Forum

Sites like ning.com and facebook.com have gained ground as business-oriented building blocks.

These online communities are built around members that join them and one of the most important activities in growing a business is growing relationships with others in the communities.

Sadly and due to poor internet marketing education a large percentage of the members spend their time spamming their business information in forum boards, groups, mass emails and even blogs.

Yes as a spammer, you “might” get a few business sales or recruits a year but in the long term you are destroying your business reputation.

As the saying goes, provide value and you will receive value, provide spam and you will be spammed.

It's up to you.

People lose interest in you and no longer pay attention to what you post so you are wasting your time.

It is very rare that people will want do business with anyone who joins a community and just spams business ads. Who are you?

People join and buy from people whom they know, like and trust.

What people are looking for is who you are and what you're about.

So how do you properly network in these sites?

1. Offer value! For example, if you are selling Health and Wellness products write about the ingredients and how they can benefit the reader instead of “buy this juice or join this great business ads”
2. Be yourself and express yourself do not hide behind banner ads and links.
3. Become a leader and expert who can offer valuable material that members in the communities can benefit from.
4. Start a topic about something that interests you.
5. Ask questions you may have or answer to questions posted by other members
6. Join in conversations that are of interest to you and make some meaningful comments.

Follow these 6 steps and you will get more respect and positive results than just posting the same old ads over and over!