Using good etiquette in social networking

Hi everyone, so excited to be a part of this close-knit community. I wanted to take a minute to share an acronym that I learned when I was involved in network market about 10 or so years back. It is called F-O-R-M or FORM. When you meet a new person, friend, acquaintenance, prospect, even someone who you might know slightly but not that well, here are some guidelines on how to communicate with them.

First, the "F" in F-O-R-M stands for "Family." Ask the person about their family. Hi, my name is Steve for example. I am married with two children, how about you? Encourage them to respond and allow them to speak. The second letter "O" stands for "Occupation." Ask them what they do for a living. Express real interest in them as a person. The third letter "R" stands for "Recreation." Talk about what each other likes to do for fun and recreation, such as play baseball, watch sports on TV, go to a live sporting event, etcetera.

That covers the "F-O-R" in F-O-R-M, leaving only the "M." My suggestion is to possibly start back over and discuss the first three a little more. This works well when you meet someone in person and would like to get to know each other in first 2 to 5 minutes of meeting, such as when you're at a party or social gathering.

However, I think that you can use it online too when emailing each other back and forth, using instant messenger, corresponding on social networking sites, and so forth. The final letter "M" stands for "Message." No, I'm not talking about giving a massage ha ha. I'm referring to getting to a point where you feel comfortable discussing what it is you would like to share with someone, such as about a business you own, a program that you are excited about, an event that you are coordinating, or whatever the message may be.

If you practice good F-O-R-M, both online and offline, then you are sure to make friends & build relationships. If you focus on the message first, on spamming people, on being selfish, then we all lose.