by Dave ClarkeLast month I wrote about Managing your Network using a combination of offline & online networks. This posts focuses on one online network. Online networks are an essential part of everyday life for many people, but that wasn't always the case. The first online network I joined was the US-based Linkedin back in 2003. Pretty soon after that someone recommended the UK-based network, Ecademy, to me.
Ecademy celebrated its 12th birthday in February this year so it's great to report on this UK site. It's not often that an Internet pioneer is a UK-based privately owned business with no venture capital funding. Ecademy founder Penny Power started Ecademy to support her husband's business. She said to Thomas at the time, "Surely many people feel like you when they run their own business - why don't we start a community on the Internet to help people who are in business."
Today Penny expresses the vision for Ecademy: "To be the place for business people to be themselves, without the need to push, without the need to force. A place to be a friend to other business people and through that see the wonder of what open, random and supportive communication can deliver for each other."
As Penny also says, "We are still relatively early in the adoption of building business through conversation and friendship. Some still utilize Ecademy and other social networks as a 'selling' opportunity, but they learn in time that it is much better to create a personal brand where people come to buy from you, rather than to brand themselves as a 'seller' who is flogging their products and services through utilizing a 1980's style of direct marketing!"
Some great lessons from Penny about business development and networking.
Until next time.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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For more information, please visit Dave's TNNW Bio.
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