Continuing my little expose on how I’m doing in wally world as a WAHM, I’m going to further expound on my adventures in Twitterville.

First, I’m going to say this work-at-home Gram from Dysfunction Junction, CT is finding it’s a ton of fun ~ I enjoy getting the little pop-ups on Twitterfox, and getting to know the personalities of all my Tweeps.  While working late at night, I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Olympics.  However, there’s one gal who updates regularly, every 10 minutes or so, on what exactly has been going on!  She’s so entertaining (besides being the author of a terrific blog, Send Chocolate, that I suggested last night that she bottle all the commentary on the Olympics into an eBook!

But I digress.  Seriously, Twitter is an excellent platform for micro-blogging and marketing your product, be it a blog, service, eBay store or mission.

If you find yourself in a position that you need to understand your target customer as well as keep up with various ways of marketing to those potential customers, Twitter is one of the most powerful and popular tools out there right now!  This new type of network communication has been taken up by companies and individuals alike in recent months and for good reason.

To get a better understanding of Twitter, let’s first take a look at the format.  Essentially, Twitter is a program that allows you to make very small, public posts.  Because these posts are so limited (they max out at 140 characters) they can easily be sent to a number of different locations all at once.  When you have written a Twitter, it can appear on the twitter website, on short message services, instant messaging sites or even on third-party applications like Facebook or Twitterific.  Folks can even add a script to their blog or website to show their most recent posts and the posts of others!   I have a blue widget box on my right sidebar.   Your Twitter messages, also known tweets, will appear to anyone who has chosen to follow your updates.

There are several advantages to this type of communication.  The first thing that you’ll discover is that it allows for a much more immediate relay of information.  The shortness of the message forces you to be very brief, and this alone can create interest in those reading.  Because tweets are so short, they often lead to frequent posting, which is excellent when you’re looking to communicate with people and to get to know them.  While Twitter is, by default, public, you can restrict the people who see your material with the ease of checking a box in your profile.

Actually, although I rarely have to do this, last night and so far tonight have been the exception.  I believe it’s a full-moon this week, and true to form, the crazies are coming out of the walls.  I, along with a few of  my fellow Tweeps, have had to block several people.  If these folks have a trillion people that they’re following, and only 1 or 2 followers of their own and no website listed - that’s a sure sign of a Spammer or bored teen, and an instant BLOCK.  But don’t let that discourage you.  It happens in e-mail programs too.

You’ll find that not only can you post tweets, you can also receive them.  Once again, the immediate nature of this service lends greatly to its appeal.  Want to follow someone’s updates and see what they are up to with their business or life in general? Simply sign into your Twitter account, type in their Twitter address or username and click the “Follow” button.  That’s all there is to it!

The amount of time that’s spent reading the messages is very short, and you can be in contact with people a great deal more than you otherwise might be. In essence, you can get to know each other much more quickly than if you were just reading each others blogs or profiles.  The look and feel of an instant messaging service helps add to this ability.  Think about it for a minute, do you feel more connected to those on your messenger list than the blogs you read? Twitter is the same way.

I used Twitter extensively this week with my website designer for my Virtual Assistant website.  We both are on Twitter and when I sent her an e-mail either responding to her design questions, or making suggestions on the site design myself, I sent her a Tweet to let her know that ‘you’ve got e-mail.’  Simple!

For many, whether they’re looking for friends, clients, or someone to help them out with a problem or workload, getting in touch with others is important.  With Twitter it’s never been easier!

Don’t forget to Follow Me!

Are you looking for more traffic to your Blog, online e-Store or eBay Store?  Have you jumped on the Twitter bandwagon yet? If not, read on!

I signed up just recently and I’m having so much fun! Not only have I met new friends, but I find that it’s the perfect medium to stay on top of things. It’s also really easy to communicate with my fellow bloggers that I’ve met through Entrecard.  Hey ~ even this Baby Boomer tries to stay ahead of the curve on all the latest technology!  Here’s why I think it’s great for WAHMs to use to promote your online businesses, blogs or eBay business.

Whether you are just getting started with an online business or you have been around for a while and looking for a new way to network, have a look at Twitter. Part chat program and part tiny blog, you will find that the Twitter interface is one that can change the way you interact with your current customers and potential customers worldwide.

Here’s 5 reasons why Twitter’s a powerful marketing tool for online WAHM business owners like you.

1. It’s Short, Sweet & To the Point
Have you ever heard the phrase, less is more? You’ll find that one of the best things about Twitter is that it keeps all messages very short and sweet. You’ll have to give your customers and clients the gist of what is going on in short tweets (messages similar to instant messages) that allow their interest to be piqued in such a way as to make them investigate further. You won’t bother them with long-winded messages that make them yawn and move on. Instead, you’ll be able to catch their attention quickly and make them want to know more.

2. Immediacy
Much like a blog or an RSS feed, you can get access to the people that use Twitter regularly. In some ways, this is like making sure that you can reach them no matter where they are, and you’ll find that this is very important when you want to make marketing one of your biggest priorities. You’re making sure that they have all of the latest updates to what you are doing and what’s going on by simply sending a tweet their way.

3. Everyone’s Doing It
In many ways, Twitter is a social program more than it is a marketing one, and you’ll find that using Twitter can help you feel a great deal closer to your client base and other’s in your online community. If you are looking to make sure that they see you as a person rather than as simply a company or service, you’ll find that Twitter encourages them to think of you as someone they can get to know. This can be very important when it comes to establishing a customer base and customer loyalty.

4. You Get to Hear a Lot
Remember that it goes both ways; you can put information out on Twitter and you can also learn a lot too. By following other’s Twitter accounts, especially if it looks like they have a lot to offer, you can keep in the know about various products, services, and other happenings online. This can be a great way to keep an eye on what is going on in order to keep yourself in the know of your industry.

5. Make Them Laugh
You can also use Twitter to tease people a little bit, in a fun way, of course! When you use Twitter, you have to keep your messages short, and in many ways, a little mysterious. Pique their interest, joke around, and you’ll find that you gain a lot more followers and hopefully website traffic and customers as a result.

Be warned, just as with any other social networking site, Twitter can quickly become addicting if you let it. Don’t go overboard and get so involved in all the tweeting that it takes away from your intended purpose. Used wisely Twitter can be a great and powerful marketing tool to help create online business success.

Sign up for my Newsletter for more updates about Twitter.

Want to know what I’m doing now?  Just read my Twitter Box on my right-hand sidebar!  Follow Me!

I’m going to make a few interesting observations on Social Networking Forums and Web 2.0 here.

While I don’t purport to be an expert, I have seen a change in direction from when I first started blogging.

Recently I’ve received several e-mails from some of the forums I belong to asking me to stop back & show my face.  Since I’ve been online, I’ve joined countless WAHM and Business forums.  While I still belong to all of the original ones I’ve joined, (outside of the ones I’ve gotten kicked out of, including Facebook ~ read about it here too) I only actually keep up with just a few.

Here’s where I’m going with this.

The newer forums I’ve joined, such as Mom Bloggers Club, Posh Momma, Hip Mama’s Place, MomDot, Moms United in Business, Cafe Mom and others, have all the bells & whistles where you can add your own “About Me” pages; put up your banner logos; website information; links to your blogs; article bases, Wow!  You can comment on other peoples pages ~ join groups, start discussions and more! There is just sooo much social interaction, it’s mind boggling!  There’s Twitter Groups; Entrecard groups; Digg Groups; Regional Groups; and on and on.

Some of the original forums ~ the ones that are sending emails saying “Please come back ~ visit us again ~ we’ve added new Contests to get you to come back ~ they just.don’t.get.it.

The format is older ~ just a list of topics, and you get to add a verrrrry limited siggy.  That’s it.  It’s so hard to keep in contact.   One particular forum, the bloggers mentioned they don’t use Entrecard (now, if you have a Blog, Entrecard is really a “Must-Have” for traffic.)  See my previous post HERE.

Also, hardly anyone knows about, much less uses Twitter.  I can’t even begin to tell you how much traffic I’m now receiving since I started “Twittering.” For those of you who don’t Twitter ~ it’s considered a form of micro-blogging, and there is definiately an audience for it that you need to capture.

Now what’s ironic about my observations, is all this is coming from me, a Baby Boomer Gram.  I’ve made light of the fact in the past how as a Boomer I’m struggling (well, not really, I’m a Geek at heart) to keep up with technology, and always have to stay one step ahead of the curve & my kiddos.  (Read THIS POST.) Now I’m not fresh out of High School, College or anywhere even close.

The difference between the new Web 2.0 forums and older forums is like night and day; analog and digital; VHS & DVD; Tape Decks and CDs.

Forum Administrators have to keep ahead of technology if you’re going to retain your membership.  Members are going to flock to where there are bells, whistles & graphics nowadays.

We are all spread so thin today and only have a limited amount of time to spend online, and obviously want to maximize that time to our fullest potential.

Why does it take Gram here to point this out?  What do you think?

Do you find yourself drawn to the newer forums?  Are you still frequenting the older ones?  Hmmm?

‘Contest! Prize Package worth OVER $2000.00′ ~ Mom’s United in Business

Mom’s United in Business is holding a contest!

Contest Deadline: Friday August 15, 2008 11:59pm EST
Winner will be chosen via random drawing and announced Monday August 18, 2008

Prizes have been generously donated by members of Moms United in Business.

The super Prize Package is worth over $2,000.00 !

We are not merely a business community, promoting women and their businesses. We are an organization of motivated and energetic women offering inspiration and support not only as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and/or friend, but as a woman in your own right!

We believe that by following our own dreams, listening to the whispers of our hearts and by nurturing ourselves we are then able to give more abundantly to our families and our businesses.

We are dedicated to supporting you as both a Mom and a Business Professional. As we all know, the key to a successful business is networking and to a successful life is balance!

If you’re serious about your business ~ Join MUIB today!  It’s FREE!

Posh is an adjective, with a dictionary meaning of “smart or fashionable^[1]“, “elegant, stylishly luxurious^[2]“, “spruced up, smart or polished^[3]“.  Answers.com

Are You a Posh Mama? I am!

Come see what everyone’s talking about!

…Posh Mama is an upbeat community exclusive to women around the world from all walks of life.  You don’t have to be a mom to be a Posh Mama!

Registration is FREE! Join now, and then stop by and visit Moomettesgram at My Place!

Posh Mama Online Magazine and Social Network is a positive and upbeat community made up of women from around the world. You will feel immediately welcomed as it is the sweetest spot on the ‘net. Come hang out, network and make some great friends at www.poshmama.com.

Just as I was getting comfortable using Facebook for social networking and promoting my ecommerce businesses, my account was disabled.

I have no clue why, at all.

It took a tremendous amount of time to build my Home Page the way I wanted it.  I joined groups of interest, had a business networking card, and had many friends.

The other night I went to add a fellow blogger to my list of friends ~ and poof, was told my account was gone.

No reason was given.  I’ve sent many, many emails to Facebook asking ‘why?’  Nobody bothered to reply.  Their FAQ page is worthless didn’t answer my questions.

What is particularly ironic, is that I had been reading so many articles about how FB was expanding their demographics beyond the teen set and that the business crowd was using it for social networking purposes.

So I ‘Googled’ to try to find an answer, and found that this randomly happens to people.  I didn’t abuse any privileges, nor was I spamming anyone.

So be it.  There’s only so many hours in the day anyway, and it’s impossible to be up on every Web 2.0 social networking site there is.

Instead, I think I’ll give  Linked in a try.

If you’re on Linked In, let me know what you think of it as opposed to FB.

Now that my online boutique store, Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes is pretty much up and running, one of the top projects on my list this summer is to further optimize my web pages by tweaking the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) function and making it Google-friendly.

I found out through The Mom Pack, a business networking forum that I formerlyI belong to, about a highly recommended online education training course offered by “Cricket” Walker, of GNC Web Creations.

Classes are held several times a year, and are …get this…FREE!

This past Spring I was up to my ears in various family obligations, eBay and working on having my Blog template and Shoppes site redesigned by Shera, of Sweet N Simple Design (didn’t she do a fab job?)

I opted to get Cricket’s eBook to start reading up in anticipation of signing up for the course.

If you’re looking to optimize your online business and want to know all about SEO, sign up for the course here.

If anyone’s taken the course already, leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I’m interested in hearing your thoughts!

Wow, I recently got approved and signed up for the social networking site SocialSpark!

This is going to be my first paid post about the site!

As all my faithful readers know, I’m trying to retire from my day job. Social Spark from IZEA gives me the opportunity to meet fellow bloggers, and helps to monetize my blog by enabling me to post for honest, reputable companies.

Similar to Pay-Per-Post, once your blog is approved, you can browse the marketplace and apply for any posting opportunities that you may be qualified for. When you submit your blog for approval, you can choose which categories you would like to qualify for to be shown on your blog.

What’s equally nice, is that Social Spark maintains a very high standard of ethics. This means:

* 100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
* 100% Transparency
* 100% Real Opinions
* 100% Search Engine Friendly

Since I am a WAHG with several online ecommerce sites, I try to give tips and promote my businesses through my blog. I’ve become an avid blogger, and the social aspect of Social Spark enables me to visit other bloggers, and leave and receive comments on my blogs and theirs. Here’s my profile that I’ve created so other bloggers can find and network with me.

Lastly, Blogging is becoming mainstream, and more and more people are looking towards bloggers to receive their news and garner new opinions. Advertisers are recognizing the value of this new social media, and taking the opportunity to create buzz for their products. It’s a way for advertisers to reach a whole new target market and generation of potential customers who are familiar with technology.

If you’re a stay-at-home Mom or Dad, Work-at-Home Mommy or Dad, or Baby Boomer such as myself looking for a supplemental source of income, or simply looking to reach out, network and explore new horizons, sign up for Social Spark now! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at all the benefits!

Here’s my disclosure policy that I’ve developed:

Don’t you just love my new “Siggy” ? I use it on all my outgoing e-mails.  I belong to Cafe Mom. This social networking site has all kinds of neat groups you can join, and one is the “Signature Showcase.” There’s several very talented Designers there, and Lyric Glory made it for me ~ for Free!

The following article says it all about the benefits of using a “Signature” for promoting your WAHM eBiz and eBay Sites! Don’t forget to make it “clickable” to enable everyone to get right to your site or blog!

Free Promotion: Signature Advertising
By: Tammy Embrich

Signature advertising has proven to be an excellent (free) advertising source for online marketers today.

What is a signature?

A signature is a block of text at the end of your forum/newsgroup messages or emails. It includes your name, a breif blurb or saying about you and/or your business, and a link to your website or business.

What is signature advertising?

Signature advertising is simply including your signature in your postings on forums/newsgroups and at the end of any emails you send out. It is a proven fact that about 75% of people surfing the Internet today will click on your signature links. And it’s 100% free advertising!

To make the most out of signature advertising, (if you intend on advertising through message forums or newsgroups), you need to subscribe to as many of them as possible that relate to your website or business. Always make for sure you read the posting and signature rules on each forum you join…important! If rules are not followed, you could be banned permanently.

Once you have joined the forums, don’t forget to create your signature.

Important Note: Always make for sure you have “always include your signature” ticked on all your profiles in each of the forums. This way, your signature will always automatically appear after all your posts. Also always make for sure you follow the character length rules in your signature in all forums.

Catchy link titles:

It is important to have catchy link titles in your signatures to entice the members to click on your links. Try different ones….create link titles with short word phrases that relate to your website or business. Signature advertising has prooven to be effective over and over again, especially in message forums. Try and make your links as creative as possible, to try and perk the readers attention and make them want to click on your link.

In message forums (related to your website or business) start out by participating in conversations…answering questions, sharing advice/tips, welcoming new members to the forums, and just having fun getting to know the other forum members.
There is usually a folder in the forums where you are allowed to enter your ad for your website or business promotion. Please always read any rules for those ad postings.

Important Note: It is always important to begin in each forum by FIRST…introducing yourself and telling a little about your business and what you do from home. In this introduction, leave out any ads. The Introduction folder in message forums is for getting to know other members and sharing a little bit about yourself and is not intended for ads. If you do include an ad or affiliate link in the Introduction folders, it will most likely be deleted by the administrator.

Another effective signature advertising method is including your signature with a link to your website or business at the end of all of your out-going email messages. You will be surprised at how many people click on these links.

Once you get a good amount of signature links out there in the public eye, you will soon discover more and more traffic to your website. This could mean sales for your business, someone interested in networking with you…a number of things.

Wishing you much success in your online business endeavors…and Happy Posting!

Article written by: Tammy Embrich

Tammy is an Internet Marketer and is the
Owner of: http://www.onestopwebemployment.com/
And Owner of: http://www.real-wah-jobs.com/

Tammy’s two WAH websites focus on free telecommute job leads and more.

One of the goals of this blog is to provide credible information to WAHMs. I consistently see questions crop up frequently on several of the social networking sites and forums that I belong to from members asking where to find affordable, cheap web hosting for their home based businesses.

As a WAHG, I originally started out selling on eBay with a store, where I quickly became a Power Seller. I then decided to open my own boutique online ebiz to sell handcrafted items and vintage collectibles. Finding an affordable web host with tech support, load time and bandwith was very important to me.

I’d like to tell all Moms, Dads, and Grams who are considering opening their own online ecommerce sites about this site discussing  cheap web hosting which provides all the reference points you need to know, as well as information about web hosting specifications and tutorials concerning finding affordable, cheap web hosting.

After perusing the site, I think you’ll find that you’ll have a good background to determine what’s right for your needs. Additionally, you can comparison shop for web host information at Web Hosting Rating. Check it all out.