Search our Site:

Networking Socially on an Internet Business Platform

Whenever there is a coffee table discussion about Web 2.

Whenever there is a coffee table discussion about Web 2.0 among tech savvy revelers, the focus invariably turns to social networking sites because of the way they have transformed Internet behavior patterns globally. Social networking happens to be the fastest growing segment on the web with new web sites, portals and applications being announced every day..

What is Social Networking The single most distinguishing feature of the current tidal wave on the Internet is that it provides a forum for two-way communication and active participation. Gone are the days when the Internet was merely a one-way conduit for information research. You can not only seek information today on the Net but also, comment on its quality, add to it, promote it and even rate it on a point rating scale. Social networking also gives surfers opportunities to talk to one another, develop friendships, associations and long-lasting relationships not necessarily restricted to dating romance and marriage. Like-minded individuals who share a common passion—short wave radio for instance—can form their own group or social network. Businesses too have found that the Internet provides a powerful forum to network from a business perspective which eventually streamlines and promotes the process of buying and selling of products and services. Three Ways to Leverage the Power of Social Networking for Business Growth Building online communities with a common social agenda is no longer fashionable today, it has become standard practice. As long as there is place on the band wagon, here are three reasons why you should do so quickly assuming you haven’t done so already: Beyond the First Wave If you own or operate an Internet business or are thinking of doing so, the social networking segment is one that you should carefully consider. Social networking sites allow you to build your company’s profile on the site complete with streaming video, pictures, podcasts and rich descriptive textual content. This allows your company to cash in on the phenomenal visitor traffic these web sites experience every day. Many net surfers visit these social networking sites to simply “look around” and browse web pages. Moreover, it is easy to locate businesses in a specific category because of the high quality of search functionality these social networking sites possess. Back Linking and Page Rank Secondly, your company profile on a social networking site can generate valuable back links for your corporate site which in turn has the potential of improving your page rank. As long as these back links are meaningful with appropriate anchor text, the benefits can be worth the effort. Lead Generation through Social Networking A confirmed and stable presence on a social networking site provides you with access to other companies and their accompanying profiles. This can serve as a valuable marketing tool and can help you identify potential customers who may have a need for your products or services. The sales leads you will generate through your listing are warm because you are already sharing a common communication platform with your potential customer base. Social networking sites to choose from Although FaceBook, MySpace and Orcut are the obvious choices, there are others which you should seriously consider. These sites have an almost exclusive business focus and welcome corporate participation. They include: • Linkedin.com • Ryze.com • Zominfo.com • linkya.com You should actively consider incorporating social networking on your marketing mandate because of the current trend toward two-way interactivity and the potential for immense business growth. More information about SSL with Purpose can be found at http://ssl.live2support.com/webpromotion.php