About You

This page is about you. The comments on this page are open so that you can create a written self-portrait to share what you want others to know about you. If you feel that you'd like to start a conversation with other readers and with me about yourself - this is the right place to do that.

Ideal conversations here are about fair exchanges and reciprocity. I am deeply interested in listening and getting to know you.

Networking is a lot more than a business strategy to advance our professional position. As Theodore Zeldin puts it in an article about The Future of Networking, it is more than a device for creative media free-lancers, or a rescue package for redundant executives. Most of the population does not fit into these categories so we need to expand our definition for a clear vision of the future.

For networking will not realize its full potential until it benefits everybody, leaving no one out. Otherwise, we remain stuck in the rut which infuriated our ancestors, that the networks of the privileged were impenetrable by ordinary people. 

This is fundamentally what the vision for this space is and why I talk about connecting ideas and people. Zeldin talks about four areas of connection:

1. Finding links between ideas that seem unrelated - what you need to be imaginative is courage, which comes from curiosity and empathy, with a dash of experience.
2. Searching for what people have in common - to do that we discover compatibilities, what makes us human, and from that we develop strategies which are beautiful as well as efficient.
3. Developing friendships that override gender, racial and national stereotypes - all languages are welcome, although I might need your help to understand and welcome you properly.
4. Seeking to weave together networks of experience - so we can learn from each other. Every profession with intelligent people in it will want to be more.

Networking is a process through which we enable who we are to be activated - with empathy, compassion, and respect. My body of work may give you an idea of how I think. This is what I do. Tell us about you.

Connections you can make:

• Angel Investors, Meet Caroline Di Diego, Film Narrator and Entrepreneur
• Syndicators, Meet Bill Harman, Radio Program Director and Connector
• Law Enforcement Agents, Meet Christa Miller and Become Cops 2.0
• Connectors, Meet Ryan Stevens, Creator of Conversations on Relationship Marketing
• Change Agents, Meet Alex Grech, Change Incubator
• Producers, Meet Colleen Wainwright, the Communicatrix
• Multi-Lingual, Global Marketers, Meet Kelly Rigotti, Emerging Markets Student
• Small Business Owners, Meet Steve Gaines, Passionate Marketer
• Auto Enthusiasts, Meet Brian Driggs, Steering Communities since 2002
• Meet DJ Waldow, Community Builder
• John Spence Makes the Complex Awesomely Simple
• Architects, Meet Collier Ward, Content Creator
• Meet Gianandrea Facchini, Brand Buzz Detector
• B2B Marketers, Meet Jeremy Victor, Entrepreneur, Editor in Chief, Consultant

more coming soon...

Comments

[John Carson]

Thanks for your generosity, Valeria, in giving us this forum.

My name is John Carson, and I've been working in the media (UK/Canada) since 1995 as a journalist, editor, content manager, PR/communications guy -- and of course, aren't we all? -- social media consultant.

My latest project is co-founding Greenscroll, a non-profit helping people to invest in green energy projects to power the Internet. We all use it, right? Let's put something back! (That's my advert over.)

Thanks again, and feel free to connect with me via LinkedIn or Twitter.

Cheers,
John Carson
@johncarson / @greenscroll
www.johnjamescarson.com

[Pete Kunk]

Hello I'm Pete Kunk, I'm a partner with Built To Lead an Executive Coaching firm located in Powell Ohio. Our mission is to walk the halls of Corporate America, find those poor dead souls who have stopped dreaming, sold their souls and given up on meaningful work.....AND revive them! We eat sleep and breath Leadership Development.You can't lead anybody any further than you have lead yourself....leadership begins with you and your CORE Belief's.

I hate to admit this but I will....Twitter..FaceBook....all this Social Media stuff..."What does that have to do with serious business practices?" I can't believe I actually said that! I'm 58 years old and I love technology and learning new things... BUT I Just Didn't Get It!!

AND then one afternoon a beautiful, bright, high energy young lady (Kendra Ramirez) introduced me to Social Media Networking and Conversation Agent.....AND things have not been the same...I love the conversations taking place, the ideas,innovation and all the opportunities to truly connect as a community.

I read 10 blogs a day and a mound of information looking for fresh ideas and insights to share with clients. Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent has become my all time favorite Blog....AND the blog of choice for my clients....YOU make me look good every time I recommend you to a friend, client and the community.

This is a terrific idea, Thanks for allowing me to be part of it!

Pete Kunk
pk@builttolead.com

[Taylor Davidson]

Valeria, I love the range of people that have written in about themselves, and I think that points to your ability to connect with a wide range of people.

As you know, I'm Taylor. I love creating and connecting, and it shows up in many different ways on the web and elsewhere. I don't really like talking about myself; it's far more fun to just do stuff and let that show who we are. I am passionate about creating change to solve problems; instead of focusing on what exists currently, I like thinking of what could be and then working to make it happen.

I usually apply that focus to business strategy and financial modeling for growing companies; if you asked me what I was, I'll typically use "Business Designer", a term @thinksmith first introduced me to. I'm a generalist with a lot of specialties.

But you know that :)

Taylor / @tdavidson

[Jeremy Victor]

I've probably visited this page to introduce myself about 10 times, but for one reason or another I simply decided to do it at a later time. Well, today I would like to say, “Hi Valeria, my name is Jeremy Victor, nice to meet you.”

I live in Bucks County, PA with my wife and three children. I was born and raised in the area and am an alumni of North Penn High School. I love everything about this area, especially the spring that is about to break!

I'm founder of Make Good Media. We are a publisher and new media marketing agency. We publish the online magazine, http://www.b2bbloggers.com where I serve as the Editor In Chief. B2Bbloggers.com (@b2bbloggers - http://twitter.com/b2bbloggers) is an online magazine for B2B marketers. Our goal is to engage, educate, and make it easier for B2B marketers to find the information they care about to do their jobs successfully.

I am also the co-moderator (with Ksenia Coffman and Kent Huffman) of the newly launched #B2Bchat. You can follow @B2B_Chat for updates and of course you are invited to join us on every Thursday at 8 pm ET as we strive bring the B2B marketing community on Twitter together. We had a great discussion last week – here is a recap: http://www.b2bbloggers.com/blog/b2bchat-a-weekly-twitter-conversation-for-b2b-marketers/

I am a new entrepreneur as I just founded the http://www.makegoodmedia.com in July of last year. In 2009 I focused on launching B2Bbloggers.com and in the beginning of 2010, we began advising business on B2B social media and content marketing.

Our core consulting framework is built around five words - ATTRACT -> NURTURE -> ENGAGE -> CONVERT -> LOVE. We use this framework to help B2B companies create integrated marketing plans that align with the overall corporate objectives.

Additionally with my 15 years experience working in technology based companies in the areas of marketing, operations, and customer service and support, we are also helping companies answer the bigger question today, "How do we become a social business?"

Unfortunately due to a last minute conflict I was unable to attend the #140 Conf Meetup last night in Manayunk. I was truly looking forward to the opportunity of meeting you in person. I have been following your blog, retweeting your content, and learning a great deal from you over the past several months.

I see that you have several other speaking engagements coming up in the area, so maybe we will meet one day at an event soon. Or at a coffee shop in Doylestown. Whatever the case, when the day comes, it will be an honor and pleasure to meet you.

Thanks for this page … @jeremyvictor http://twitter.com/jeremyvictor

[Darcy Silvers]

Hi everyone - I'm Darcy Silvers, a freelance copywriter/PR consultant in the Philadelphia area. My specialty is e-commerce. I love a creative challenge, and thrive under deadline pressure (must be due to my journalism background).

[Ian Harris]

My name is Ian Harris.
I'm a mild-mannered Chartered Accountant practising in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
I have a deep interest in eCommerce and social networking.
I am also a director of a small private investment company that is seeking to bring a number of eCommerce projects to fruition.
Our initial project has been a new consciousness magazine which has a content-rich website behind it and an online store which will be appearing shortly (see www.theveritasmagazine.com).This project is already up and running and we are seeking additional capital to expand it.
I also write a political blog (Australia) from the perspective of a blowfly sitting on the shoulders of politicians and thinking about issues in this country. (www.theblowfly.com.au)
We presently have a variety of IT start-ups we are working on to get investor-ready. All are scalable and exceptional.
We are seeking to identify new sources of vapital and venture partners to bring these to fruition.
I am a student of Osterwalder's business model canvas notion and use this in my work. It is a remarkable tool for reviewing business models and developing new ones(www.businessmodelgeneration.com)
I am seeking collaborations which will advance my knowledge and the projects I am working on.