To begin with, let me say this: you cannot expect to be a relevant member of any community unless you participate. By success, I don't refer to what modern society is promoting - extreme wealth and celebrity status, but rather the measure of appreciation and respect from the community because of the actual value of our services, commercial or not.

Being successful in the Vibune community and perhaps in any other social environment is a combination of image, participation and engagement that allows others to see what we stand for and potentially relate enough to accept us as a provider of some value.

Image

The first step is to make sure you have a profile that can stand out - without exaggerating, and shows a bit of your inner soul. A well-chosen cover picture, combined with a good quality profile picture, will instantly set the tone.

Complemented by a nice profile description (I'd go for short and sweet), and you have introduced yourself to anyone in the community who is curious enough to check you out.

As it stands now, the ViBuNe personal profile doesn't have other features, and it may remain like this as we don't need much on a personal level.

The next step is to combine your profile with the profile of the Organization you represent - most likely your business. On the ViBuNe platform, you can achieve this by creating a second profile as Organization. Having an organization profile provides a chance to participate on its behalf - you can switch between the two entities and publish content and other items as the business. This combination will enhance your visibility and help members understand what kind of products, services or assistance you can provide - officially.

Participation

Once you join and make sure you are easily recognizable, and members can understand who you are, you can bring your knowledge and experience to enrich the community. Have your say, like what you find somewhat valuable, let people know how you think.

Befriend people you are interested in conversing with and be yourself whilst observing the unwritten rules of social etiquette, even though this is an online environment. Too many social platforms suffer from "courage behind the keyboard" syndrome, and we'd love to see a different situation on Vibune. After all, it is a business environment :). The core advice I'd give is: don't try to sell by all means; lead people to want to buy from you - and you'll find good customers for years to come.

If you opt for becoming a Patron (or other paid membership level), you will have more tools at your disposal to be involved proactively. Like they always say: the more you give, the more you get.

Engagement

It may sound like a tough one to crack, but any business entrepreneur knows that sales are a function of how we engage our clientele. If we have a story to tell, a journey to take them on that matches theirs, they'll be happy to tag along and end uncomfortable enough to buy our services and products.

So all I can say is this: Make an effort, it will be worth it. Ask for help if you don't know where to start. Many of us are happy to explain things and show the direction. After all, we can only build a strong community together.

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Let me know in your comments how you think this can work for you or if you have more advice you can bring to the table.

And don't forget: Connect. Share. Innovate.