Online Communities - A Whole New World

Before the days of the Internet, when people wanted to socialize or network with other businesses, they did it the "old-fashioned" way, face-to-face. You met with your neighbors, went to networking events at local businesses, had dinner parties, and exchanged business cards with everyone you met. It's not to say that these events no longer happen or that this is no longer an effective way to get the word out about your business, it's just that the Internet has opened up a whole new world!

For example, who had heard of MySpace two years ago? Who hasn't heard of it now? Who would have thought that YouTube would become a viable launch pad for new talent and products? Blogging has allowed the average business person to become an overnight "expert" on a topic, just because they write about it. Even traditional media sources and journalists are using information published in blogs as newsworthy information.

Every niche has some form of social networking site, discussion forum or resource site, allowing individuals with specific interests the means to connect with others with similar interests. ClubMom and WAHM are sites specifically for moms - ClubMom is a huge social networking site for moms and all their interests and WAHM has a very busy discussion forum for mom's who work from home. Blogher and Technorati are just two of the many gathering spots for bloggers of all types. Yahoo has "groups" for every possible interest and the list goes on and on.

We'd love to hear about your favorite business or social networking site. Drop us a line in the comments and let us know!