Alignable and Me: A chance date that turned into something more… When I received an email invitation from Alignable, I pushed it aside and tagged it to “look at later”. My thought pattern was being this another Foursquare, Myspace or any other hopeful that would become the next footnote in the social world? Probably so, so why do it? On a rare day of a little time on my hands, I decided to do a mini-probe and see what this was all about. I was impressed, for a newer social media platform, it really had their act together. Well laid out, easy to manage, and has a great outlet for Q&A. Lets’ do this, I thought to myself, and I signed up and started setting my profile up. Simple, elegant, and quick… I liked it. It was the first date, and though I was impressed I still felt that my time was spend better elsewhere. You know that old dating partner, the one you have known for years, has been a little distant and full of themselves but still familiar and you just don’t want to change… yes, that one. Mine was LinkedIn, and it really had me in its hooks, I couldn’t let go, I mean we had been together since 2003 and had grown together. So, I still flirted a little with Alignable, I mean I didn’t feel like LinkedIn and I were exclusive or anything, it’s not like Facebook or Twitter don’t get a lunch date or a texting time a few moments a week, so why not, right? My relationship with LinkedIn started to go sour though, and a break up becomes apparent. What was I to do? I needed a business platform, I needed a way to voice my concerns, connect with like-minded business, and to hopefully show my abilities to a solid business community…. No others came close to Alignable. As I really dug in and deepened my knowledge of this potential partner, I found what I was looking for, and I believe better than anyone out there. I completely severed my ties with LinkedIn, and decided to go full throttle with Alignable, and here is what I found:
Business Focus: 100% Getting Slammed with Offers: Not Going to Happen Strong Forum with a good balance of rules and freedom: BAM! Community Support: Yes, for your contacts and yes for your actual community of businesses Really focused on helping members succeed, its there and in multiples!
But here is the real beauty of Alignable, the secret sauce, if you may, is that it will best serve you and your business if you serve it…. Let me explain, it's like a relationship, it really is exactly what you put into it. Alignable is the perfect business companion, eager to become your best place to connect, learn, and grow… but it will not budge until you show what you are willing to give also, which I love…. You have three basic areas, as of today's date, to work in: My Network, here is where all your connections and potential connections are My Community, this is your drill down for local Q&A Forum, overall nationwide Forum
My Network get to know this one. This is where you can look for the type businesses that you want to connect with. Like industries, complementary industries, businesses that can help you and businesses that you can help. Make it a great mix, and I also personally try to look for people that are active on the site, it just makes good business sense to search for ones that will provide great content for you and you can do likewise.
My Community, that is a great resource for what is going on most current within your scope, the larger your network, the better that is.
Q&A Forum, my favorite one. You can do nationwide and your local on this one. You also have the Alignable Blog (another great resource) and then Brand ratings.
On the actual Forum part, whether Nationwide or local is the place to be. There are so many options here. Ask your own question, search for questions and offer your answer. Read other viewpoints, there is so much to do here. This is YOUR forum, own it…. This is where you can be the expert in what you know. Offer up your knowledge base, don’t hold back, full throttle in. You will find that it is so much you can offer, and yet so much that you can learn here that is an amazing part of Alignable. For me. I spend a good hour or so a day, searching, answering and getting to know my community. It has enriched my business life and has opened a lot of doors for not only new business for me but for me to do business with people that were way better choices than a Google or Facebook search. It is truly a top source of help without all the clutter that is on other sites. How has this worked for me? My goal is not to “sell” something or make myself look like a guru, or show my business acumen. My goal is to provide the very best I of what I have in me. If I have something to offer, answer to a question, bring insight on situation, or any other positive touchpoint, I provide it. Do I market on Alignable? Of Course, but it is not my main goal. This platform is built for people that want to contribute, build a community of trust and then do business with one another, in that order. Work within Alignable with that in mind, and you will get connections that want the same thing. I love it when my contacts reach out to me and we talk, 80% of the time either I become their client, or they become mine, either way I am happy. So far, I have been able to secure 6 new clients off Alignable and have 8 more in the pipe line. In summary, I really feel I have found my home, my main source of business networking and a great learning experience. But you must show the love, to get the love, and you really don’t have to work hard for it. Let your experience with Alignable be a relaxed and enjoyable experience and I am sure everything will flow your way, just like it did/will for that life partner, nothing strained just a natural course to where you should have been all along.