The trend in Social Networking is growing at a rapid pace and it is important for businesses to use this tool for marketing and expanding their audience to new levels. It creates so much awareness if done right. Here is a list of the top 7 Social Networking sites and a brief description on their relevance to help your spread your word! This list is in no particular order.

 

#1 LinkedIn Relationships Matter

LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals. You can meet people in your area, in your industry, get recommendations from clients (which will help boost the level of trust in a clients), read articles from the community, and post your own articles for exposure in your niche.

One thing I like about LinkedIn is that they have applications you can add to your profile. My favorite is Blog Link. You set the options to point to your blog on your website, and Blog Link automatically updates and displays your latest blogs' links on your LinkedIn profile. SEO people! To get an idea, visit my LinkedIn profile. Feel free to add me to your connections—I will do the same.

 

 

#2 Biznik Going it alone, together

Biznik isn't another LinkedIn clone. Biznik is for people who are building real businesses, not looking for their next job. It’s for sharing your ideas, not posting your resume. It’s the place where real conversations about small business and entrepreneurship are taking place. Biznik is similar to LinkedIn in a sense that you can create a business profile and create more exposure for your business, but you are able to deal with the community in your area, or where you want to, on a more personal level. Again, you can find clients, meet with others in your niche, and read/post articles. My favorite thing about Biznik is their articles and how you can sync your Twitter updates on your profile. Check out my Biznik profile.

 

 

#3 Facebook

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, post links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet. I think 90% of the population has a Facebook account. It is so popular and such a sweet tool to connect with friends and family. But, did you know that you can create business profiles with it. This is a great way to connect with followers. Join my Facebook page and stay updated with news about graphic design and the elements surrounding it! To get started on your Facebook Business page, click here.

 

 

#4 E.Factor

E.Factor" stands for "The Entrepreneur Factor" and represents a vibrant online community and virtual marketplace designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs love E.Factor.com because it's a place where they can focus exclusively on making business connections, negotiating deals, exchanging information, and advertising their products and services. Comprised of businesspeople and investors across an array of industries around the globe, the E.Factor community is ideal for entrepreneurs looking to increase their brand exposure, establish a network of high quality contacts, and acquire the funding needed to take their enterprise to the next level. This is another business profile networking tool like LinkedIn and Biznik. Check out my E.Factor profile.

 

 

#5 Twitter

Twitter is a text-based, micro-blogging tool that you can send and receive messages. You've heard of people tweeting before. If you haven't, well… now you have! So many businesses use Twitter—because it is successful! I tweet and get tweet all day everyday. I love it. I stay on the up 'n up for what is current in entrepreneurship, business, graphic design, logo design, web design, typography, tutorials, ideas… Everything. It's fantastic and I cannot say enough about it. If you are interested in updates in any of the above subjects, I encourage you to follow me! If you are looking for a laugh or two, or three, check out Twouble With Twitters from Current.com. It is good times.

 

 

#6 Startup Nation By Entrepreneurs, For Entrepreneurs

Startup Nation is your one-stop shop for entrepreneurial success and is one of the leading online content and community resource for entrepreneurs. It’s our belief that everyone can —and should—own a business, whether full-time or part-time. Our mission is to help you do just that! Inside our site, you’ll find all the easy-to-follow, practical information you could ever need to start and grow your own successful business. Great resources for opening your own business and to gain more exposure by creating your own business profile. Here is my Startup Nation profile.

 

 

#7 Behance

Behance is a gallery of creative portfolios, projects, and collaborations. A new platform for the creative professional community. Along with the normal profile of you, the designer, you can get constructive criticism, thumbs up, thumbs down, and comments on the items in your portfolio. Update: I recently created a profile page on Behance. It is great to check out other creatives. There are a TON of us on there. You can also comment, join 'circles' and get to know more about the industry and find friends! My Behance Gallery Portfolio.

Others worth mentioning

Here is a list of some other Social tools I use.

• Reddit – Upload stories and articles and creating a profile.
• Digg – Submit websites articles to stay updated in many different subjects.
• Del.icio.us – Upload all of your internet favorites, making them public or private.

 

So, of course there are a hell of a lot more Social Networking tools out there for personal and business use. However, these are the ones I use and find most important (and have the time for.) If you have others that you are using that I didn't mention, tell me what they are and link us to your profile!

Tags: Biznik, Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Networking, Traffic, Twitter

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 7:16 am and is filed under Social Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.