Networking For Your Online Business

Networking is a must for living out here!

Networking will help you grow your business. Even if the people you network with aren't the ones buying your products or hiring you for whatever it is you do. So how do they help grow your business? Well, one way is that you are talking to others in the online business world. You are discussing strategies and ideas they, and you, may have tried or want to try. Then you get their opinions of your business, or website, or what you have written. It may be exactly what you need to get your business on the right track.

There are so many networking sites that I can't name them all. I only use a few myself. If you belong to all of them, you will never be able to be a quality networker on that many sites. I have joined some that I never go to any  longer. I concentrate on some that I really like, and that seems to help me the most.

If you go to a site that consists of others listing their websites or businesses, and never make quality comments to each other.......then what's the sense? That is how I feel about LinkedIn. It is not worth the time. I have  joined the group for Amazon Associates and posted in their forum. Unless you comment on someone else's post, nobody ever makes a decent comment to you about what you wrote. So I don't go there anymore.

If you write a blog, I'd say the absolutely BEST networking site is The Blogfrog. Being a member there has improved my blog 100% since the beginning of last year. My blog, Homesteading On The Internet has evolved to a quality blog and I am very proud of it. I have learned so much from hanging out in the The Redhead Riter's Community there!

So how do you network? What do you like about it or not like about it? Do you feel it has helped you in any way? Joining forums is a great networking tool. I have belonged to some good ones over the years. Some that are homesteading ones which is my niche. I belong to others too. But it helps if you have some kind of problem and can ask someone else what they think or what they would do.

Selling on Bonanza has been another one of my streams of income. They have a forum and the people on there are really nice and helpful. I have found that by being on there and making posts more people know who you are and will seek out your booth. I mean we are all chasing the almighty dollar and the only way to do that is by socializing with others online. I would rather buy from someone I know than a complete stranger if I can. I will always check on Bonanza for something before I buy it somewhere else.

Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Identifying My Many Streams Of Income

Photo Source: Jon Sullivan

In trying to keep with my goal of adding many streams of income, I have been working on updating my first eBook, My Homesteading Journey. It needs to be updated every now and then. So in a short time I should have that done and for sale again.

Another stream of income, is my Bonanza booth. So I am working on adding more items for sale there. The more you have the more you sell. If you don't have sales, you just keep adding items. I did that when I had my eBay store. The difference here is that it does not cost anything to list the items on Bonanza so you can just keep listing. I am.

I consider another stream of income is the savings I can achieve through saving money on bills and things we buy. It is a savings of money not spent. So it is another stream of income.

I have been putting ads on some of my blogs and you will see that people have been doing this with me. I like those kind of ads better than affiliate links. They are more personal. I know the person in a way. At least I have emailed back and forth and hopefully, they are who they say they are. That is another stream of income.

Of course, I sell guitar strings on my two websites and that is another stream also. The sales did good for the holidays and now hoping they will pick up more. Working on the marketing part of that.

How many streams of income have you identified in your life? Remember it comes from other sources than just someone paying you for something. Could be a garden which makes it so you don't have to pay so much at the store? Or using coupons to buy groceries and other things? Or bartering? What about swapping babysitting with another mother who works a different shift than you do? What a big savings that would be! Think about it. Sometimes it is right under your nose and you just have to identify it and work on it a little bit.

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole