Web 2.0 ~ Off Roading From Social Networking Forums That Are Stuck in a Time Warp

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?

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Hot Flashing Again ~ So You Think Various Mom Forums Are A Good Thing?

Don’t be alarmed! I’ve felt that one of my banners The Mom Pack banner needed an “attitude adjustment” and therefore I did a little redecorating and replacement with this one such renegade banner!

It’s that time again, where I’m going off on a tangent.  Hot Flashing about whatever gets my dander up.  I’m providing this service to all the Moms out there and sharing my experiences in the e-commerce world.

Within the last 1-1/2 years since I’ve been “online,” I was advised to join various Mom forums.  There’s one in particular that’s highly touted as being helpful, however, it’s moderated.

By moderated, I mean that anytime you want to post a comment, suggestion, response, etc., your post has to go through the forum administrator.

So, over the last year or so, I’d been lurking, picking up bits & pieces of useless usefull useless information.  Many of the moms post trying to hawk promote hawk their products, contests, news, etc.   Most of the time the comments are veiled, and disguised as if to provide information.  If you are savvy and can read between the lines, you really see that they’re trying to sneak in a little self-promo.

The quality of the valuable information has taken a dive digressed taken a dive, and provides nothing but a middle-school  lunchroom sorority house Animal House atmosphere where the sisters travel in packs.  I’m so happy I blog.

I’ve voiced similar concerns here in the past.

Wicked Stepsisters

One of my online buddies has become so disgusted disillusioned disgusted that she’s since gone “No Mail” on this particular forum.

This is a photo of the Yahoo Group Homepage.  You can see how the number of posts have been steadily declining.

You see, I think they’re arrogant and they play favorites.  When I tried to make a simple post, no different than that of anyone else, I got a nasty polite nasty email from the forum moderator Julie saying that if I didn’t like their rules, perhaps the site is “not for me.”  Harumpf.  I’ll lurk, thank you very much.  So now I’m a Persona Non Grata, and bet ya none of my posts will go through, should I decide to try to post again. (Don’t have to be concerned about posting there anymore.)

I’ve found that the moms on mommy blogger forums, and even non-mommy blog forums are much nicer, and willing to share all kinds of information.  If you don’t blog and would like to know how to go about starting a blog, join the Mom Bloggers Club.  They’re a great bunch over there!

As my faithful followers know, I’m not Edith,  I don’t like being stiffled, and I speak up when I feel the need to.

Pay attention to what’s going on in the forums you join, and read what’s between the lines.

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Part 1 ~ Hot Flashing, Ranting & Raving About the State of the Economy

Depression Bread Lines

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.

Bob Dylan

I’m probably hot-flashing again, dear readers, as I’m getting into one of my moods where I feel I must speak up. I’m posting this on my Musings Blog, rather than my “fun” Mama Mentor Blog, because ~~ this is not a fun topic.

Part I

I belong to several social networking forums. One in particular, a Mom forum, has been heavily debating the State of the Union and the economy, and whether anyone thinks it’s affecting their WAHM business. As the posts are moderated ~ well, you can understand that many do not get through. Personally, I’m getting a little tired of that forum. Thank goodness I blog, so I can expound and get on my high horse.

Many of the Mom members are young. I have nothing against being young ~ I was there myself once long ago.

But I cannot agree with their comments that the economy is rosy, things are great, and that the media is just making things out to look badly. Forum comments reflect the position that the economy is only bad to those whom are personally affected by it. Yes, and no. There’s a maxim that the “personal becomes the political.” I can agree with that.

However, I just didn’t fall off the apple cart. I’m a Baby Boomer and I’ve been married for 34 years, and have obviously lived through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Never have I seen things looking so bad for this country.

As many of you know, I live in New England. I filled up my car today. I’d been riding on fumes, and have an American made car. We don’t wear the US flag on our sleeves, but DH insists we do buy American when we can. It cost me $64 to fill up today. I’m saving that gas receipt, just for ha ha’s. I used to have a 2002 Malibu that we bought new. In 2002, it cost me $12 to fill, which I thought was great, since it replaced the 1995 Windstar mini-van that I had.

Methinks that the young moms are looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Just because you’re perhaps not personally affected, doesn’t mean the rest of the country isn’t. We’re what I consider, or used to consider middle class. I’m a college grad. I have a DD who’s a college grad, and another who’ll graduate in May 2009. My DH spent time at Marquette University in Milwaukee, and now owns his own business.

I read over 20 national newspapers a day because of my cubicle job. One of my favorite columnists is Debbie Solomon from the Burlington Free Press in Vermont. Her recent post sums up my feelings better than I can express them. Read it here. I hope this link continues to work.

Kiddos, things are going to get much worse before they get better. Hold on to your hats, you’re in for a ride.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my rantings and ravings on this subject. Comments appreciated.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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The Goodbye Girl of Affiliate Marketing

Well, the saga of my experiences as an Affiliate Marketer continues. My faithful WAHM readers may be familiar with my promise to keep you informed on how things are going with being an Affiliate Marketing Independent Consultant.

It’s not going. In fact, it’s going bye-bye.

My list of banners and buttons is getting smaller. Tonight I resigned from 4 more companies. Another one bites the dust. Why you may ask?

Well, I’m sick and tired of having to meet “Quota” each month or quarterly. Many of these Affiliate sales companies require you to make a quarterly purchase of at least…$25.00, which, I don’t feel like spending on something I may or may not need if I haven’t had any sales. There’s only so much I can put aside for Christmas, or give to my DDs.

I’ve decided to take the advice of a member of a WAHM forum who had commented on the same issue. Instead of spending money on Quota items, I’d rather spend the money and invest it into inventory for my own stores, either my eBay store or my Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes. Actually, the way the economy is going right now, my gas tank might even be a good place to spend this “new-found” money.

The competition on the forums is fierce, with too many moms hawking the same affiliate products. They’re hawking the products through Yahoo Groups (don’t get me started again on those); through traffic exchanges; through forums. Not only that, turf wars exist. For example, before tonight’s drop and run, I had posted on a forum and apparently had stepped on someone’s toes ~ and heard about it. Give me a break. Thinking there were too many cooks in the kitchen, I resigned.

Here’s another example of why I dropped out. I invested in a domain name for one of the companies, and had it redirected to my affiliate URL. Each time I thought I had made a sale, I got an email from the company owner saying “we’re having a problem with the server ~ sorry, it came through the main site, not your affiliate URL ~ commission denied.” This happened one too many times. I wasn’t born yesterday, lady.

To add to this headache, I know I have “downlines” who signed up under me. One company refused to give me the name of my downline, except under pressure when I asked. Think I’ve seen any money in my Paypal account from any of her sales? Not.

I’m still giving the companies a shot that don’t require a sign-up fee, nor require that you meet a monthly quota.

So tonight ladies, I’m just here to suggest that ~ perhaps your hard earned money can be better spent someplace else, rather than trying to meet a company owner’s mandated quota each month and fattening their pockets.

It’s brutal out there, and besides, it’ll cut down significantly on the junior high chit-chat e-mails when I unsubscribe from those Yahoo Groups.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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The Forgotten Forum Introduction – Why It’s Important to Let Everyone Know Who You Are!

In my WAHM tips, I frequently speak of how I belong to many social networking sites and forums. I’m a Moderator I was a on eBay Coach Free Forum, and always send out an introductory ‘Welcome to the Group’ e-mail. In it, I ask that the first stop be the “Introduction” thread…to give a little bit of background about one’s self, and how they found the forum.

Oftentimes Newbies head straight for making a post. But really, take a moment to introduce yourself to the group…it really is important for everyone to get to know you, and say hello. Read on to see why!

The Forgotten Forum Introduction
By: S McIntyre

Hello, my name is Sophia and I’m from Beautiful BC, Canada and home to the 2010 Winter Olympics. I started working in late 2002 in various online endeavors. I own a work at home website, a health blog and moderate three work at home forums. I’m looking forward to contributing and getting to know you all better.

How hard was that? Not hard at all and it only took me about…oh…30 seconds if that, to let everyone know who I am and what I do. Forum introductions are an integral step and is just as important as reading the forum rules. Don’t short change yourself by posting an “empty” introduction. Remember, first impressions always counts.

As a forum owner, I’m well aware of how many people “forget” this all important step. While many forums have a free section for members to promote their businesses, how beneficial is it to make your first post a “post and run”? I can honestly say if a forum requires an introduction your ad just met the delete button and even if they don’t, it’s simply forum etiquette. Forums are invaluable tools and it should be utilized to its fullest potential.

How many people who are looking to join a home business or looking for a specific product would seek out a member who only posts in the advertising forum? It’s not many to my knowledge. Would you enter a room full of prospects only to pass out your business card and leave? I don’t think so.

If you made your introduction and then secluded yourself to only one section of the forum it doesn’t mean your job is done. In fact, that is just as bad as not introducing yourself, in my opinion. The next step is to read the forum and join in various discussions, share your knowledge or expertise. Post quality replies to topics of your interests. Now you’re actively networking and it is proven to be more effective in creating sales for yourself. People are more likely to buy from people they know and trust.

Taking full advantage of forums and what they offer goes beyond articles that tell you how you can increase sales and how to drive more traffic to your site. As an active forum member you are getting yourself out there, building trust and networking with potential people who may become your new and returning customers. They are also your word-of-mouth. You have now created your own viral marketing and it’s far more effective than being a “post and run” poster.

–
S McIntyre has been working online since 2002 in various online endeavors. She owns Work At Home Space, a free work at home resource offering telecommuting jobs, job leads, articles, tips, information and other work at home related issues.

You can also visit her at her blog Healthy Perspectives, featuring an array of health topics, nutrition, fitness and recipes for maintaining a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

Copyright 2010 Moomette’s Magnificents – All Rights Reserved

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Avoid Childrens’ Identify Theft at Camp or Vacationing this Summer – Visit LifeLock

I belong to several social networking forums for WAHMs, and the topic being discussed was the hazard involved in personalized items for kids.

Now, all young children love to see their name in print – and since many will be traveling, vacationing with the family or going off to summer camp – they’ll be toting towels , pillows, backpacks and more with their names emblazoned on them.

I’d never given it a second thought when my daughters were younger – but did you know even children can become the victims of identity theft? Many times all it takes is for someone to know their first name ~ oftentimes from something as simple as a towel?

In its January 2008 Press Release, LifeLock announced that Ident-A-Kid selected them to provide identity theft protection to millions of its clients at a discounted rate.

Visit LifeLock as they’re also looking for good people to join their great team.

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Blog Challenge – 30 Days with 30 Enterprising Moms ~ eBay Selling Coach

 

Blog Challenge – 30 Days with 30 Enterprising Moms

This is going to be interesting. I consider myself relatively new to blogging, and am participating in my very first blog challenge! For 30 days, I’ll be featuring a Blogging Mom on my site. This Blog Challenge is sponsored by:

Sibylla Nash
StarbabyLA 
http://www.starbabyla.com
Author of book, Baby Modeling & Beyond and Blog StarbabyLA

 eBay Selling Coach

Today I’m visiting the blog, eBay Selling Coach, for real tips and practical information about eBay selling from stay-at-home mom, eBay Power Seller, and entrepreneur Suzanne Wells. You will find all kinds of cool stuff on her blog – ranging from podcasts about eBay selling, where to buy your eBay inventory locally, other eBay resources, links to other legitimate work at home opportunities, eBay how-to videos, and informative guest posts. Suzanne is also the author of The Stay at Home Mom’s Guide to Successful eBay Selling (Amazon) and has years of real-world experiences to share with other sellers about how to make money on eBay. 

One thing you won’t find here is pushy sales copy about “Buy My Proven eBay System” – Suzanne, aka the eBay Coach, just tells it like it is and gives away more information for free than you would pay for on other sites. 

From the moment I saw her informative posts on a WAHM eBay forum I used to belong to, I knew that Suzanne knew her stuff. Through private-messaging, we soon becamse friends and I was so excited when she decided to establish her own forum to help eBay sellers worldwide. What do I like best about this blog? Suzanne speaks to her readers in a conversational tone as if she were your favorite sister. And you know that all the informational tips Suzanne’s giving you are tried and true. Be sure to visit for a breath of fresh air!

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HA ~ You Young’ns have Nothing on Me ~One Step Ahead of the Curve!

Ok. I haven’t done any musings in awhile because I’ve been too dang busy maintaining my eBay Power Seller status and putting all my ducks in order building my new website & consolidating my eBay store and affiliate shops under one roof ~ Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes.

I know, after seeing all those terrific WAHM sites on various traffic exchanges that all you sweet young things have built, it’s probably a piece of cake for you. You probably took all that HTML stuff in elementary school, high school & beyond.

Well, gram here has been learning it all on her own. At 2, 3 & 4 am in the morning when DH is sleeping, and the house is finally peaceful. You see, I’m still working at my FT cubicle job. Then, of course, there’s ‘lil Moomette whom I pick up after I get out of work until DD or charming SIL come to get her.

Well, I’m taking a break right now at 2 am from all that Photobucket & listing stuff, finding a new web host for my site, and working on the new blog template (don’t you love it? Thanks Shera, from
Sweet N Simple Design…more on Shera to come. I met Shera through Mom Pack ~ she’s such a delight!

Anyway. Where was I? Oh ya. You young gals. Well, let me tell you. After having 2 DDs, and doing the middle school, high school & college thing with them ~ Moms will find out they always have to be ahead of the curve. Want to stay in touch? The cell phone that you pay for gets put on mute. Then what? Learn to text message. They’ll think it’s their friends.

Still ignoring you? Learn to instant message. When something pops up ~ they’ll think it’s their friends and guess what ~ it’s Mom~ Here’s my AIM avatar:

My girls had to look at that on AIM while they were in college everytime they “talked” to me ~ which was only when they usually ran out of funds. And my screen name…let’s just say it started with the word “Money”! Hmpf.I digress…DD #2, took Spanish all through high school. So knowing I’d be online, she once put up her “Away Message” in Spanish after telling me she was going to a friend’s house. The “Away Message” said she was “at the beach”. Guess what? I took Spanish in High School. So I played her game and text messaged her cell phone ~In Spanish ~ that I knew where she was! That floored her & her friends. Again, one step ahead of the curve. And don’t anyone call me out for reading her Away Message.

Back to you have nothing on me. So, I’ve learned to text, instant message, and now HTML, FTP, Pop Server, SSB, Ping, Stumble ~ what-ever. There’s still a lot of learning to do, but don’t worry, I’m a Boomer & one of ours invented the Internet. Gram here is ahead of the curve, and when I finish building my site, they will come.

It’s almost 2:30 am. I know I ‘talk’ via the forums with many of you at this time of night. But I’m taking out my dentures, putting them in a glass, (thanks Suzanne) & turning off the lights now. (JK on the denture part, K?)

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