The Circle of Communities and Building Followers are prime Real Estate to Social Media Success
Grace Notes Archive
The Circle of Communities and Building Followers Are Prime Real Estate to Social Media Success
By Grace Caroline Walker
Originally written May 2013 · Restored for the Grace Notes Archive
Success, as the social media debutante I am, feels like having my naïveté slammed into overdrive—full throttle, without a gear shift.
I feel the momentum and accelerate. I am on a projectile toward possible infamy without a guiding compass. Without the insurance of prime real-estate value for my social media landing, I may simply crash and burn.
In real estate, the familiar refrain is location, location, location. Location indicates visibility, desirability, and prime value. In social media circles, the equivalent may be followers, followers, followers. A circle of friends, communities, and growing followers appears to provide the prime real estate of social media success.
Creating circles of friends, families, and communities—and attracting a growing multitude of followers—has become one of the great magnets of online visibility. The clues to reaching that destination are shared by celebrity media personalities and, more importantly, through the generosity and knowledge of social media thought leaders.
These are the prized takeaways I have gathered during my journey toward becoming a successful Google+ blogger:
The Circle of Community
- Community builds leaders.
- Leaders share with followers.
- Followers share with the community.
- Circles revolve.
- Community creates success.
What Does It Take to Become a Social Media Celebrity?
Richard Branson—associated with Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Galactic, and hundreds of other Virgin-branded enterprises—has become a social media celebrity with millions of followers.
Visit Richard Branson’s profile
Guy Kawasaki, an author, speaker, software evangelist, and former advisor to Motorola and Google, also attracted millions of followers on Google+.
Both men had already achieved extraordinary success in their respective areas of expertise and could have thrived with limited social media visibility. Instead, they remained vigorously active on social platforms and particularly vocal within the Google+ environment.
They posted updates regularly, either personally or with the support of social media coordinators. Their posts invited reaction and conversation. Among their followers, there developed a sense of intimacy and the nuance of personal connection to a famous person.
Comments, responses, and reshares moved between followers, communities, and leaders. Through that sustained engagement, they earned their reputations not only as business celebrities, but as social media community builders.
Enter the Social Media Debutante
As a new blogger, I began my own course of engagement on Google+. In my neophyte mindset, I thought that if I wrote something, many people would immediately see my creativity and think, “She is a budding talent.”
I assumed I would naturally attract people inclined to know more about me and about the subjects I shared.
I migrated from Facebook to Google+ because Facebook seemed to cater to a more contained and individualistic exchange. I wanted to say more.
Many readers will digest the first or final paragraph of shared information while ignoring much of the substance in between. I write with robust pleasure and enjoyment. I value participation, exchange, and shared commentary. Blogger therefore felt like an accessible and accommodating tool for my involvement.
“I write with robust pleasure and enjoyment. I value participation, exchange, and shared commentary.”
At first, I had no idea what it meant to “+” another person, comment, share, or engage within a circle. I selfishly wanted to introduce an audience to the ideas I shared on my personal blogs.
My sense of self-importance was quickly diminished when I saw that my follower statistics remained in the low fifties. I wanted to learn, improve, and become like the successful circles and communities I saw flourishing with thousands of followers.
Why Were Other People Surrounded by Thousands of Followers?
As I continued attempting to belong to communities, I made many of the typical mistakes of a nouveau intern.
I was a wannabe.
I shared links to my blog as part of my introduction to higher-profile communities. I was quickly and sometimes rudely awakened to the protocols of those spaces. Yet I also received some of the best advice available, including recommended reading, instructional posts, and lists of circles worth joining.
There are too many generous movers, shakers, and teachers to name. Among some of the leading guides within my circles were Martin Shervington, Mark Traphagen, and Pio Dal Cin.
Martin Shervington developed and continually shared roadmaps for becoming a more successful Google+ user. Mark Traphagen appeared in many of the recommended circles because of his insider knowledge of Google+ and its value. Pio Dal Cin graciously shared suggestions about joining communities and avoiding the common mistakes of newcomers.
During online engagement, we sometimes encounter a select few with whom we develop an immediate kinship, almost as though we had always been lifelong friends.
Tazein Mirza Saad, a highly active Google+ user with more than 10,000 people in her following, frequently shared encouragement and inspiration. As I was writing this article, I saw one of her posts:
“Never give up on yourself. Believe that you will live to see happiness come into your life. Have faith. Nothing is impossible as long as you do not quit.”
I felt the warmth and sincerity of her encouragement. The timing of the post seemed perfect.
Karin Sebelin, who lived in Friolzheim, Germany, and had more than 14,000 people in her circles, became another welcome follower. She supported my posts with kindness and encouragement.
Successful Posters Share Their Success With Others
Gideon Rosenblatt, with more than 28,000 people in his circles, offered sound advice that was continuously reposted and reshared.
Jens Graikowski had more than 100,000 people in his circles and described himself as living the good life on a tropical island while working to make Google+ a better place. He routinely shared posts that introduced new users to the platform and helped them navigate the maze of circling and connecting.
In one post, “How I Post at G+,” he wrote about the tendency of experienced users to forget that newcomers were joining the network every day. He acknowledged that the platform could feel intimidating and that its range of features could overwhelm a new user.
That was precisely the kind of practical instruction every newcomer needed and valued. It was easy to understand why so many people wanted to follow Jens.
The fact remained that I had only a limited understanding of crowdsourcing.
Stephan Hovnanian, who was approaching 2,000 followers, shared a detailed synopsis of crowdsourcing best practices. His post, “Google Plus for Crowdsourcing,” offered the kind of guidance any newcomer could use to become better informed and more intentional.
My learning curve involved new and exhaustive reviews of the favorite posts circulating through the platform.
I learned how to save valuable posts through the guidance of Jesse Wojdylo, another community standout with more than 11,000 followers. His advice helped me keep abreast of highlights from the many talented people sharing knowledge.
Valerij Karpinchik, with more than 4,600 people in his circles, stated that he would continue sharing until he achieved the results he desired. That declaration offered other users reassurance about the value of patience and perseverance.
A Library of Shared Knowledge
With new applications, product launches, and multiple areas of interest—and with articles being shared from publications such as Time, Forbes, and The Huffington Post—Google+ provided an extraordinary library for research and discovery.
I followed posts from Dave Kerpen, a LinkedIn contributor who shared a steady stream of cross-posted articles. His article, “How to Write More Successful Blog Posts,” offered bloggers a carefully constructed roadmap of essential touchpoints.
Explore LinkedIn articles and publishing resources
It was no wonder that these thought leaders appeared among the most highly recommended circles I followed.
I was gearing up my engines for the propulsion, growth, and expansion of my follower base. With views of my blogs exceeding 2,000 during the previous month, I felt energized by the possibility that I was beginning to build a circle of community—and, ultimately, a vibrant and participating audience.
What Do You Recommend as My Next Step?
What suggestions would you offer for my improvement?
To the leaders and members of the communities I follow, I invite you to share your insights, thoughts, comments, and recommendations. I am eager to learn, contribute, and become part of the prime real estate found within circles, communities, and relationships built through meaningful participation.
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