Social Bookmarking and Social Networks

When I started online there was no global recession or things such as social bookmarking or social networks. But if you are not using networks and bookmarking it is like skydiving without a parachute and expecting you will be okay when you hit the ground.

 These two tools a long with a viral marketing  system will help increase web site traffic to your small business ideas, also produce critical back links that search engines need to rank your websites higher in their directories (a very good thing indeed).

If you are working from home and anticipate financial freedom, I suggest that you consider making bookmarking, networks and viral marketing a big part of your linking strategy to produce quality back links and boost your website page rank in the major search engine directories.

If you are not familiar with the term "Social Bookmarking", it is basically a way for Internet users to store, organize and manage bookmarks of their favorite sites online instead of saving them as bookmarks in their own PC's browser. These online bookmarks are usually categorized chronologically based on relevant keywords or tags. This process of tagging is commonly referred to as "Social Tagging".

Social Tagging is the process by which internet users add "metadata" in the form of keywords to shared content so that other online users with similar interests can easily find them online. These social bookmarks can either be made public (usually the case) or made private, shared only with specified groups of people within a certain domain.

Once registered at a Social Networks website (e.g. DIGG, StumbleUpon, Technocratic, etc.) you can begin bookmarking interesting and useful links of interest or expertise, in particular, interesting web pages from your own content, also you can view, sort and categorize them by keywords or tags. Most social bookmarking websites allow you to set up a RSS (Really Simple Syndication) web feed for each category that you submitted to. The main benefit is that it automatically alerts you to new bookmarking links in your areas of interest.

When your RSS web feed becomes viewable to other online users of similar interests, they can copy your submitted bookmarks to their own collection if they find it to be useful or interesting, bringing additional exposure to your submitted content. To attain maximum viral marketing results, you can actively promote your RSS web feeds to the various RSS directories and search engines, syndicate them and make them available to an even wider audience on the World Wide Web, not only are you increasing the level of exposure to your own site, you are also helping promote other people's content as well.  

You already know that knowledge is power and business education is the foundation on which to build a profitable business, so are you excited enough to know how that is done? Social bookmarking through social networks is similar to adding a web page you located on the web and decided to add that page in your favorites on your web browser. As a member of a bookmarking club you get increased credibility and Web site traffic that leads to making money online for your Web business.

It all starts with having services that focus on building online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.

Social bookmarking has created powerful new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people, and it now seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life. The main types of  services are those that contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), a means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust.

Below are two prime examples:

Tweeter has seemingly been looked upon as the distant not so admired sibling of the three popular sites. While many people question whether this social networking tool is a waste of valuable time and energy, the truth is that it is quite beneficial once businesses and professionals learn how to use it. Here are some interesting ways you can use Twitter to tweet yourself to success.

Follow People who Interest You Search for people and businesses who not only interest you but who may provide some sort of benefit for you. Whether it is beneficial information or possible contacts, you should take calculating steps to follow those who aren't going to waste your time and who will provide you with something to take away and learn from.

Offer Valuable and Interesting Information Of course some people will only tweet about what they ate for breakfast or what their plans are for the weekend, but Twitter can be so much more than just a juvenile social tool. The site can open up a land of opportunity for those who are willing to use it as such. Provide useful and interesting information to those who are following you and you will catch the eye of the very people you may have been intimidated to connect with previously. Post informative links and statements throughout the day to remain at the forefront of the very people you are hoping to connect with.

Use the Tools Available to You Get the most out of Twitter by taking advantage of its many support applications. Save yourself some valuable time by connecting your Facebook updates and Tweets with the Facebook for Twitter application. Using this tool will allow you to update your status on the two sites at once. But what if you use several social networking sites? Ping.fm allows you to update your status on all major networking sites including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

If you use FireFox, the TwitterFox will allow you to see updated Tweets straight from the web browser. Are you going on vacation and won't have access to a computer for regular tweeting? Using the TweetLater tool will allow you to schedule your tweets for when you are away! TweetLater can also send you emails with any activity you may wish to read up on, allowing you to track conversations and join in when you have a moment.

StumbleUpon is an Internet community that allows its users to discover and rate Web pages, photos, and videos. It is a personalized recommendation engine, which uses peer and networking principles.

Web pages are presented when the user clicks the "Stumble!" button on the browser's toolbar. StumbleUpon chooses which Web page to display based on the user's ratings of previous pages, ratings by his/her friends, and by the ratings of users with similar interests.

Users can rate, or choose not to rate, any Web page with a thumbs up or thumbs down, and clicking the Stumble button resembles "channel-surfing" the Web. There is also one-click blogging built in as well. Toolbar versions exist for Firefox, Mozilla Application Suite and Internet Explorer, but also works. These toolbars work with some independent Mozilla-based browsers.

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Page References

Business Optimization

Dynamic Online Traffic Targeting

Internet Marketing Plan

Marketing Tips

Online Second Income

Sample Mission Statement and Vision

Working From Home For Extra Income

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