Comparing Business Networking Sites
Business Networks Are Booming as Professionals Enjoy Internet Ease
Some social networks overlap into the business network category, such as Twitter, which is an effective and easy communications tool for both businesses and individuals. Others specialize more in business and professional communications and expand the networking opportunities formerly offered mainly by after-hours cocktail parties and business lunches and dinners.
Perhaps the most widely known business website, LinkedIn boasts more than 40 million users in more than 200 countries. The executives of all of the Fortune 500 companies are members of LinkedIn. LinkedIn’s goal is to connect professionals by allowing fast access to trustworthy business and industry information and resources.
- Members, who represent 170 industries, can create a profile listing their skills and accomplishments.
- Members can create networks with those they trust, and they are automatically connected to people that their network members know.
- Members can get inside connections for business opportunities and jobs.
- Members can post job listings to find the best qualified talent.
LinkedIn, whilst not the easiest business networking site to use, still remains popular because it does allow for fast access to business and professional contacts that members already know, then it allows them to branch out by networking with new people known by their trusted connections.
Twitter, whilst known as a popular social networking site, also is useful for businesses ranging from yoga studios to magazine publishers to give customers quick updates on everything from holiday hours to new projects.
- Twitter is easy and quick to use, with each entry, or “tweet,” limited to fewer than 140 characters.
- Twitter entries can be sent through mobile texting, instant messaging, or the Internet, making it easy to keep in touch and get important information to customers and potential customers.
Since Twitter is a real time messaging service, it is a useful tool for businesses to augment their communications abilities and applications.
There also are several other top-rated, albeit lesser known, business sites worth checking out and knowing about. Each serves a slightly different market and need, but all are accessible to small businesses or individual entrepreneurs.
WomanOwned
This is a well-done business site for women entrepreneurs offering free basic service and responsive customer support.
- WomanOwned has good service and a number of business tools.
- This site offers resources to find capital, marketing tools, discount travel, and information on office supplies.
- WomanOwned allows members to build a network and promote their businesses and create pro-business interest groups.
This site is a great resource for women who are looking to advertise. An upgrade that allows for hundreds of photo downloads costs $19.95, but this site can be a good source for women to support other women-owned businesses and learn about what female professionals are doing.
Ecademy
This site is easy to join and use and has about 200,000 members.
- It offers many resources to make using the site easier.
- Ecademy has a Buddy Program that helps new members by linking them to an established network
- Members can join clubs, send messages, and attend networking events.
Ecademy is for business professionals who want an easy-to-use, effective business networking site with a number business tools and resources to make navigating the site easier.
FastPitch
This is a comprehensive networking site that allows businesses to communicate with each other.
- FastPitch allows members to participate in forums, create profiles, and see conferencing events.
- FastPitch has an application that allows members to easily distribute press releases.
This site is good for those who want to market their business using press releases, and also who are comfortable using forums to meet new people and market their skills and knowledge.
This site offers an easy-to-use business database.
- Xing is all about forums, offering about 25,000 different choices for professionals.
- Xing offers business networks that are easy to manage.
Xing is a good site for those who want to network and expand their contacts using forums.
Ryze
This site hosts about 500,000 members worldwide. It does not offer many frills, but it is a good chance to make new contacts.
- Ryze offers a classified advertising section where members can post ads.
- Members can connect with business prospects and invite others to join using unique networking features.
Ryze is for those who want a no-frills, straightforward business networking experience.
Professionals have a number of options for business networking sites, each offering specific tools and styles of communication applications for each users’ unique needs.
Just as social networking sites allow people to keep in touch, business networking sites are just as important to busy professionals who want to network and build a base of business contacts with whom they can easily maintain communication. Happily, there are a variety of options designed to meet the needs for just about all business professionals.
Shaking Hands
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Business Networking Sites are Booming.
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