Guest Author - J. Lynn

Online Networking

Whether you are a Freelancer, a small business owner or looking for a job, online networking can be a great source for contacts and can even pull in that much sought after job you have been searching for.

Companies are sprouting up, daily it seems, offering their clients the opportunity to interact with others based on interests through simple keyword searches. Yahoo has YahooGroups, allowing users to form groups based on their interests in a Message Board type forum. Users can perform a search based on their location, occupation or other interest to find like minded others and once a member of the group, they can share experiences and more.

When I became a Virtual Assistant, YahooGroups was the first place I went and instantly, I found 5 YahooGroups for Virtual Assistants. As a member of these groups, I lurked for awhile reading the message postings but not joining in, until a member offered much needed advice on tax forms for Virtual Assistants. Topics ranged from business ideas to RFPs and soon enough, I had my first 3 clients from that one networking opportunity.

YahooGroups isn�t alone. Topica, Monster.com and newbie on the block, Ryze.com all offer their members this same networking forum with variances on style. At Ryze, membership is free, but if you want to use keywords to search for jobs or other members with commonalities, you have to upgrade to a Gold account for less than $10 a month. Ryze then allows you to add contacts and create new ones by visiting their Ryze website page, with html capabilities, and sign their guestbooks inviting them to also sign yours. Soon enough, you will have new people visiting your page daily and if you are proactive with the account, you can even find employment opportunities through those connections.

Membership matters so choose your groups wisely. It doesn�t serve any purpose to join 50 groups if none of them will garner the results you are looking for. When looking for the right group, make sure it fits your interests and that it isn�t an opportunity for someone to use the group as ad space. Check with other members to see what the groups have done for them and find out if they have any other recommendations for you. After all, that is what networking is all about.

Online Networking gives people from all over the world a chance to interact with each other and if you join enough of the right groups, that new job could be just around the corner.