Developing Your Web Presence #5 - Online networking

Just a short post on this subject, but a very important one none the less! There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything you can to network online AND create AND live your life, so pick which are most enjoyable to you and try and stick with them - persistance is the key so they say!

[caption id="attachment_784" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Just a few social networking sites!"][/caption]

Consider ways you can network with others (and here are just a few!) -

• Forums - both in your special interest field as well as others, be active!  Show what you do!


• Social Networking Sites - Facebook, MySpace, IndiePublic, Beaders' Showcase etc. - again choose some that are specific to what you do and some that are broader based.


• Groups - once you have some online contacts, consider creating a group to discuss how you can help promote each other!


• Etsy! - If you belong to Etsy, join one or more Teams in areas of your interests - again these can be specific to your art or craft, as well as broader interest based groups.


• Flickr! - If you belong to Flickr or another image site, don't just post pictures - again join some groups and share what you've got to show.


• Twitter - Blogging in miniature - one sentence blog posts, it doesn't take long and again, you never know who might find you!


• Read Blogs - sign up for Google Reader or Bloglines or something similar and keep up to date with your favourite blogs, comment on them!  Leave your mark!

These things just scrape the surface, there are all number of other specialised networking tools out there, the main thing is that you network in a way that you can enjoy, so that it's not a chore and so that you will keep it up - most of the time anyway ;o)  Good luck!  I hope I run into you in my networking travels!

Let me know if this information is useful and if you have any other good ways of networking online!