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I’m having a slight problem here… I believe I’m a tad overwhelmed with everything I’ve got on the go, and trying to figure out how to make it all work together. Social networking is the coolest concept since the TV was invented, but much like trying to figure out how to watch 5 different shows that are all on during the same time slot (ok.. now we have PVR and TIVO lol), social networking can creep right on in there and attempt to take over your life.

Here’s my current networking list:

	http://www.twitter.com/diannef
	http://profile.to/diannef/
	http://www.youtube.com/user/DianneFratscher
	http://entrecard.com/details/41365
	http://digg.com/users/wahmdianne
	http://friendfeed.com/diannef
	http://diannef.stumbleupon.com/
	http://www.blogcatalog.com/user/Diannef
	http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members/Diannef/
	http://diannef.qassia.com/
	http://www.technorati.com/people/technorati/wahmsunited

I’m sure there are more too… Qassia for example is one that I just joined on a recommendation from Angie, my partner over at Frugal Wahms Talk Radio, so I still have to start actively participate in that one.

Whenever I make a new blog post, it automatically gets posted to Twitter, and as I have my Twitter account set up in Friend Feed, it also updates Friend Feed killing two birds with one stone. Blog posts are also updated on my Entrecard profile, Blog Catalog and My Blog Log, in addition to both Twitter posts and blog posts being updated on my Facebook account.

My Stumbles will also be updated on my Facebook account, as well as Friend Feed, and I can submit them as content to Qassia (when I get it all figured out lol). Then of course there’s Digg - my account there is brand new so I haven’t dugg anything yet, or had anything dugg that I know of but I am working on adding over 300 friends from Entrecard (confusing huh?!)

I think what I need to do is while I’m dropping, I have to take a look at the first few blog posts and if I enjoy them, I need to give it a thumbs up on stumble, and digg it before I leave the site. I always try to read through the posts anyway, but until now haven’t paid much attention to the aspects of any other social networking sites. The key is to make them all work together with as little effort as possible.

I’m looking forward to next week’s 30 Day Challenge pre-season lessons when Ed will be teaching us more about Friend Feed. He’s mentioned it a few times the last few weeks but will go in depth next week.

Anyway, I guess my biggest thing is getting the time management aspect of everything under control so that I’m doing something constructive with my time. Any tips? Am I missing any social networking sites from my list?

Do you have more than one website or blog that you’d like to cross promote? Or perhaps one of your colleagues has an absolutely fantastic blog, and you would like to put some of their content on your own site. There is now a truly fantastic (and easy) way to do just that - actually, there are a few ways, depending on what your blog is made of.

Feevy -

Tags: feevy, simple pie, rss feeds, wordpress, blog

This is one of the questions that I hear about a lot, and it’s really not a difficult question to answer… but you have to be willing to do the work in order to achieve results.

Here’s a basic outline of everything that I do for my business:

1. Website - design the website, add content, find appropriate affiliate programs to fill in some of the blanks. I also make sure that I add Meta Tags that are unique to each and every page. In the case of an ecommerse store front (like the one I’m building now - more info later), I use ZenCart which also allows me to add meta tags to each and every product in the store.

2. Blog - is it better, worse or does it matter if you have your blog hosted on the same domain as your business website? In my personal opinion, it doesn’t matter. The one benefit that can be had for hosting a blog on another domain is that you can create backlinks to content on your website. The one issue I’ve had to deal with regarding a separate domain for my blog is that I now have 2 url’s to promote instead of just one. But this is where a plan come’s into play for marketing my business.

Normally my blog will be updated far more often than the content on my website. For example, the main content on WahmsUnited.com is only added to once per month, though there is plenty of opportunity for me to add content in other area’s (such as the announcement blog that’s built into that site, through the forums, and even by posting comments on other user profiles).

So, during the month here on Wahm Cafe, I’ll post content that links back to different area’s on WahmsUnited.com. All roads lead back to my main site - or at least they will after I finish making a few changes on this blog lol (I’ll keep ya’ll posted on what plugins I’m using etc. soon - they are really very cool, but want to complete a test period before spilling the beans).

Getting back to the question at hand though .. it’s your personal preference as to whether or not you want your blog hosted on your own domain in a subdirectory (ie: http://www.yourdomain.com/blog), in a subdomain (ie: http://blog.yourdomain.com), on a separate website completely (ie: http://www.yourblog.com) or even on a hosted solution (ie: http://www.blogspot.com/yourblog - Blogger example).

The truly important thing is that you are publishing content on a regular basis. I’m sure I’ll probably hear from readers who’s opinions differ, and that’s quite all right - in fact I’d love to encourage you to share your thoughts on the matter.

3. Submit articles to article directories and other blogs or websites that accept article submissions. Ensure that you have an ‘Authors Resource Box’ that links back to related content on your website (you don’t always have to link to your main page!!). Make your content available to others who would like to use it on their blogs or websites which will earn you more backlinks.

4. Send out announcements via Social Networking Communities like Twitter and Facebook regarding your website (and/or blog) and any updates that you’ve made. Also submit your content to other social media sites such as StumbleUpon and Digg.

5. Network, network, network!! There is nothing else like making new friends online, especially if those friends are in your target market lol. I absolutely adore Twitter and I’ve gotten some terrific business through my Twitter friends. The same goes for Facebook (though admittedly I also use Facebook to keep in touch with old friends and family too!).

6. Post on forums. Make sure that your posts are informative and helpful and not just ‘Hey, look at me!’ type posts. Always read the rules for each forum you participate in to ensure that you don’t do something wrong and get yourself kicked out.

7. Use your friends and family. This isn’t quite as appropriate for the Internet Marketing industry, but for crafters and direct sales consultants this type of marketing can be the cat’s meow. For example, if you make children’s clothing, let your own kids wear your creations. Guaranteed other Mom’s will be asking you where you bought that adorable outfit.

8. Stay in touch with your customers & clients. If at all possible, get their mailing address and date of birth which will allow you the opportunity to send them birthday cards and other snail mail specials. At the very least, invest in a mailing list provider such as Aweber and send out an email to your list at least monthly.

For each of the above ideas, we’ll be discussing them in further detail in the coming weeks. I’m sure I’ve probably missed some great marketing idea’s too - feel free to share your favorites with us. What it all comes down to though is that there is no one perfect marketing method. Instead it’s a combination of things including a ‘kick butt’ website. Something that will draw your visitors in and encourage them to stay and, more importantly, buy!

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