WHY IS IT THAT MANY NEW BUSINESS OWNERS APPEAR TO SHUN SOCIAL NETWORKING?

[Bronwyn Ware]

I recently completed a series of courses through a wonderful program, Business Ownership Initiative, or BOI, which is funded by the Small Business Administration. I met fellow entrepreneurs and BOI touted social networking sites such as Smaller Indiana, Linkedin etc. I've met many new business owners during this exciting year, yet when I look for their profiles on various social networking sites, NADA!!! I sent invitations to several individuals to join me and coutless others in the social networking phenomenal and that is when I really started to notice a certain level of distrust or plain resistance by some individuals to engage in a viral world. One even commented as to why she never responded to a Linkedin invite, "I don't know much about the Linkedin site". I'm not trying to judge the new business owners I know, I'm just trying to understand.. a few individulas will spend fifty doallars to attend a workshop, yet will not sign up on social networking sites for free. Any one who doubts the power of social networking need only look at how it was utilized successfully in the last Presidential Election.

[Amy Stark]

WOW... Bronwyn you write beautifully and with passion. Of course I agree wholeheartedly with everything you just wrote above.

I think Fear is the biggest hurdle followed closely by the, "I don't have the time" excuse, then add a bit of "I don't want my organization to be so transparent, and I will lose control of my brand and message."

Those organizations in denial will get lost in all the noise, I'm afraid. Social Media is a Tidal Wave. Organizations can either learn to ride the wave, or lose a chance to get a name out there on the new communication frontier.