If you have been in business at any time in your life then you have been involved in some type of networking.
In decades past it was cocktails or dinner with a client or potential client.
Networking has always played a role in marketing a business or business opportunity.
The latest marketing tools, are the social networking sites.
There are dozens of these sites on the web and more get added on a daily basis.
More than half of all Americans, from those in their early teens to those heading for retirement are active on one or more social networking site.
More and more individuals are hosting their own blog to talk about themselves, their family or their business.
With technology and software becoming more user friendly, more people are using the Internet to stay connected with family and friends.
They are blogging and using social networking sites to meet people around the globe.
Individuals are using these sites to learn about products and services.
It is similar to talking to friends and family for recommendations for everything from where to have dinner, shop or visit.
It's the "word of mouth" advertising that business crave and need to grow and prosper.
Business and marketers continually look for ways to improve and expand their client base.
Social networking sites and blogs provide an avenue for these individuals to learn who their potential clients are on a personal level.
You get to know them as individuals first and then as clients.
It allows that personal touch which as been missing from business and from corporate America.
To use social networking sites effectively and to grow your business, individuals must remember that words have meaning and impact those reading them.
How you use words can directly impact the growth or decline of your business.
Many social sites promote a "free wheeling" atmosphere in conversations, therefore caution is advised in your conversations on those sites.
It is important to remember that words linger on the Internet long after your "log off" a site.
This written word is the presentation you have given of you and your business.
It's how you are representing yourself.
Social networking is about getting to know your potential clients and in turn letting them know who you are and what your business has to offer.
It's that human touch that, we as social creatures crave.
Many traditional marketers underestimate the power that social networking sites and blogs have on consumers.
They also underestimate the role that these sites will continue to play in business and with the growth of businesses.
With the growth of blogs and other social sites, those with online business or who are contemplating starting an online business must learn how to leverage these social networking sites to their advantage.
While more conventional marketing will continue to play a role in business and a marketing budget, marketers will need to be more fluid in their thinking and in their marketing techniques.
Networking, both in person and in cyperspace, is about being comfortable with connecting to people on an individual basis.
Confidence in yourself and in what you have to say can and will build your business and your network.