Surviving Selling Online Through Better Communication

Business Sense

My Internet presence began back in 2007 when I became an eBay store owner specializing in vintage collectibles.  Since then I’ve changed venues and now sell on Bonanzle.  At that time, I was a moderator on an eBay Forum and participated in conversations where many members were becoming fledgling online sellers.

That trend continues today as many companies are now doing the majority or even all their business online and foregoing the “Brick and Mortar” storefront. It’s easy to see why that trend has happened. For example, the cost of setting up such a business is relatively inexpensive and easy. There’s no need to pay for the overhead of a physical building, while the cost of maintaining a web site is minimal. Moreover, the Internet provides a convenient and efficient way of marketing products. As more and more people are spending time on the Internet, the market of online customers continues to grow.

My late mother-in-law was a woman business owner of a gourmet emporium.  Over the years I had helped run her store and gained a business acumen of growing your business through establishing relationships with customers.  It’s important to get to know their likes, quirks and dislikes.

Yet when businesses shift from face-to-face customers to anonymous online customers, there’s a loss of that personal connection and trust. When running an online business,  how are you gaining and maintaining customer trust? What are you doing as an online vendor to communicate to your customers?

In an online world, business just doesn’t stop after hours and on weekends. What are you doing to answer your customer’s questions?

Here are a few things that you can do to improve communication with your customers:

1. Make certain that your Internet host is reputable and offers a fast and efficient business ethernet connection, as well as reliable cart support.

2. Offer a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and online product support information.

3. Add a support email link on your website for issues that can’t be resolved by you or your website support administrator

4. Provide a message board or forum for customers to voice their opinions, add comments, and interact with each other.

In today’s global economy, spending time and effort on better communication with your customers will pay off.  Whether you sell on Etsy or have your own company, in order to grow, your success will depend not on the customers you gain, but on the customers that you don’t lose.

photo credit: hospi-table

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Big Sky Country – Real Country Living – WAHM Guest Post

Meet My Friend

Real Country Living

Long before I became a blogger, I was a Power Seller on eBay.  Although I no longer have a store, I still continue to sell on the auction site. I was also a Moderator on an eBay forum, where I met many wonderful people. Most of the members of the forum had eBay stores, so we shared a commonality.

If you’ve ever spent any amount of time on forums, you’ll know that sometimes you just “click” and hit it off with certain members.

In the past, I’ve touched on topics about tapping into your interests and hidden talent, and parlaying them into a career where you turn your interests into  a business.  Many readers or their families have become  victims of the current recession, and are actively seeking gainful employment.  Some, like me, are considering either retiring, or trying to determine a move to another career that will spark our interest – whether it  be something entirely different from what we’ve been doing in the past, or entirely new venture.

Perhaps you are off-ramping from corporate life to take time out to raise your children.

I have been inviting bloggers and writers on my Meet My Friend meme to share their ideas and experiences with my readers who are interested in becoming a mompreneur.

If you have a WAHM or Momepreneur topic of interest that you’d like to share and be a Guest Blogger on Moomette’s Magnificents, please contact me (see Contact tab above).

I’d like you to Meet My Friend -  Deena, from Real Country Living,  a work-at-home mom of 5 – although I no longer have an Ebay store, we still keep in contact, and both have become avid bloggers!

What amazed me about Deena is that she spoke so candidly of living out yonder in Montana – Big Sky Country! I like to think that I’m the City Mouse, and Deena is the Country Mouse!

On the forum, we discussed how easily it was for us “city folks” to find inventory, and Deena would speak as to how she would have to drive for miles on end and make a whole day excursion to locate inventory for her store!

I’ve never been farther west than Chicago, and just marvel at the photos that Deena shares of her lifestyle and beautiful part of the country!  You just have to go visit and see for yourself!  Follow Deena on Twitter @RealCountryGal

Thanks Deena for sharing with my readers

Hello and thank you to Cindi for inviting me to do a guest post here on the fabulous Moomette’s Magnificents!

My name is Deena and I am happily married to Wade, my husband and partner of almost 27 years now. We are blessed with five children; three boys and two girls.

After growing up in a number of cities throughout most of my childhood, I met and married my cowboy husband here in the heart of Montana. Wade was raised on the cattle ranch that we now own and operate.

Morphing from city girl into a country gal has been such an interesting and exciting journey. Being a mother and homemaker has been the most important and fulfilling job I could have asked for. I am also the Financial Specialist for the ranch and of these titles come with a ‘room and board’ salary!

Over the years I have searched for ways to contribute financially to our family and the ranch, but living 60 miles from town makes employment outside the home impractical and surely not profitable.

In my effort to earn money I’ve sold hand-crafted knitted and sewn items, taught piano lessons for 16 years and recently opened an eBay store, Mudder’s Little Spudders.  My passion though, is my website, Real Country Living, where we share the reality of our way of life to the world. RCL is very much an infant and has not quite reached its first birthday. There is much to do and more content to add, so this project will keep me very busy and happy for a long time!

I stumbled onto the idea of becoming a webmaster quite by accident and had no idea that l’il old me could pull this off with no training whatsoever. I love to tell about how I built my website, so pop on over if you’d like to hear more. Not only do I get to share my love of country living to anyone who wants to take part, but this website has also become an additional income source for my family. Doing something I adore, from my own home…sometimes in my PJ’s…is a dream come true!

Our eBay store is soon to be a standalone shop which branches from  RCL, so because of the impending transition, Mudder’s isn’t very stocked at the moment. The new e-store is in the works and will specialize in western wear old and new~ natural decorating elements like real Montana pine cones and wheat~along with a plethora of other country goodies.

Our new store name is the Montana Mercantile. Maybe Cindi will post an update when it is functional so you all can visit!

I’d love to hear from you, so use the ‘contact us’ form on Real Country Living to ask me questions or just let me know where you call home and what you’re doing! May my website provide pieces of country living that can be arranged into your own version of bliss!

And again, thank you, Cindi! You are an inspiration to all of us who are working hard to fulfill our dreams!

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Nurse Ratched – Tummy Bugs and Random Tuesday Thoughts & A Giveaway

It’s amazing how time passes, and here I am, scrambling to get together yet another Random Tuesday Thoughts post!

For more Random Tuesday Thoughts, don’t forget to visit (and be Shocked!) Keely over at The Un-Mom.

Besides babysitting every night after I get out of the dreaded cubicle, I babysat Saturday night while the kids went out to socialize. They have a social life, moi, apparently, does not.

Monday threw me all off, because ‘Lil Moomette was under the weather with a tummy bug, and I again, babysat all day – and did loads of laundry, because DD26 didn’t bring any changes of clothes for the kidlet.  My daughter’s hoping the kid doesn’t have Swine Flu – good grief, methinks – it’s just a Daycare bug, and besides, Slugger had it last week. Yes, I took care of him too.  Granny Nurse Ratched.

So, now that the house is quiet, I’m scrambling to collect my thoughts.  You think this post is boring so far?  Stick around to the end, and it might be worth your while to get to the end.  Good things happen to those who wait.

I try to follow all the advice of the best blogging pros out there – keep a notepad in the car, in my purse – write my thoughts down whenever I can.  Actually, I have more pieces of paper with thoughts on them than I have time to upload posts.

Anyway, it’ll give my family something to wonder about if I ever kick the bucket on them, and they’ll find all the Random pieces of scribbled thoughts and think, man, she really was crazier than we thought!

Well, I took all those pieces of paper and organized them in the new INPlace System by Peter Walsh that I’m hosting a Giveaway that ends tonight – so don’t forget to check it out and enter.

I really made a lot of progress this week, and am busy posting all my favorite recipes from my co-workers and friends that I’ve collected over time.  Every time I make these dishes, not only are they delicious, but it reminds me of the friends who’ve come and gone through my life, and the good times we had together – Joanne’s Strawberry Cake, Debbie’s Quiche (not quite yet, but watch for it).  This way I get to share them with my readers, but the underlying fact is now I’ll know where to find them – ha!

It’s probably not a good time of year now that school is out and people are starting to go on vacation, but for those of you who are day-tripping and still hanging around to read my blog, I have some goodies in store for you!

I’m still celebrating the redesign and re-branding of merging my 3 blogs together.  Blog and Web Designs by Shauna did a terrific job.  All the Reviews and Giveaways are now listed here, in addition to my WAHM and blogging resources.  Of course, my infamous  Rants will now be found not only under my category heading, but also under the Friday Frustrations meme and Veranda Chit Chat category here.

Now, for the good part!  Many of my readers know I closed my eBay Store and now sell on Bonanzle.  Bonanzle didn’t turn out (for me at least) to be the Next Best Thing, so I’m liquidating some of my inventory.

Moomette’s Magnificents is hosting a Giveaway Contest! For a chance to win, there will be one (1) winner of:

NEW, WITH TAGS Retired VERA BRADLEY Small WINDSOR NAVY COSMETIC CASE TOTE .  This cosmetic case bag is one of VERA BRADLEY’S most popular patterns, and is now RETIRED and Hard-to-Find. ~Zip Closure ~Expandable base 9 Inches Wide 3.5 Inches Deep Purchased NWT from an Authorized Vera Bradley Dealer.

Main Rule:   (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)

a) Sign up for my free Newsletter Updates to my blog through my e-mail Feedblitz link (on the top of my right column or let me know if you already are, in a separate comment) AND

b) Go through my past archives which date back to 2007 when I first started blogging and find one of my posts and let me know the title, what it’s about, and WHY you chose it.

Now for extra entries (each task will get you 1 extra entry):

~One Extra Entry: Add my banner button to your sidebar or add me to your blogroll, and come back here and leave the link (I will be checking)

~One Extra Entry: Blog about the contest on your blog linking to my blog and the site

~ One Extra Entry: Follow Me on Google Friend Connect (right sidebar) and let me know your name in a separate comment.

~ One Extra Entry: Become a Fan of Moomettesgram on Facebook and let me know your name in a separate comment.

~One Extra Entry: Favorite Moomette’s Magnificents in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment

~ One Extra Entry: Follow Me on Twitter and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.

~One Extra Entry: Tweet about this contest (Retweet button at bottom of post), and come back to this post and leave the URL link to the Tweet so I can check. You may Retweet once per day until the end of the contest, but please leave a separate comment for each Retweet, along with the permalink

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until June 29 at approximately 11:00 pm.

Winners are chosen by Random.Org, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

*Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

*Include your email if it’s not enabled.
*Open to USA and Canada Only
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Bonanzle Quickly Becoming a Runaway Train eBay Alternative

In the short time since I’ve closed my eBay store and moved over to Bonanzle, I haven’t looked back at all!

Bonanzle is simply a runaway train, and is seriously going to be giving eBay a run for it’s money!  I’ve made several sales in less than a week (which as a past Power Seller, I consider a terrific turnaround time, since I’m new on the site.)

Always the researcher, I’ve been zooming around the ‘Net and am reading and liking more of what I’m seeing and hearing. I’m finding kudos about the site everywhere, from Twitter and Facebook to  Squidoo, as well as other Web 2.0 social networking sites.

Other Bonanzle sellers have been dropping into my booth to say ‘Hello‘ and introduce themselves, and I also have been visiting booths and ‘dropping my calling card’, favoring booths that I like, and ‘tagging’ items that I think are particularly ‘beautiful’; ‘cool’ ; ‘funny‘ or ‘well priced.‘

Not only is Bonanzle a selling marketplace, Bill Harding is trying very hard (and succeeding, I must say ~ congratulations for effort) in establishing a social networking site, to give a human element to an otherwise sterile and disconnected atmosphere that eBay never could duplicate.

Here’s what other blogs are saying:

Kims Corner:

Bonanzle Voted Best eBay Alternative of 2008

Thank you Bill, Mark and the other great minds who have given us all THE BEST eBay Alternative by far!

Red Ink Diary:

Bonanzle Makes a Million

Site succeeds by making people relevant to the transaction process

Day in the Life of An American Woman in Business

Let’s Talk About Bonanzle

Bonanzle recently reached a major milestone reaching the 1 million listing mark. It truly was all the buzz on twitter, in articles, and blogs, even one in French.

I’ve found many other sites that I’ll be writing about in upcoming posts where Bonanzle sellers can be found sharing their insider knowledge.

All these sellers have one common denominator ~ they couldn’t be happier with the decision they made to leave eBay!  They’re WAHMs, Baby Boomers like myself, Grandmoms, Dads ~ small sellers, not mega sellers.  The majority of the items being sold are unique, one-of-a-kind finds.

If you’re thinking of selling your hand-made items or collectibles, give Bonanzle a try!  If you’ve made the switch, what do you think?

Visit my Bonanzle Booth at: Moomette’s Magnificents

Leave a comment ~ I’d be happy to know!

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Bonanzle ~ WAHM Ventures Into New Online Marketplace ~

Bonanzle ~ WAHM Ventures Into New Online Marketplace ~

One of my new goals for 2009 as both a Work-at-Home Mom and a Baby Boomer trying to establish a supplemental source of income in order to retire,  was to phase out my eBay store and set up a new booth at Bonanzle, the latest online marketplace.

Over the past year, I’ve slowly liquidated much of my merchandise and my eBay store specialized  in strictly Vintage Collectibles ~ mugs, dinnerware, sewing patterns and boutique children’s clothing.

The changes that eBay implemented within the past year became just too much for me to keep up with. I couldn’t believe how much I am paying in Fees each month, just to maintain an online presence at this auction site. Whether I sell anything or not, the fees just keep racking up.

Despite what many of the eBay blogs and mainstream news articles I’ve been reading are saying, mainly, that people are supposed to be looking to eBay and Craigs List for bargains ~ I haven’t  seen an increase in my business.  The holiday shopping season sales this past year were very dismal in comparison to previous years.

Tonight I closed my eBay Store for good.

As an active member of Twitter, I found out about an alternative venue and marketplace, .

It’s premise is simple if you’re a Seller:

• Import Items from eBay or Craigs List

• Import Items with one click

• Import eBay Feedback

As a Buyer, you can search for items by categories, or those posted within the last 24 hours.

There are no fees to list your items or set up a booth.  Yay!  Fees are only incurred once you sell your wares.

Bonanzle accepts Paypal and other methods of payments, such as Google Checkout and Money Orders.

I was able to set up my booth in minutes, and it didn’t take long at all for Bonanzle to import my items from eBay.  The process couldn’t have been easier!  The FAQs and Help instructions are very easy to follow.

You can even create a special “Bonanza” to improve sales! What’s a “Bonanza”?

It’s a quick sale where everyone on the site is directed to your booth for a couple hours to get your stuff gone. Pick a day, start time, and duration below. Choose the items from your booth that you most want to include in the sale. Pick a discount price for those items. Then show up at your booth at the time you declared.

What does this new venue mean for me?  I can continue to sell the items I have a passion for ~ vintage collectibles, as  well as boutique clothing items.  I’ll continue to promote my new Bonanzle Booth in the manner I was promoting my eBay store ~ through widgets, Squiddo, Facebook, my blogs and Twitter.

The only difference I can see is that I won’t be paying fees unless something sells.  Hopefully, through viral marketing, the word will get out about Bonanzle and the Buyers will arrive!

I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to open a booth.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Bonanzle will give eBay any competition this year.  I’m thinking the answer will be “yes.”

What do you think, have you tried selling or buying on Bonanzle yet?

Visit my new booth at: Mooettesgram on Bonanzle

Related Posts:
End of the Beginning ~ Happy Trails to You, eBay

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Save Handmade ~ Indie Designers ~ WAHM Clothing Designers ~ eBay Sellers To Be Affected By Upcoming CPSIA Act

Are you a Work-at-Home Mom or an Indie Designer of children’s clothing or toys? If you are, then listen up as big changes are in store that could affect your business and will be taking place on
February 10, 2009.

I was on Twitter last nite and came across a hashtag, #CPSIA and checked it out.  As of February 10th, a pending legislative mandate will no longer allow the sale of used kids clothing or toys unless they’ve been tested for lead and a host of other potentially hazardous materials.  You can follow the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #CPSIA.

This is a huge deal for WAHMs with their own websites, and will also affect eBay and Etsy sellers of childrens clothing. I have many indie designers of children’s clothing in my Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes, and sell boutique clothing in my eBay store.

Not to mention the fact that businesses such as Goodwill and other thrift stores will be affected.

‘Lil Moomette’s mom, my DD26, is a huge fan of Once Upon a Child, a children’s clothing consignment store that sells upscale clothing and toys. OUAC is terrific source for finding gently used clothing for a fraction of the price, enabling families (and grandmoms) to save a few
dollars in today’s economically-challenged times.

You can find out more about what’s happening and try to help by visiting Cool Mom Picks.

For further reading, the LA Times has posted an informative article HERE.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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What is Facebook All About and Why a WAHM Should Have an Account

Awhile back when I first started I opened a Facebook account for public relation purposes to promote my eBay store, blogs, virtual assistant business as well as Shoppes.  I’d heard that it was advantageous to use for PR and social networking purposes.

It took me quite some time to put together a page, understand the mechanics of how it worked; join groups and make friends.  However, I didn’t visit it very often.  When I did log on one day I found my account was disabled.  At that point I was so exasperated, I decided not to bother with it any longer.  Apparently what happens is if one doesn’t log into their Facebook account often enough, it will become disabled.

However, the more I networked online, dropped Entrecards and saw that many of my Twitter friends were on Facebook, I decided to create another account.

Become a Fan of Moomettesgram on Facebook!

Commentary now shows that President-Elect Obama ran a successful campaign by using Facbook.

We hear about people creating Facebook pages and that someone found someone else on Facebook. But what exactly is Facebook all about and does it have any benefits for us?

Read on to find out about Facebook and if it indeed does something more than enhance your social life.

Facebook is one of the top ten Web 2.0 applications and social networking sites in the world. Started as a social experiment, Facebook was originally designed as a way for friends to keep in touch and create interesting profiles and pages for others to look at.

Many kids and college students latched on to Facebook. My two daughters are constantly on FB, keeping up with their friends from high school and college.  Members can upload pictures, leave messages on the profiles of others, and search for friends who have profiles. The problem with Facebook was the type of information people were uploading. College students uploading inappropriate videos at wild parties and such have caught on virally. This spoke to the poor judgment of the students as those videos would still be around when they grew out of the drinking phase and realized that it was no longer the “cool” thing to do.

Facebook is not just for the young teenagers and college students however. It is also a networking tool for business owners. It’s a great way to connect with other business owners and targeted potential customers. A plus for new businesses is that becoming a Facebook member is free. Every registered member gets a home page where they can then create a profile and add applications to their page for friends and other trusted users they designate to use.

If you work at home or are a WAHM or entrepreneur, you can use your Facebook profile to tell others all about yourself. Many times, businesses never really have a chance for potential clients to learn more about the person or people who run the business. More focus is put on advertising, growing the business and promoting its products or services. With a social networking page on social sites like Facebook, customers and other business associates get a chance to find out about the person behind the business.

Anyone can join or create a group on Facebook. These groups bring together like minded people according to business, personal, or other social factors. Groups talk to one another; share business tips and create a useful connection in many different ways.

Businesses use Facebook pages to showcase products or give customers a place to ask questions and record comments about the products they have used. They can talk to each other and compare notes. Big businesses with famous brand names use Facebook to gain insights into consumer trends.  As an example, the RSS feed from my blogs postings, Twitter account and eBay store is uploaded right to my Facebook page.

Facebook can be useful for communities trying to create a closer knit group of families. Homeschooling parents can create a network of support for each other and their kids. Facebook has a variety of uses both for business and personal reasons. So, now that you know more concerning Facebook, what will your page be about?

If you have an existing page, or will be creating a new page, don’t forget to friend request me here!

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Twitter Is Not For the Faint of Heart: Is Twitter Useful for Business?

Twitter is not for the faint of heart. That being said, can Twitter be useful for business? It depends.

One of the newest social networking sites is Twitter. It sounds like a movement birds make. In fact it is a quick way to send messages to your favorite people via the Internet. Due to its popularity with people all over the world, many entrepreneurs wonder if Twitter can actually help them grow their business.

In order to answer that question we first need to find out what exactly Twitter is? It is a social networking site which allows people to keep in touch with friends, family, and others. Through a series of short posts, important information is sent to a person’s followers. Those short posts are called “tweets.”

Twitter has been used by people to send messages to their friends. The posts can be 140 characters long at most, which allows for quick, precise exchanges of information. If you wanted to let your family know that the reunion this year is in New England, and they needed to volunteer to do something, it would be easy to send them all a tweet at one time. When someone logs into their Twitter account or views your Twitter profile page, they would then see the message. They can then respond to you by posting a tweet of their own.

Twitter is real time communication for people who need to contact others right away. Some wondered if Twitter was just a fancy way of texting someone on the computer. Send a tweet to your husband to say dinner is moved to 7:30. Tell a friend you’ve just bought that blouse you saw last week. If you only want to allow certain people to see the messages you are sending, you can easily mark your profile and updates as private.

Although many use Twitter as a more personal way to communicate, even more treat it as a virtual water cooler to connect with all types of people the world over. It seems as if tweeting would get boring after a while. Not so. With talkative friends you could be tweeted to death in a matter of days. Many actually find themselves losing precious time in their day chit-chatting with those with similar interests.

For the skeptical folks who want to know if tweeting will eventually tank, businesses have found a use for the social network that can increase their utilization and visibility on the Internet. First, let’s say that you have an office of fifty employees. Sending a memo every time there is a big announcement creates a lot of paper to file or leave for the trash man.

Businesses can now use protected Twitter messages to keep employees updated on departmental changes as well as company wide agendas. Employees can subscribe to the company feed set up on Twitter. Whenever there is something important posted, they will be notified.

The same goes for small one-owner and Internet businesses and their customers. Customers can subscribe to the company feed to learn about new products and other useful information. I use it frequently to announce new listings for my eBay store. New businesses can create interesting tweets that produce interest and can be re-posted by others to help get the business or owner noticed.

However, keep in mind that while the majority of Tweeters are pleasant, some can be downright snarky and catty. Having an unmanageable amount of followers takes away from building relationships. Therefore some unfollowing is necessary. Many followers take offense at being unfollowed and will then Tweet not-so-nice comments. Other Tweeters will try to undermine your Tweets and links by saying your link contains a Trojan. Rather than comment on your blog post and leave their name, some will blatantly Tweet a nasty remark. At times it takes all the joy out of Twitter.

Twitter fills a niche in the social networking sector and is here to stay. Businesses have found a way to make Twitter work to their advantage, whether they are work at home moms longing for adult interaction or reaching out to a broader audience to increase profit.

Is it for you? It’s up to you to decide.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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What is Social Networking and Why It Is Important If You Work From Home

Wow ~ it’s been one full year since I started this blog!  I still intend to get a Blogoversary post up, but had some WordPress technical issues the night before the actual date ~ of all things!

In that year’s time, I’ve learned so much about promoting my eBay business from the Community Boards, Forums and all the various social networking sites I’ve joined and participated in.  I was formerly a Moderator on eBay Coach Free Forum.  If you check my archives, you’ll find that some I’ve dropped out of for various reasons, and also that I’ve joined new ones.  The new ones are very different than the ones I’ve first joined, and for that reason ~ I’ve become very active in them.

Social Media Networking is no longer a buzz word, but an Internet phenomenon. It represents a way for people to interact without traveling half way around the globe or even leaving their home’s comfort. Read on to find out exactly what social networking is and its potential to enhance your life.

Think of it like this. We all have at least one friend. To keep in touch with that friend we call, write, and meet face to face. Through our jobs we meet other friends. The more interactions we have with people, the more chances we have of meeting more folks.

Social networking sites provide the platform for getting to know more “friends.” It is like our job or school or church. They supply the venue and we mingle to find people who have similar interests. Someone had the bright idea to package this not unfamiliar social concept into a cyberspace platform. Now, people can meet others they already know but have lost contact with and new people.

Social networking took off among the younger generation first. They found a way to talk to their friends when they weren’t within sight of each other. For guys, it meant meeting girls in a non-threatening social situation. For girls, the feeling was mutual.

My daughters graduated high school in 2001 and 2005, but while they were both in high school they were on AIM Instant Messenger night and day.  We only had one computer at the time, and it was impossible for me to coerce them to give up AIM so I could go online.

But, social networking is not just for the tweens or teens. Adults enjoy social networking as well. The first social networking sites we all heard about were Facebook and MySpace. This was mostly due to controversy surrounding what some Generation X kids were posting, but it made parents aware of the social networking craze.

Adults use social networking for a number of reasons. First, it is personal. We reconnect with busy friends and family. If you can’t reach Aunt Pookey because she’s always off around the world on one adventure or another, post new pictures of the kids on your MySpace page. Auntie can view them when she comes down from Mount Kilimanjaro.

Social networking gurus discovered that while finding old friends, business owners could form valuable alliances through their associations on social networking websites. Now, social networking has become valuable to anyone wanting to develop a website presence for their business. Social networking for business is akin to going door to door and telling people about your product. Create a compelling business profile and draw in the people you know by joining social groups with similar interests.

Social networking has a place in the life of both young and old alike. Use it to meet new people, make business contacts, stay in touch with family, or just to beef up your Internet presence. The wave of the future is social networking. Makes you want to join, doesn’t it?

Keep in mind though, that if you join too many, it can become overwhelming and time consuming.  The key is to focus on those forums you can actively participate in and develop a camaraderie with like-minded individuals.

Yes, this Baby Boomer is a social net-worker now.  You can find me at Mom Bloggers Club and Twittermoms as well as many others listed on my sidebar.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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So You’re a New Blogger: What Makes Twitter so Hot?

My Blogoversary is coming up in less than a month, and within the last month or two since I’ve joined Twitter,  I can’t quite say it’s addicting (OK, maybe a little) and I really feel that it’s increased my blog traffic quite a bit.

My mission this fall is to follow through on a weight-loss plan, and through my Tweeps (Twitter friends), I was able to find out about a website that is similar to WW, but is get this, FREE! Now free, fits right into my budget in today’s economy.  So far, I’ve managed to lose 7 pounds thanks to a Twitter.

I can’t quite sing the praises of Twitter enough!  Although you might not hear those exact words said very often online, you know it’s true when you login to your Twitter account or visit someone’s blog. With the emergence of WordPress plug-ins like “TwitThis” and the various twitter badges found on numerous blogs throughout the Internet, it is obvious people adore Twitter. Just what is it that makes this social networking site so lovable? Let’s find out.

The question posed by Twitter, “What are you doing?” has become almost as popular as AOL’s “You’ve got mail.” So much so that it has even caught the eye of offline news mediums such as USA Today, CNN, and ABC. This helps to make the application popular all on its own. Those who think Twitter is just a place for computer or Internet geeks can rest assured it’s nothing of the sort.

For many, Twitter is a way to interact with like-minded individuals. Whether one is a stay at home mom who craves adult conversation, an at home worker who misses the water cooler chit-chat from past jobs, or the business owner who wants to reach more of their target market, this form of social media fills a need. It makes it easier for people to connect with others in a way they might not have previously been able to.  I have friends all across-the board, for eBay, blogs, public relations, frugal coupon saving tips, affiliate marketing, other Baby Boomers, and on-and on.

The fact Twitter is easily accessible and even simpler to navigate makes it a favorite as well. Anyone can create a twitter account of their own with nothing more than a user name and a password. Once that’s done, it’s easy to customize your profile and begin following other Tweeps, as those who use Twitter affectionately call one another. To follow what another person is doing, just visit their page and click the follow button. You’ve now been added as a follower and when you login to your account you will see their messages on your screen.

Want to use Twitter even when you’re not at home or don’t have access to your computer? No problem. Inside your account you can choose whether to have messages sent via cell phone or instant messenger programs as well. Just browse to your settings and choose the devices tab and in a few steps you’re good to go. This feature makes it possible to tweet on the go. This is perfect for those who travel frequently or while out and about come across something interesting or amusing that they’d like to share with their followers.

Twitter’s arrival has also lead to the creation of different platforms and applications to make it appealing to just about everyone. Popular applications include, Twitter Fox, Twhirl, TweetDeck, and TweetMyBlog. Twitter Fox and Twhirl give users who are prefer the instant messaging look and feel a way to use Twitter in somewhat the same manner. Twitter Fox is an extension for the Firefox browser and Twhirl is a desktop application.  Twitter Fox is the method that I prefer, as I have it set to pop up with new Tweets from my Tweeps every 10 minutes.

TweetMyBlog is a way to automatically post updates from a user’s blog to Twitter. In order to use it all one needs is a Twitter account and an RSS feed from their blog. (More on RSS feeds to come in another post.)  It will automatically posts a tweet using your account when your blog is updated.

Tweet Deck is another desktop application that allows for more organization of updates. Instead of posting all a users tweets one right after another, it allows the user to organize tweets into separate columns within the application. For those who have customers and friends on Twitter this is a great feature.

Want to know what I’m doing now? Check my right sidebar box and Follow me on Twitter!

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