comments

Aside from James Ball violating Biznik's Mugshot policy, that shuns logos and requires users to only use images representative of their person to the mugshot space, I see nothing wrong with this post.

In fact I think the slidedeck James uploaded was catchy, provocative, informative and original. I didn't see any porn - just some hot girls used to sell.

I appreciate your comment, Keith. Goes to show that we're all entitled to our opinions about what can be considered "appropriate" business promotion.

In terms of removing the post - I'm afraid we have no intention of doing so.

(Incidentally, James' logo was removed from his profile, and he was sent a message from the admin alerting him of our policy.)

I'm jumping into the conversation a tad late... I loved this article and have sent it out to a bunch of people and am excited about collaborating with Arden on a Biznik Business Essentials event on Thursday, January 14 in Seattle.

@Silvia, you asked: "is Social Media Networking going to take away the "face to face" of relationship building? How can one REALLY build a RELATIONSHIP sitting at a computer and promising something or acting as someone who may not really exist?"

This is a great question, and right here, you've got a great example of social networking used as a tool for building relationships and strengthening your reputation. While Biznik is a social networking site, where members may connect online, you're encouraged to meet locally face-to-face.

After you've met someone, return to the online community to contact them again, learn more about them, read what they've written, see who you have in common.

My biggest gripe about the large Chamber events was less about the "spraying & praying" (spray your cards to the room and pray one of them turns into a lead), and more about the fact that here was a room full of people and I didn't know ahead of time who was there, had no way of knowing who we may have in common, or if there were people there I wanted to talk to, and had no way to follow up with anyone after the event if I hadn't gotten their card.

Biznik events alleviate all that!

I know it doesn't work if there's no Biznik events happening near you. Maybe you'd be interested in hosting one of your own?

@Arthur, and flag them. When we see those ads, we delete them.

@Mark, you've got some great quotes in there about what Biznik is. Mind if I use them in some of the education-about-Biznik material I'm creating?

@Richard Gabel & Richard Geasey, this forum is moderated, and we count on folks to flag people who are abusing the forum by only posting links or commenting just to put them back at the top.

Occasionally when we find posts that are nothing more a promotional announcement, we move it to a more appropriate forum.

To flag someone, simply click on the link to their profile and scroll down to the bottom left corner of their page. They will not be notified that the flag was made. We are looking for patterns.

re: the ProVIP signature line

If you are a gold-star ProVIP and have not set your signature line yet - go to the 'Preference' page under the 'Account' tab on your profile.

Here's Mike Holberg's profile, the member who makes custom urns.

FYI... This discussion (with Sarah's original post) was started 2 years ago in 2007, so it's possible that Sarah's got her needs met by now.

@Shaun, just visited your blog. You've got some great tips in there! I learned something new about travel expenses. Can I encourage you to publish an article on Biznik? I think a lot of members would benefit.

The quick answer is no, there is no way to add an Amazon.com widget to your Biznik profile. You can add a link to a book (including a affiliate link if you are part of Amazon's affiliate program) to the description field on your profile. If you add it to a Promotion, it will appear in the right column of your main profile page.

Biznik profiles were designed with limited customization for the meer fact that we don't want to turn into a MySpace.

Great looking event, Zita. I wish I could attend but have another event that day.

You might find some folks to contact directly, based on the comments they left in these threads about the use of Biznik:

How do you use Biznik?

What do you love about Biznik in 20 words or less

Whats your purpose for being in Biznik?

Use LinkedIn what's your experience?

In Dan's original post, the two authors who received the most votes were Chris Brogan (who presented with his co-author, Julien Smith, on 9/15), and Susan Scott, author of Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today.

We booked SUSAN SCOTT and her event is tomorrow Tuesday, November 3 - (RSVP here). This time we have something special for you.

This event will include the following:
• complimentary wine from Ste Michelle
• complimentary appetizers from the Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar in the Pan Pacific
• free copy of the book, signed by the author
• an intimate setting for mingling with others including the author.

RSVP Now

Susan Scott and Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today

Susan is a bestselling author and leadership coach, recently awarded the Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year, 2008. Her first book, Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and Life, One Conversation at a Time is an international bestseller and considered a classic in the field. The goal of this new book is to question the “best practices” of businesses working today—many of them are ineffective, and cost companies billions of dollars. Susan encourages us her readers to replace them with new practices that will change everything. In a phase: “Human connectivity is the next frontier for exponential growth.”

Thanks for all your help, Howard! That was an example, folks, of the sincerity of the members in this community. It's a great group.

There is a field on the profile for your business name, and that field, along with your job title field, is also optimized for search results.

The reason Biznik enforces a Real Name Policy is because this is a community of people, not a online business listing of inorganic companies.

Welcome to Biznik!