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Social Media Support Networks

Recently Jason Leong from Pocketsmith talked at TEDxDunedin about the many benefits of the Distillers family focus for start-ups – check the vid to see just how powerful it really is for the members of the Distiller.

There’s no doubt about it, networks are important in business and life but from my experience they’re also wicked important in social media. I’m by no means even part way through my social media journey but already there have been several key mentors that have helped shape the way I interaction online, the strategy that I’ve taken and the direction that I’m heading in.

Mentors aren’t always older than you, and they’re not always wiser. I believe that much like what happens in the Distillers mentors are merely people who care enough to share their experience and insight, they’re the people who have this community focus.

Real World Mentors

You’ll have your own network of friends and social media peeps, but if you don’t, feel free to borrow mine. I have several real world mentors all of whom have helped me with basic things like getting used to Twitter and how to interact online, and with more complex things like strategy and business plans. I am lucky enough to have had @ophil and @audaciousgloop as well as some of the lads @thedistiller to help me out over the past year.

Having these people in my corner gives me the confidence that regardless of how much I stumble they’ll be there to help me get back on my feet.

Digital Mentors

More is better than less when it comes to digital mentors. They beauty of the socialsphere is that you can connect and garner lessons from hundreds of digital mentors. Some of mine have been @bwagy @guykawasaki @jowang and CC Chapman.  I’m not saying that I’ve been successful in applying their teachings, but they’ve definitely helped me get through hiccups and push through problems. Some of these mentors don’t even know just how much they’ve helped me.

If there is one thing that I have learned from the last year its that you can never do it alone. So perhaps in 2010 we should all think about business as a community of mentors rather than competition. There’s no reason why we can’t all have a piece of the pie.