Calling all writers and designers: Does social networking work for you?

Lori - I was on LinkedIn... but then I fell off the wagon. I'm not a huge fan of Facebook. I've considered Twitter... if that's even considered social networking. I just started using Biznik (love it!) and I have a lot of interest in WordPress. It's free and it's a great way to showcase your work as a freelance writer! It also offers a lot of ways to communicate with fellow bloggers. At the end of the day, it's all about putting yourself out there in spaces that are best suited for you and your business :) - Erika Soltys @ the End of the Block http://endoftheblock.wordpress.com

Hi all. I have recently launched my own venture to assist small business owners with an entry into Social Media Marketing. I can help you build your profiles, help you decide where you customers "hang out" and therefore where you should focus your time, and how to manage the whole thing. It can really be a time-suck if you let it.

There are tools out there that help aggregate your tweets, make one post and it goes out to each of your platforms automatically, and can even do a delayed post for later if you plan to be out of town or otherwise unavailable.

As part of "getting found" on the net, you also want to consider optimizing your web content with keywords and SEO-friendly structure. I can give you some help on that as well, if needed.

Deb Ward, iMedia Buzz www.imediabuzz.com deb@imediabuzz.com

Hi,

I'm new to BizNik and discovered it by attending a seminar on social marketing from socialmediamagic.com.

I've been on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for months now and am still learning the do's and don'ts.

I have learned that having a very focused strategy is key to reaping success from Social Networking and that being on plaxo, merchant circle, alias and biznik are as important as the three biggies: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

I attended Tech Fest last week at the Oklahoma State University Tulsa Campus. I was told that over 70% of companies now search social media for potential employees. They also search social media to learn more about current employess. I believe social media is critical to career advancement. It can also be a major factor in marketing your products or services. I have been selling advertising in print media for the past seven years. I am seeing a trend moving from print to digital media. This trend is business owners are using social media to advertise their businesses and events. I urge you to spend time daily working on developing your online network.