Networking With Blogs

In the past, people relied on websites for networking. Today, however, the newest thing

to hit the internet craze is the blog, or web log. It is fairly easy to create a blog to journal,

talk about events, express your thoughts and ideas, or do just about anything you want.

Without having to have a website yourself, you can create a blog that is hosted by a mass

blog website.

Blogs really hit the public scene during the 2004 presidential election. The reason is that

it gave many people a place to be heard both as a journalist and political commentator.

However, that type of blog is not always right for everyone. If you consider using a blog

for your own networking purposes, you can use it as a sort of diary or a place to share

your expertise on a particular topic.

Blogs can be updated quite easily and are hosted on a website, so you do not have to

worry about any lack of knowledge in the area of sites themselves. You may find that

you can use a blog instead of a newsletter and it would actually reach more people

because it could be viewed by anyone searching for keywords contained in your blog.

This means more profit, if you are using your blog as a money making device, because

you make more money when you reach more people.

But what are the benefits of your own blog? First of all, you are giving people a chance

to know you and learn from you. In a sense, you are generating a clientele or following.

Secondly, you give others an easy way to recommend you. They only have to provide a

link to others to tell them what is great about you! Finally, it helps you to stay on top of

things and become a cutting edge expert. You will have to do some research to make

sure your topics are fresh and interesting, and this will help you to know what is going on

in your area.

Once you decide that networking with blogs might be right for you, how do you get

started? There are three things that are most highly recommended for beginners to do

before jumping in headfirst. Consider the following tips.

First of all, take the time to read other blogs. Do a search on your favorite search engine

for blogs related to your potential topic. See what else is out there. This will help you to

see what types of things are being done in blogs that are successful and what things are

being done in blogs that are not doing as well. Consider emailing blog owners and

asking for guidance and assistance. In many cases, blog owners are more than happy to

help and are not as competitive as one might assume.

Secondly, research and read up on RSS. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is

one of several ways to publish your blog online. You can search for a free RSS reader in

your favorite search engine and use it to kelp keep track of the blogs you are reading.

Finally, start a blog! Some prefer to create their plan ahead of time while others want to

start it up and go with the flow. If you are prepared to take some time up front to get set

up, you'll be ready to roll in no time!