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Happy Valentines Day to my Empire Avenue Shareholders

What is the point of Social Networking? Why would you want to surround yourself with Weak Ties?

Much has been said about the value of a Facebook Friend, a Twitter Follower, a LinkedIn Connection, an Empire Avenue Shareholder, or a Google+ Engager. You caught that right? I used the word Engager to describe those I socially network with on Google+.

That was not always the case and I wan't to share with you a brief story to explain why.

I was one of the very few people to receive an invitation on Google+. There were between 2,000 and 5,000 people on the network when I joined. But then something happened, the members grew larger, grew wider, and grew more diverse everyday. No longer was Google+ just a place for the "Google Fan Boys", "Tech Geeks", and "Early Adopters".

Many came, many left, and many became dormant during that growth. As a result of my early forage into Google+, I quickly hit the 5,000 maximum number of people I could have in my combined Circles. I would struggle weekly to remove a few dead accounts to make way for new live accounts.

And then something happened that would forever change how I viewed my 5,000 limit.

Someone curated a group of Empire Avenue members on Google+ and proceeded to share that Circle so that others could benefit from it. I attempted to add that much valued Circle and was halted yet again with the Google+ 5,000 Limit.

Now for those unaware about Empire Avenue, let me tell you this in no uncertain terms. Empire Avenue is the most engaging Social Network I have come across. The gaming dynamics reward engagement and has been the source of the majority of my Likes, ReTweet, Shares, Comments and most importantly new connections.

So on that day I weighed my options. What was more important, 5,000 Strangers or 500 Engagers?

The answer was clear, for my Google+ Network to have meaning for me, it required an infusion of engagement. So I purged my Following Circle and only kept those in my Recent Interactions, Collaborators, Acquaintances and Friends Circles. I then proudly added this new shared Empire Avenue Circle to my fold.

For a Social Network to have value, it needs to have a high engagement factor. To achieve this, you need to constantly widen your horizons and bring in new voices, opinions and insights. You need to constantly identify the Engagers and purge the Strangers. For only by engaging will you ever be able to collaborate, and collaboration is the ultimate goal of Social Networking.

What is the point of Social Networking? Why would you want to surround yourself with Weak Ties?

Share your Google+ Circles with me.
Robert Lavigne, Your Social Business Mentor

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