Winning friends is a lot like winning customers. You have to be all about them. How can you help them? And don’t make anyone think that you are out to get something from them.

If people feel liked, rather than used, you will find it a lot easier to build those relationships.

And like anything else, listen. Be genuinely interested in someone before you try to make their acquaintance. You can’t fake interest, or at least not for long. And people love to talk about themselves, but only if someone is listening.

I suppose I’m trying to say that becoming a success online is exactly like it is offline. I suppose the only difference is you really need to be good at communicating with the written word. I don’t think there are any secrets here, although for some of us computer geeks, there may be some social skills we could practice ;)

@Liz, next time you’re down, I’ll take you for a cream tea ;)

@Reasonable, never heard of Bob Cialdinis, but will check him out. I think this stuff is pretty universal and common sense so it’s probably in a lot of books.

One blogger friend who comments on my blogger always brings it down to be interested and interesting .

I would say be about THEM not about you . . . which your list shows beautifully.

As I’ve told a few friends before at SES conferences – don’t go to talk logistics to someone at the bar… go to make friends (know who to hobnob with) and have a good time with them… Then*** when your back at your desk and you have a question you can’t answer, you have a high ranking friend that can… and now they are a “friend” that can give you some advice… rather than someone your bothering for free information ;)

So anyone reading this post… that means buy me drinks when you see me at the next SES :D

JK – well not really…

DB