Massage & Bodywork

July/August 2009

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TAP INTO SOCIAL NETWORKING The Internet makes the world a small place; the growing popularity of social and business networks has made it even more so. If you aren't taking advantage of the endless opportunities to promote yourself and your business on the Web, why wait? If you have Internet access, you can tell the world about your massage practice, communicate with clients and business contacts and meet new ones, keep up with your professional associations, and advertise your retail products, available appointments, or continuing education classes, all without spending a dime. Most of the Internet networks are similar in many respects. You post a profile of yourself and/or your business, share your calendars, publicize and invite people to events, upload pictures and videos, and post links to blogs and other websites. You can search for people you know or want to meet. Most networks also allow you to connect via the Web, mobile phone, or personal digital assistant (PDA). Many include numerous applications such as themed pages, background music, quizzes, games, and other things that are not necessarily business-related, but somehow, it all seems to meld together. People often share how and what they're doing both in and outside of work; you connect to therapists who might be from the other side of the planet. Lisa Curran Parenteau works for the Center for Compassionate Touch as a marketing and training consultant in the field of hospice massage. "These tools go a long way in leveling the playing field," Parenteau says. "We can get a glimpse into the interests, hobbies, and perspectives of a peer that we otherwise may rarely have the opportunity to meet." KEY NETWORKING SITES FACEBOOK Many of the sites that started as social networks are popular for business purposes. Facebook (www. facebook.com) is a great example. Facebook states its mission: "to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." So far, there are more than 200 million active users. Many massage and bodyworkers on Facebook have formed dozens of special interest groups to share information. Discussion forums abound. Bodhi Haraldsson, research department chair of the Massage Therapists Association of British Columbia (MTABC), doesn't let a day go by without posting links to the latest in massage research on Facebook. "The more people are aware of the work all of us do, the better," says Haraldsson, who also maintains a blog, MTABC Evidence-Based Massage Therapy, at www.mtabc.wordpress.com. Joel Tull, a massage therapist and continuing education provider in Greensboro, North Carolina, uses Facebook to post appointment openings, with great success. Within minutes of posting an opening, it's usually filled. "Facebook is an efficient and noninvasive way to fill appointments. It is particularly useful for last minute cancellations and for keeping the I-need-a-massage thought in the mind of clients," says Tull, who also uses online networking to publicize the classes he offers. It saves thousands of dollars and more than a few trees over traditional direct mailing. LINKEDIN LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) is a strictly business network that has nearly 40 million users, including executives of every Fortune 500 company; about half the members are from outside the United States. LinkedIn has specific job-posting and job-seeking applications, secure areas where you can conference with others, a survey tool, and other business aids. One application, Company Buzz, will automatically notify you if your company, or pre- set topics you choose, is mentioned on other networks. Another useful feature, Recommendations, allows you to post comments on people you have worked with; it's basically an online job reference. MYSPACE MySpace (www.myspace.com) touts itself as "a place for friends," but that hasn't deterred thousands of people from using it for business networking purposes. MySpace also contains numerous applications, and solicits members' suggestions for applications they would like to see. MySpace lets you map your family tree, connect with long-lost classmates and friends, visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 25

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