As much as the online social networking world connects us, I think that we sometimes forget that face-to-face counts for a lot too. That’s how business was traditionally done and that’s still very much how things work today. Social media just enhances the rapidity at which we connect and enhances the number of people to which we can get connected to at any given point in time.

Social Networking On-line and Off-line:

Online: We send a Tweet or leave a Facebook Status update on a persons wall.
Offline: We call someone on the phone to say hi.

Online: We follow someone on Twitter or Friend them on Facebook.
Offline: We meet someone new at a networking event like the #140Conf Los Angeles Meetup.

Online: You join a community forum like Third Tribe Marketing for questions and answers.
Offline: You attend a live mastermind group like SMMOC with other passionate individuals interested in developing their skillsets.

Making the Connection – Social Media On-line to Off-line

• The next time you upload and share photos on Flickr, email them to someone as a follow up to an event/conference.
• Use Twtvite, Facebook Events, and meetup.com to schedule events and connect with your social network off-line.
• The next time you want to post a Status Update to tell someone Happy Birthday, consider picking up the phone and calling them instead.
• Instead of writing an email to say ‘Thank You’ or ‘It was a pleasure to connect’ consider writing a hand-written note.

You Get the Idea:

Anything that you do within the on-line social networking space can be carried out and done in the off-line world too. Sure it takes a little longer to connect and maybe we don’t reach as many people at once. But it’s important to remember that off-line connections count for a lot and go a long way in strengthening relationships. Don’t you agree?

So, what else would you add to the list above? Do you find it difficult to strike a balance between networking on-line and off-line?

The Starter Step series is a project by Ricardo Bueno dedicated to writing useful blog posts in a row about techniques, tools and strategies for using social media in your business.

Photo Credit: Downtown Scotty Brown