Bootstrapper's social networking tool box

Filed in archive Bootstrapping Opportunities on November 18, 2007

As mentioned previously here at BootStrapMe.com, social networking can be an important resource for the bootstrapping on line entrepreneur as a method of marketing with little or no cost.

Of course, Internet entrepreneur and bootstrapper Chris Pirillo correctly observes that not every network is worth your time and you should certainly pick only the ones that create a true benefit for your business.

If you've decided to use a social network, Lee and Sachi LeFever give a great overview of how networking can help you reach an increasing customer base for your on line product or service.

Here, including some I've posted earlier, is an expanded list of well known (and not so well known) social networks I've come across for your social networking tool box.

• MySpace, the big daddy of them all though the sheer volume of traffic and an overemphasis on people seeking to hook up makes its value for marketing somewhat questionable in my opinion.
• Facebook, the major MySpace challenger, has added features which may make the site significantly more important to entrepreneurs in the future
• MyBlogLog, one of my favorite networks and now part of the Yahoo! fold, it was originally pitched as a simple way to collect profiles of the people reading your blog
• Technorati, a cross between blog search engine and social network, it has been touted as equally or more important than Google's PageRank in building blog visibility
• YouTube, Revver, Blip.tv, LiveVideo and Glumbert, the main video social networks and key to posting for businesses with a strong video component
• Virb, a space for collecting a wide variety of media including photos videos and blogs.
• Second Life, a social network featuring moveable avatars
• LinkedIn, Xing and Plaxo, networks focused mainly on business and other personal social connections
• hipFox, a special social network just for NFL fans
• The Bootstrap Network, a global community for bootstrap entrepreneurs
• Flickr, the photo sharing social network, again especially helpful for products or services with a visual component
• Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku, connecting friends and colleagues with messages and files.
• Yahoo! Groups, old school but with a great opportunity for simple exchange. Consider joining our own Bootstrapper's Yahoo! Group.
• Yuwie, a MySpace clone offering revenue share for traffic to your profile and blog.
*Or build your own social networks with Me.com and Ning.

Have some additional suggestions? Add them in the comment section or create a posted link of your own with a link to this site and I'll provide a link back.