Being an entrepreneur can be lonely!  –Especially if you’re starting an Internet business after years of working in a large organization, surrounded by friends and co-workers with whom you could share your day.  Additionally, you may find yourself feeling like you’ve got no one to bounce your ideas off of or give you advice in your next business move, as you would if you were working for a company.  Social networking could be a solution for you—and not MySpace nor Facebook!

We’re all social creatures—although some of us are less likely to admit this than others—and working alone in an online business can take its toll.  That’s why so many people turn to places like MySpace and Facebook to feel connected and keep in touch with the outside world.

Social networks like these, though, entertaining, only have really have relevance to your business in terms of customer relations and PR: you want to twitter your new products and promotions, and keep a relatively active Facebook page going to keep connected with your customers and drive traffic to your website.  (If the pages you created through your web hosting setup don’t already include links for your visitors to sign up for your Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites, they should!)

But what about a social network for you as a business person?  You need an online place to connect with other businesses and entrepreneurs—people you can turn to for advice, ideas, and shop talk.

You may be rolling your eyes at this point and saying, “yeah, yeah, I know, LinkedIn!”  I understand.  LinkedIn has gotten quite the reputation for the social networking site that everyone joins and nobody uses.  But that may be an unfair assessment.  I know plenty of people who actually use LinkedIn; though I know many more who have set up a profile there and just left it to sit, rarely, if ever, logging in again.

The people I know who take the fairly brief time required to learn about LinkedIn swear by it as a resource for the entrepreneur.

There are plenty of great alternatives to LinkedIn as well, such as PartnerUp and Qapacity.  There are places where you can ask questions about things like what is affiliate marketing.  You can also promote your business, network with new potential business partners, look for freelancers to hire for specific projects you may have, and more.

These networks give you the advantages of belonging to a large business organization while still enjoying the privilege of running your own business yourself and doing what you love.

Although typically billed as “social” networks, don’t be misled: these networks are all business!  Setting up your profiles and interacting with them is part of your job as an independent business owner, and you should take the time to be active in them.  Using these networks really can lead to new business opportunities, profitable business relationships, and more.

If it helps you manage your time, schedule a regular time slot—30 minutes or so—on the same day each week to log into these sites.  Ask your business questions, post on the discussion boards, and connect with other business people.  You’ll find the time and effort are worth it.

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