Social media is about sharing. Your blog, your photos, your life – what you create finds meaning if it’s shared with the world at large. As a blogger, it’s not enough to post an entry regularly; you also have to make sure people who have an interest in your content can find it when they need it. That makes blog promotion not just a necessity for making money online but your social responsibility as well.
Having said that, it’s obvious to anyone online social networking sites are the best way to do your self-promotional efforts. It’s not just for family and friends wanting to stay connected or for business people wanting to collaborate, it’s for everyone – that includes you, the blogger, in relation to your community of readers.
So here are 10 social networking sites bloggers like you and me must use, or at least try. These sites are excellent for blog promotion and community building:
1. Facebook. Not the first but definitely the most popular of its kind. With its 300 million active users, Facebook presents you a big chunk of the online market. With status updates and sidebar widgets, promotion is easy with Facebook. Just remember to keep your profile public for best results.
2. Twitter. The undisputed top-ranking micro-blogging site, Twitter is popular among all sorts of people across all fields of expertise or social strata. If Paris Hilton tweets to her fans all day about mundane details of her very public existence, why shouldn’t you use it to share your posts with the tweeting public? Hey, if people love reading about Paris’ escapades, I’m sure you’d find more than a few souls out there who’d be grateful for the information you share.
3. LinkedIn. This is where you find professional connections. Connect with entrepreneurs, marketing experts and other people in different parts of the world. If employers mine Facebook for your public profile, why not make one specifically available? Trust me, even those in the sidelines are going to be interested in your resume.
4. MySpace. it used to be the number one social networking site on the web. And for some time, it was the most popular of its kind in the United States. In the last 18 months or so, however, probably due in part to phishing issues, MySpace’s popularity declined as users migrated to the now-more-popular competitor Facebook. Nevertheless, MySpace has excellent value to musicians and artists, as well as those who like a customized profile page design.
5. Bebo. Not as popular as either Facebook or MySpace but definitely gaining wider ground. With the introduction of new features that let users in on their friends’ updates on other social networking sites, Bebo’s definitely something bloggers should consider signing up for.
6. Friendster. Contrary to what many online denizens think, MySpace is not the mother of social networking sites; it’s Friendster. Founded in 2002, a year before MySpace and two years before Facebook, Friendster still retains a strong SouthEast Asian following. The bulk of its 75 million registered users in Asia are mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines. with its recent acquisition by MOL Global, a KL-based firm, Friendster is poised to harness the potential of its Asian market in 2010.
7. Orkut. Not as popular as the other social networking sites already mentioned especially in the US but Orkut has a loyal following in countries like India and Brazil. Now that’s a huge market as well. Surprisingly, it’s a Google-owned service.
8. Youtube. Yes, I know it’s a video-sharing site. But have you thought about those who prefer to watch videos than read? And what about those who are unable to read? Video-blogging and audio-blogging is as important as your regular text-blogging. Consider providing audio or video versions of your blog posts. You’d do well with a wider reach.
9. UStream TV. Take video blogging a step higher and broadcast live. Yeah, why not? You need not do it everyday. It’s fun to have live events to keep in touch and stay connected with your reader base. UStream TV lets you run your own show so keep it in your list of must-try social networking sites.
10. HootSuite. Rounding up our list of 10 is a tool to help you manage your memberships. Okay, so not all of the social networking sites can be managed on HootSuite just yet. But hey, having the ability to simultaneously manage and update status on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and PingFM makes it a worthy member of this recommended list.
