If you have avoided social-networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook with the excuse that they are the domain of desperate job hunters or attention-seeking teenagers, it’s time to reconsider.

In a world of economic instability and corporate upheaval, savvy professionals like the technology consultant Josh So epitomize the benefits of brushing up your online image and keeping it polished.

When Mr. So, a 32-year-old from Dublin, Calif., learned he had 45 days to find a new job before his company eliminated his division, he turned to friends online.

Within hours of updating his job status on the social-networking site LinkedIn, Mr. So won four job interviews through his contacts there. Within a week, two of the interviews resulted in offers. And within less than a month, his employer counteroffered with a position in another division and a $25,000 bump in his annual salary.

The old business adage that it’s not what you know but who you know takes a twist in the Internet era: it’s what you know about social-networking sites that can get you ahead.

“Build your own inner circle of people you know are good — people you know will get you places,” Mr. So said.

While it lacks the glamour of more popular sites like MySpace and Facebook, LinkedIn “is the place to be,” said the JupiterResearch media analyst Barry Parr, if you want to make professional contacts online. LinkedIn is a “Chamber of Commerce mixer,” he said.

LinkedIn has more than 25 million members, and it is adding new ones at the rate of 1.2 million a month — or about one new networker every two seconds.

With that kind of mass demographic, LinkedIn is hard to ignore. But with that kind of scale, can it be useful? It can be if you use it judiciously.

LinkedIn is intended to appeal to its average user: the 41-year-old white-collar professional with an income of $109,000 a year. User pages are spare: a brief professional summary, a photo and a résumé.

As you create your network, the site shows you people you may know through past jobs or educational institutions. (Facebook also suggests contacts, but it starts with lists from your e-mail or instant messaging accounts.)

And there is a search function so you can find people you don’t know but would like to — for instance, at a company where you want a job.

You might be shy about calling or e-mailing people you have neglected, but the social-networking sites let you avoid that. You are simply renewing the connection when you add a contact.

Bernard Lunn, a Web technology entrepreneur in New York, describes LinkedIn as the ultimate Rolodex.

“I’m no spring chicken,” said Mr. Lunn, 53. “I’ve been in business for almost 30 years. I had lost touch with a lot of people and had spent time in different industries.”

The Web site did the work of finding people for him, providing a list of likely connections by searching its own database of people who had overlapped with him at past jobs. All Mr. Lunn had to do was review the list and select contacts he wanted to add to his network.

“Some of them are now doing very useful jobs,” he said.

That’s the point. You don’t have to fear you’ll be perceived as using them; they are on the site for the same reason. They might well intend to use you.

Even so, don’t go crazy trying to connect with everyone you brushed past in the hallway 20 years ago, or friends of friends. Too many people can weaken your network.

“We try to discourage promiscuous linking,” said Kay Luo, a spokeswoman for LinkedIn.

But don’t be afraid to network strategically. You want to connect to people who can get you jobs. “People usually invite up — people above them in hierarchy,” said Ms. Luo. “When you’re talking about a professional network, quality is so important.”

So if the No. 1 tactic is to connect with people who are useful and successful, how do you make sure you’re one of their worthy connections? There are a few helpful approaches.

Ask for recommendations. Mr. So, who so quickly parlayed his connections into job offers, said that having updated recommendations with his résumé on LinkedIn was crucial to being noticed.

“The only way to get recommendations is to go out and ask for it,” Mr. So said. “It’s kind of a weird system. I typically go to my bosses and peers and say, ‘Do you mind?’ ”

The flipside of that system is that it behooves you to be generous. Jeremiah K. Owyang, senior analyst at Forrester Research, has watched the growth of online social media since 2005 and advises social-networking users to follow an 80-20 rule. “Give information and answer questions 80 percent of the time, and 20 percent of the time ask for help,” he said.

When a contact asks for a recommendation, write it graciously and promptly. If you think that person isn’t worth a recommendation, think again about being connected to that person.

And remember the other social-networking sites. If LinkedIn is the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, then Facebook is the after-hours party (and MySpace is the all-night rave, which may make trolling for business connections there a bit trying). “Facebook seems a more natural way of communicating,” said Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst for eMarketer in Seattle. “LinkedIn seems more formal.”

Facebook, which began in 2004 as a way for college students to communicate, has more than 80 million active users. The fastest-growing segment is now those 25 years old and older, according to the company.

The site makes it easy to carry on a casual conversation or ask group questions. The easiest way to use it professionally is to join your employer’s network. And it helps to post interesting links that are relevant to your job.

The site features classified ads in the Facebook Marketplace, and there are job-hunting applications on the site, like Jobster. There are also tools for building a professional profile or online business cards. And you can use one of a handful of applications, liked LinkedIn Contacts, to connect your Facebook profile to LinkedIn.

But the social ease of Facebook makes it easy to look frivolous, all of the experts warned. If you tend to overshare, people in your network will quickly learn about the breakup of your marriage or your love of Jell-O shots. (Facebook now offers fine-tuned privacy settings, on the upper right side of the home page.)

So perhaps the best tip of all for online social networking would be: Keep the social separate from the networking.

source:sara jane tribble

Running and maintaining a website should not cost you big bucks. Paying for a super package on an internet hosting site will probably not do much more than leave a burning hole in your pocket. Optimizing and personalizing what is out there for free is much more cost-effective, has a warmer friendlier touch, and yes, is tons of fun.

The first step in order to make your site attractive, informative, and interactive is through posting articles which either you write up or find online. Submitting articles for your web site is what gives it a non threatening super commercial look.

The second step is to start blogging. Many people these days turn to blogs first when they are looking for anything from a new product they wish to buy to their daily news. Blogs are probably the most personal method of getting through to people and can build a community of loyal readers who will stay in touch with their input in the form of blog comments. Business blogs should be no exception.

The third is to start an automated e-mail list of people who fall into your target market audience and send them automated discounts and newsletters. This can be a bit tricky, because over-doing it may backfire, but if you make sure to send out useful information and promotions, chances are it will turn into a great form of marketing.

When all is done being said, it’s not the money which will get your business going, but rather the content. Good strategy which includes having all your mediums updated and answering the customers questions is what will keep your business going.

Networking in today’s age has vastly improved and changed from what it used to be. Knowing how to optimize and manage networking is probably one of the most important, if not the most important part of your business. Customers are the life and blood of any business, and targeting as many as possible in a dignified professional way is a real key to success.

One great way to start is with social media websites. There are a plethora of forums, blogs, and friendly networking sites to choose from. Forums and online discussion groups are another great way to boost sales.

Another idea is to give out free speeches. Volunteer your time at popular events and speak about your products. If you know your stuff well, you’ll be amazed about how many people will start enquiring after you give out your business cards.

One of the most optimal ways of really gaining a name for yourself and spreading the word is through actively helping organizations. Volunteer your time, and especially if you offer a service, see if any fundraising events or even company hosted parties will allow you to do free trials on people. They will most always be more than accommodating, and you will definitely gain plenty of exposure. People love getting things for free, and once you have them, if they considered it a positive experience, many times they will become addicted to you and your service.

On the other hand, here are a few old fashioned time-tested networking practices which have completely failed the test.

Building a List of Family and Friends- This only works when companies hire people to do the dirty work for them, and of course it only works for the company. If 10,000 people that they hired each got 2 people that’s plenty of money for them and a $3.50 check for you. Not to mention, being black listed from all the family parties.

Hotel Meetings and Driving all Over Town- Time and gas are costly and just because you pick up the tab for their lunch doesn’t mean they will sign up for you business. A “home based” business should be just that, home based.

Building a Fancy Website- There is no question that websites are a must in today’s world to really expand and face a nation wide market. On the other hand, spending huge amounts of money on a super fancy website which doesn’t necessarily do the job well in terms of targeting and putting the correct information with an easy navigation system. Having a fancy website which is useless to most people means nothing.

So make sure to use the right methods, have patience and persistence and before you know it, your business will expand boundlessly.