I recently took some photos of Biznik members for a new about page that we are creating. Madhu Singh gave me this nugget of a quote, “Biznik truly promotes relationships with the person and not just the company. If you respect the community by participating and promoting your peers you will gain the same respect back X 10!”

We see this concept proven over and over again. Members that participate by commenting on articles, lending their perspectives and expertise are the ones that foster relationships that lead, eventually, to business.

Alas, there is no model yet to prove the ROI of business networking. But really, does there need to be? Can’t you just tell that when you get yourself out there in one way or another, that results come your way? Sure, you could think about it like this: business=participation/time.

But why bother?

What is important is that you connect with other real business owners that are just as serious about their business as you are, find out what they need, try to fill that need with someone that you know; making good in this world for two of your peers.

As part of our attempts to mitigate the impact, your access to Biznik may have been inadvertently blocked.

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He was mad at me, and Biznik for not promoting the event.

I can understand that. It is frustrating going through the trouble of creating an event and then not having anyone show up.

The same holds true for writing an article that get no comments. It’s kind of like hosting an online event that no one shows up for.

So, I talked him down.

I told him that he needed to be consistent. I told him that he couldn’t give up. He was an unknown! He came out of no where and the first thing he did was host an event.

This community prizes the member who is a regular contributor in the events or in the articles section.

Plug at it, maybe one event a month, or one article a month. When you think about it like that – it is not so daunting.

The community will begin to see your face more often and you will begin to foster trust.

(Fast forward a year later, same guy is hosting the same event almost once a month with great success, 20+ people at every event.)

What do we do with them all? To start with… we read and review every single one.*

*(Every single one that comes from authors with a photo of themselves on their profile. Afterall, if we’re not going to publish an article from an author without a photo, there’s no sense reviewing it.)

Then, our editors select the articles relevant to business for circulation in the main Articles section, and feature the ones that they believe the community will get the most benefit out of.

A perk of ProVIP membership is gold star treatment. ProVIP articles go to the top of the editorial queue. ProVIP articles also include a linked bio of the author (SEO mojo) and post signatures on their comments (more SEO mojo) — something that occurs throughout the site, not just on articles. (It’s the post signatures that yield a ton of traffic to the authors’ own business websites.) And then I tweet the shining nuggets from ProVIP articles and put them on the Facebook wall.

To round it out, a weekly Hot Sheet of the articles circulated that week getting the most views and comments.

I try to space out articles by authors so that their best articles are not stacked on top of each other – but when an author is as successful as Carolyn Higgins, there is not much I can do.

Every once and a while this happens:

It’s not that Carolyn publishes too much – it’s just that when she does, she knocks it out of the park. And when an article does well, it continues to do so.

Here’s a peek at what Carolyn does well:

1. Her articles have snappy – but not too cute – titles

2. She is succinct and has a focused audience

3. Her formatting is easy to read

4. Most important of all: her writing is easy to understand and is packed with valuable content.

Congratulations on your success here, Carolyn – and thank you for your dedication to small business success and this community. With articles this popular, it’s obvious that they are helping a lot of people.

It isn’t easy to get your calendar cleared and do all the legwork to put together a great event – even if it is just a meet and greet mixer.

Here are a few Biznik members who made a serious effort to host events; this is am impressive list when you think about  how much knowledge was shared – not to mention the potential for introductions made and referrals passed.

Deborah Drake: 66 hosted events // 1038 attendees in 2011
Richard Whitaker :  33 hosted events // 213 attendees in 2011
Karen Wehrman:  30 hosted events // 189 attendees in 2011
Bob Dunn:  24 hosted events // 440 attendees in 2011
Tshombe Brown:  20 hosted events // 83 attendees in 2011
Angel True:  19 hosted events // 65 attendees in 2011
Elias Melas: 18 hosted events // 82 attendees in 2011
Kate Phillips: 17 hosted events // 252 attendees in 2011
Brad Rodgers: 15 hosted events // 70 attendees in 2011
Mélanie Hope: 15 hosted events // 79 attendees in 2011
Sloan Coleman:  14 hosted events // 45 attendees in 2011
Steven Sieden:  14 hosted events // 213 attendees in 2011
Allen Snook : 13 hosted events // 100 attendees in 2011
Pete DiSantis:  11 hosted events // 66 attendees in 2011
Kaya Singer: 10 hosted events // 103 attendees in 2011

Nor is it easy to go to a networking event when your cozy couch is waiting for you at home. Here are some of the Biznik members who made the biggest effort to get out and meet the community in 2011

Here were some of the most active conversation starters.

What is a forum post without anyone commenting on it. Here are some of the most engaged members in the forum.

Thanks gang for keeping the ball rolling!

I’m in favor of curbing online piracy. The SOPA & PIPA bill do more. They allow the blockage of a site even if the supposed copyright infringement is user generated content. Theoretically, you could be shut down for a comment on your blog that violates a copyright. Sites like Facebook, Wikipedia, and Biznik couldn’t exist. Get it? If this bill passes, we’re giving the government the right to shut down sites. It would be the end of the internet as we know it. Not OK.

Still confused? Watch this video by Fight for the Future:

What can you do? You can start by signing one of the myriad of petitions out there. This one was originated by Google: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Don’t let this happen. Stop censorship.

Having access to a curated selection of edited business articles is a big benefit for the author, frequently resulting in clients.

And clients are good. Except for when they are not. But even that is addressed in the Biznik article sections!

As these articles suggest, writing and also participating in the Biznik articles is hugely valuable use of time. I hope you enjoy these articles, or re-enjoy them as the case may be.

And if you write, consider publishing your content on Biznik. Notice what types of aricles have been most successful here:

1. Articles that clearly state the authors perspective
2. Articles that are casual and easy to read but are packed with great insight
3. Articles that are timely with snappy (but not too snappy) titles.
4. Check out a little piece I wrote which may help you formalize your thoughts. Think You’re a Melville?

If you submit something, and it is good, but just needs a little work, our editors will help you finalize it before circulation, because the whole community benefits from a well written article.

Brian Crouch of MUSIC Group Services US

The most read and commented article on Biznik in 2011 was A Groupon Tale: the parable of the Cobbler by Brian Crouch.

It was written during a time that Groupon was in its like fifth round of financing. He struck when the hammer was hot and it proved to be a very powerful for people.

Because Biznik members get the one to one relationship between client and profit that can exist, site like Groupon are difficult for some to grock. Though, as many commenters noted, it works for some business sometimes, but no matter what, there must be a plan implemented

An excerpt from the comments, “A brilliant way to explain the Groupon model. I was captivated by your story.” – Judy Dunn

Carolyn Higgins of Fortune Marketing Company

Carolyn Higgins has been on fire this year. She is funny, smart and offers a TON of awesome advice. Her easy to understand and implement business sense has definitely been a help to Biznik members this year. Her most read article of 2011 was 6 Things Every Business Owner Can Learn From Lady Gaga and the most commented on article , with 94 comments is Top 7 Reasons to Fire a Customer. I hope she continues to offer up articles for a long long time.

Here is an excerpt from the Lady Gaga article: Know your audience and connect– Lady Gaga knows her audience, she has a huge fan base of young and old who feel disconnected and disenfranchised in the world and she speaks to and connects with them in her music, her image and her interviews.  She moves them because she understands them so well.  Who are your “fans”/customers?  What moves them and what do you do to move them? What do you do on every levelto connect with them?

Galen Emanuele from The Upfront Theater

Not only is the article by Galen Emanuele full of insight, so is the incredibly diverse and thoughtful discussion that follows. Galen’s was one of the top three most read and commented-on articles of 2011 with Stop wasting time marketing on social media like EVERYONE else. I think it shows the state at which many Biznik members are engaging at different social and interactive levels.

Here is a taste of what Galen has to say is found in a comment he made a week after publishing the article, “The point I will always go back to again and again is you’ve got to know what you’re using and what you’re using it for. You don’t catch lobsters the same way you catch a salmon even though they both live under water. If I see a bunch of people with fishing rods pulling up salmon into boats and I need a lobster, copying them by tossing a line into the water isn’t going to get me what I want.”

To the outside 2011 may have looked like a year of business-as-usual. Behind the scenes our team-of-three has been hard at work developing “Biznik 3″. The genesis of Biznik 3 is a drive to take the work out of networking. We can’t take all the work out of networking — you still need to show up and talk to people — but Biznik 3 is a utility that helps you manage your peer-to-peer business relationships, track the referrals and recommendations that come out of your networking, and figure out just where you should be spending your valuable time. Some updates to the online community we all know and love will accompany this launch.

Change is never easy. I know this better than anyone — Biznik’s been my baby for 6 years. But I hope it will ease the transition to know just how excited I am about the direction we’re taking Biznik. It remains aligned with our original mission, to be a place where business networking doesn’t suck.

We’re wrapping it up now and will have it out before spring sets in.

Despite the amount of energy that’s been focused on this development, 2011 included some new developments not related to Biznik 3, such as the Member Book Promotion.

Biznik is full of massively talented people who’ve carved a way a through the world fueled by their vision. Amongst those ranks are a number of people who shared their vision in the form of a published book. You meet many of them every day in the articles section. Now you can see the books they published too. Seeing the cover of a book published by the very author who wrote an article I’m reading, adds validity and authority to their words. We wanted to create a way to support these authors further with an SEO-enhanced listing and a link to the site where a purchase can be made. Listings appear on the author’s profile as well as in the sidebar of the articles they publish on Biznik.

Another development was a reorganization of Biz Talk. One of Biznik’s first rules of engagement is to show up. As I like to say, Biznik is more than a networking platform, it’s a community, a movement — it’s a revolutionary way of interacting with your peers. Show up by contributing in the forums. “In ni che“.

We hosted two events in the Biznik Innovators Series in 2011, and lost our partner and dear friend, Kim Ricketts, to cancer. Kim’s talent as a networker, her extraordinary ability to form and nurture relationships with influential people, and her success with Kim Ricketts Book Events, brought the likes of Gary Vaynerchuk, Daniel Pink and Chris Brogan to our stage since 2009. We miss Kim and the innovative spark she brought to all her projects.

The biggest highlight of the year was our participation in the Seattle Interactive Conference. Matt rallied together a seriously impressive group of speakers for the Biznik stage, including Biznik’s LA Ambassador, Colleen Wainwright. I presented, Your Friends Don’t Trust You, Nor Should They, on the main stage, which fueled passion to get out there and speak more. We’re already excited about the next one in November 2012.

I hope this message finds you well-rested and eager to start 2012. From one indie business person to another, go get ‘em and make this your best year yet!

Right around the corner is something huge. It’s massive. (Can you tell I’m excited?)
We’ve been working on an awesome new project at Biznik, which will deliver you a game-changing peer-to-peer networking tool unlike any we’ve found out there.

“Biznik 3″ plans take the work out of networking, by connecting you with friends you already know, and the friends who trust them, while helping you take care of the people who are most valuable to your business — the ones who bring you business.

With this change comes new prices — the first-ever price increase at Biznik.
If you know the value of Biznik ProVIP, now’s your chance to lock in 2011′s price.
If you haven’t tried a paid membership yet… this may entice you.

A year of ProVIP at 2011′s price + 2 months FREE!

That’s 12 months for the current price of TEN!
In other words — get all the benefits of ProVIP (plus the new features too) for $240 through the END of 2012.

But you have to act now. This offer ends 1/15/12.

We’ve never done this before. This is it. Increase visibility and strengthen your SEO while locking in the gold-star benefits at the 2011 price.

Don’t just take our word for it…

“I highly recommend you upgrade to Pro or Pro VIP status. I joined as a Pro VIP and have never regretted it.  I have been repaid many times over and so will you. I credit Biznik for much of the success of my business.” — Bill Bradfield

“I stopped all marketing expenditure, quit the BNI, changed my business model and joined Biznik as a fully paid up member. So my marketing budget is now a grand total of $24 per month. And business has never been better!” — Sara Eizen

“I usually charge between $2,000-$10,000 for SEO consultation so the $24/month Biznik membership is a steal. Honestly. I recently got a new client that cold-called me and I asked him how he found me and he said he typed in “SEM Guru” in Google and there was my Biznik profile.” — Brian Rauschenbach

What are the new prices? We’re still working that out. Be assured that the savings should exceed $150 (if not more).

Lock it in.