That’s people . . . Networking. Talking. Sharing. Giving. Receiving. Having fun. Socializing. Working.

There you have it – the reason why social media is so big and powerful. And, the reason why we can spend so much time on our favorite site!

We hear from so many of you that we have created social media monsters out of you. We say we just unleashed the social monster in you. You know, the part of you that wants to be in the know, that wants to be in touch, that wants to share good stuff, that wants to grow into the tech future we call today!

And at the same time, we get to hear your awesome success stories of connecting with folks from yesteryear, reuniting with ‘long losts’, striking up business relationships, being taken back in time.

And . .

So lighten up and have fun! Even if you think you ‘should be working’. You are! Because people will do more business with people they know and like. Get to know and like a whole lot of people. Get a whole lot of people to know and like you. And what a better way to do so – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Naymz, MySpace ………….

If you need help, Course Creators is here for you!

Ed Hawley says: “Course Creators have the best courses. They know how to keep you involved and present information in a usuable format that is easy to digest, but useful to remember.

Piccola Dowling says, “I’m getting so addicted to anything that Theresa and Len create in Course Creators. I dont’ want to miss anything you do. You two sure put your hearts into everything you do and bring a lot of passion to everything you do.”

Kelli Roth says, “This class was invaluable. Thank You! These instructors take the intimidation away from the unknown.”

Lynn Warren says, “Love. Love. Loved….the new Facebiz class. I feel really special that I got to take the flagship course. I learned so much my head is still spinning.”

D. Castaneda says, “What a GREAT class Course Creators put on today! It’s a class that teaches you how to use Facebook for your business.

Tim Dugan says, “Facebiz will open many new doors!”

Rachel Bregante says, “This was one of the best classes I have ever attended, if not THE best. I’m excited to get started.”

Jennifer Moore says, “AWESOME! I have been dying to come and it exceeded my expectations. The implications for my real estate business, my side business and my husband’s business are mind boggling.”

Jan Wilson says, “Best new real estate class in decades. A must do for all REALTORS.”

Sally Marchalonis Perry says, “I’m still trying to absorb everything you talked about in the class on Monday. I found so much of it fascinating and having been telling people how amazed I am by all of the new technology. Thanks for all of the work you do on the courses; I have learned many things from you over the past few years!”

If you have not started a facebook account. You should. There are lots of applications both personal and business. Over the past few weeks we have helped several get Facebook accounts up and running. It’s easy. Go to Facebook.com, all you will need is your e-mail address and the creation of a password. The account is FREE. Once you are there here are the top 10 things you should do once you have an account open.

1. Add your photo. Click on the photo button and pull any picture of yourself that you want to use that is currently loaded on your computer.

2. Write your profile. You do this by clicking on the edit profile tab directly under your picture and you can type in a short description about who you are and what you do.

3. Fill in the “what you are doing” post directly to the left of your picture. I think it is once of the most important features on Facebook. This is the information which will automatically appear on your friend’s screens when they review their friends tab.

4. Fill out your personal profile. It particularly helps to fill out your education and graduation years (that will help you find friends later) Fill out your work and personal sections as well.

5. Find as many friends as you can. You can find friends in a bunch of different ways. Start by clicking on the friends tab in the blue Facebook bar above your photo. You can then look up people from your graudating classes. You search for the people in your e-mail database. You can look up people by name. When you find a friend click on them and then click on the tab that asks you to add them as a friend.

6. Respond to your friend confirmations. People have to confirm you as a friend before you can get access to their full accounts People also begin to add you as a friend and you will receive emails regarding them adding you as a friend. Be prompt about confirming them.

7. Make frequent posts to your own wall. Your “wall” is the section in the middle of your Facebook account where the running dialogue appears with your friends. You can get as creative as you would like. There are buttons there in order to allow you to insert a photo or a short video if you have one on your computer. More about videos in a later post on this website.

8. Write on other people’s “walls” you can do this by clicking on your friends accounts.

9. When new friends get added to your account you have the ability to see their friends. You should review these lists continually looking for people that you want to know or do know. Click on them and invite them as friends.

10. Check out groups. At the very bottom of your profile page is an icon of two people in blue and black. Click on it. You can check for groups you would like to join. You can see groups joined by your friends.

More important than anything have fun. We will be working the next couple of weeks on the business applications of Facebook so stay tuned. Please feel free to comment on what I have provided and offer your own ideas and suggestions to help others stay connected.

Does a Tweet Have Merit?

Okay, so Twitter allows me to run a virtual stream of messages and have real time exchanges with the people that I have added into my Twitter account.

Sometimes the strings are tough to decipher because the people I am following are also following and responding to different streams of conversation that I have. The content posted is limited to short text messages devoid of graphics, photos and videos. Most of the people in my account have abbreviated names so that it’s difficult to tell who they really are without further investigation.

So here at Course Creators we are always interested in the practical application of technology to growing a business. Can anyone clearly delineate how you are using Twitter for business applications or business building techniques.

What is the benefit beyond a social chatroom?