Social networking has fast moved beyond the point of “just for fun” and into the realm of “must for business”. These sites now offer businesses all sorts of fantastic networking and promotional opportunities that can be neatly targeted and used to build your reputation. Other than their customisable features and potential the other advantage to these is their complete and utter mobility – update, add and modify from anywhere in the world. Here are ten of the best that you need for your profile…
1. Technorati
This internet search engine has been designed specifically to search blogs and currently has an index well into the upper millions. If you or your company has a blog then registering with Technorati is a good way to increase readership. You can categorise your blog effectively and use the service to leverage awareness.
2. Del.icio.us
A tasty name for a service that will help get your products, services and blog out there into the web. When you consider how much information is bursting into the net every day, this social bookmarking service will help readers find you and help you get noticed.
3. Ning
If your customer and client pools are big enough to share then why not create your own social networking site. Using Ning you can bring your customer and client base together in a confidential and secure location where you can share information, ideas and the latest news.
4. StumbleUpon
Add the StumbleUpon banner to your site and channel surf the web. Oh yes, this is definitely a time sink so be careful of losing precious hours to it but it is a good way to get your site recognised by the masses. If you categorise yourself correctly and keep your blog updated with great content then it’s likely other people with similar interests will find you.
5. Reddit
This is a brilliant service for getting your news and posts out into the world. You can upload your own content to drive traffic to your site or blog. If you submit items regularly, especially if they’re relevant and interesting, then you can build a loyal following over time.
6. LinkedIn
This particular service has been around for quite some time and lately it’s experienced a surge in popularity. The site is all about business contacts, business networking and six degrees of separation. By linking to your network of contacts you can eventually meet new people relevant to your line of work and effectively build business contacts.
7. Digg
This has an enormous following and any site without a Digg link is pretty much out of the loop. It’s extremely easy to use and includes a ton of information that will help you as well as provide you with an opportunity to add to the pot. Browse articles relevant to your industry and submit your own for others to read.
8. Squidoo
This particular networking site follows a simple, yet genius, idea. You create your own overview page, called a lens, and share your knowledge and expertise with the rest of the world. It’s a superb way to raise your profile by showing off your skills.
9. FaceBook
No longer just the domain of the young and spotty, Facebook has become a valuable networking tool. Create a profile for your business and use it to promote new work, latest news and advertise specials and services.
10. Plaxo
After you’ve registered with every social networking site on the planet, Plaxo will get your nicely organised. This site is essential a smart address book that syncs with Outlook and tracks your feeds with Twitter, Facebook, Digg and more.
