your presence in this country.

Because of the way the internet operates it is now very easy to target people in this new country, like never before. Social Networking is the key way to find people in your niche, no matter how small.

When I was a teenager I used to think if I lived in a really big city, whatever idea I had would reach such a large potential audience so that even if only a tiny percentage of people liked the idea it would be successful. So I daydreamed about living in Los Angeles and selling stuff, knowing that I would find a big enough market there.

But now I am connected to a place that has over a billion potential purchasers.

Now the key here is not just that you have a big market. But rather that whatever your niche and no matter how small your niche market is, you do have an available market!

This is critical because in order to have a great lifestyle you need to be doing what you love and are passionate about. The great thing about this new huge country is that no matter how precise and small your area of passion, you will be able to find thousands of people who are interested and who will be potential customers. So start thinking about how you can turn the activities you love into an online income stream

If you already own a business, or are a professional, start thinking about how you can monetize your business online.

NB In my next post I will be giving a practival example of how to set something like this up on Facebook.

Yours for a Better Lifestyle,

Oli Hille

PS Sign Up on the right for Blog Updates – and get them to your inbox.