The Power of Social Networking . . . 191 Be Clear about What Really Matters Nothing like social networking has existed in the past. Still, at least some classic truths apply. For example: pure talent is not enough! Many talented writers—or tal- ented athletes, or talented musicians—believe that their God- given abilities will bring success on their own. But the truth is this: talent only determines the upper limit of how far you can go. Whether you actually reach that upper limit depends on lots of other factors. 吀栀e good news is that most, if not all, of the deter- mining factors mentioned above are within your control. When you’re marketing yourself on the Internet, dis- playing your talent is not enough. You can’t simply post selections from your book, no matter how brilliant those selections may be. You’ve got to use the tools of elec- tronic media in a careful, cunning way. 吀栀ere’s an in昀椀nite amount of content on social networking sites! Getting the attention you deserve takes patience and persistence. 吀栀ere’s a lot more to it than just saying, “Look at me!” Monetizing Social Networks Just for fun, try thinking of your business as a solar sys- tem. You are the sun, and your work is the sunlight. Close to you are your inner planets; Mercury, Venus, and Earth,