Social Networking

So you have heard about it on the news, read about it in the paper and you still have no idea what all these people are talking about. No problem, I have you covered guys.

What are social networking sites?

All that social networking refers to is people coming together on a website to discuss similar interests. What! That's it?

Yes, there are lot of ways to put it and spin what this is, but in a nutshell that is it guys. These are a very powerful way to get a group of knowledgeable people to share what they know and how they learned. Not always are these groups about knowledge, but in most cases they are.

The reason that these sites are super powerful as a online marketer is that you can meet people and get to know them. Most people look at selling items like you actually have to sell an item. What I mean by that is that you can become a power seller of any product on these sites, not by trying to tell people to buy, but by making friends.

Yes, believe it or not, it has been proven that people are more likely to buy and tell friends about products that are offered by somebody that they feel they know.

Social bookmarking sites are very similar to these network sites, the difference being the focus on sharing links to popular blogs, videos and pictures online. These sites have an amazing power to grow website traffic and raise your Google search engine listings overnight if you have a lot of friends on them!

So quit trying to sell and learn how to make some new friends and get wealthy instead!

This is the first article in the series on Social Networking so make sure to watch for the next articles as they come out.

Related Networks Articles

Social Networking

Once signed onto a social network, having answered a few basic profile questions, it is easy to sit back and wonder what you are supposed to do next. Networking is based on a certain structure that allows people to both express their individuality and meet people with similar interests.

This structure includes having profiles, friends, blog posts, widgets, and usually something unique to that particular community website. Special features include the ability to 'poke' people on Facebook or high-five someone on Hi5.

Career websites can provide the cornerstone to recruiting efforts for a company and can be a great asset to the hungry professional hoping to leverage their corporate contacts in order to improve their job. Focused on business, these social structures provides the tools needed to reach out and make connections, find new jobs, or find specialized job seekers.

Whether you are looking for a promotion or looking for new opportunities, community business networking can be just the thing to advance your career. Career websites are also a boon to recruiters looking to fill urgent vacancies.

CompanyLoop is a business structure aimed at workers in the same company. By restricting access to only co-workers, CompanyLoop allows you to connect with your fellow employees and share knowledge specific to your vocation.

Not only can you stay up to date with your co-workers, you can find the people you need to get your tasks done faster. DoMyStuff is a website designed to connect people who want stuff done to people who will do it.

DoMyStuff allows everything from household chores to corporate tasks to be outsourced to thousands of assistants bidding on the jobs. An alternative to hiring a temp agency to fill short-term needs, DoMyStuff is also a good site for people looking to do odd jobs.

DOOSTANG is a company structure marketing itself as an exclusive career website for top young professionals. To become a member, you must either be at a company that is hiring or have an invite from a current member.

While the idea is to raise the level of talent in the job seeker pool, whether this is actually true is open for debate. Fast Pitch connects enterprising professionals to other professionals and is a great way for job seekers to become involved with potentially their next boss.

It also provides tools for businesses to market themselves and helps drive traffic to the company website. In this way, it is a great community for entrepreneurs.

Konnects is a website aimed at the young professional who wants to start building a network of contacts. It is also geared toward the new business looking to start their own community and offers the tools needed to promote the company.

LinkedIn is the most popular business website and one of the most recognizable social networks in the world. Focused on helping professionals maintain their list of connections, LinkedIn also provides invaluable information on companies and is a great resource for job seekers and for filling job vacancies.

PairUp takes a step away from the standard career website by focusing on the frequent business travel. Providing the tools to share travel plans and alert colleagues that you are arriving in town, PairUp is a great resource to cope with changing itineraries.

Ryze was one of the first social networking websites. With the ability to set up company structures, Ryze is a great destination for companies wanting to get more done on the web.

It is also great for professionals who want to create their own networks and connect with other professionals. Spoke is a business community that specializes on the recruiting aspects of social networks.

Unlike many other social structures for professionals, Spoke is an open-ended structure that allows companies to search through the database and tailor their recruiting efforts to a specialized audience. XING is one of the oldest business-oriented structures.

With over six million professionals using the service every day and conducting business in 16 different languages, XING is a world leader in career networking. An excellent site for keeping track of your contacts, XING can also help employers fill job vacancies and help young professionals land their first big job.


Find More Networks Articles

Business Networking Through Social Networking

 

Maximizing the potential of social networks can keep an edge from the competition. Maintaining a good communication line with customers online will increase the awareness of your brand and will establish your name as an established business owner.

In addition, social networks can also provide an excellent opportunity to begin a strong business networking virtually. Aside from savings in time, other important resources and funds for travel and other expenses needed to go to physical networking events are also eliminated. There are several means where social networking strategy can help in business, specifically in these areas: 

 

·   Marketing and advertising

·   Establishing brand name

·   Long-term customer relations

·   Building quality business interactions

·   Gathering business-related intelligence

·   Making online shopping a more positive experience

 

When selecting the right social media platform to be used for the business of the online business, it is essential to know where the customers are frequenting as well as their habits, preferences and demographics.

Once such information is known, the efforts should be aimed on the channels that they usually use. In some instances, these social media channels can be combined to cover what the business needs. 

 

Social Networking Sites

 

These are online platforms where people make their profiles, connect with the people they know or want to meet, let them speak out what they think, send messages, chat, and stay in touch with each other. There are general networking sites such as Twitter, Myspace and Facebook while there are networking sites for professionals such as LinkedIn, Swom, or Talkbiznow.  

 

Social networking sites also allow businesses to create pages representing the company, brand or service. In here, fans can follow and be updated with the latest events, promotions, or news about the online business promoted. These pages also allow business owners to have interaction with customers such as receiving feedbacks and answering inquiries. There are social networking sites which are converted into e-stores to allow online shopping for customers.

 

Blog

 

Blogging consists of regular writing and posting stories, commentaries, reviews and other related contents into a website. Customers and other professionals can access and read these posts. Usually, these blogs provide interaction, letting visitors leave comments, questions and message one another. 

Thought-provoking and issue-based questions can be posted to stimulate discussion and communication with customers. The blog can also be a channel to let customers find the business’ website which is not well-known in the public.  

 

Internet Forum

 

It is an online site where people posts questions about their specific concern. Other visitors can leave comments and answers. Business owners can maximize this channel by sharing their expertise and establish their reputation and might even build a strong business networking activity. Since many forums have moderators, posts have to be analyzed carefully to prevent deletion. In addition, those who are posting sales messages can be banned from the forum. 

 

Online PR

 

This includes joining into blogs which are not owned by the company with the intention of advertising the product or service. Blogs should be carefully chosen to get the right target market. 

Find More Networks Articles