I have put together several Tastefully Simple eBooks. Perhaps you have written an eBook on blogging tips, tech advice, social media, crafting, cooking, how to coupon, food or frugal living and are looking for ways to market and sell your eBook, read on!

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell your Ebook on Clickbank

By Nicole Dean

Clickbank.com has paid out nearly $2 Billion to online business owners just like you in the last 10 years – and that number is growing fast. Yet, for a lot of marketers, Clickbank has a bad rap. I’d like to spend the next 2 minutes showing you why you absolutely should sell your ebook on Clickbank.

Who does this article apply to?

* If you’re currently selling your product with a simple paypal button. Consider switching to Clickbank.

* If you have a shopping cart (like 1ShoppingCart.com) that you’re using to sell your products. Consider also setting up a separate page or URL where you sell your product on Clickbank.

Here’s why…

Diversification of your Payments.

You may not be aware of this, but PayPal.com has been known to “freeze” accounts while looking into them after they’ve been flagged by one of their employees. While Paypal.com is a trusted company, they do have to watch out for their own interests. So, if this happens to you, your account will not be accessible during that time. That means you can’t withdraw money, you can’t pay affiliates, and you can’t process refunds. You’re stuck. I don’t know about you, but I have bills to pay – which is why I recommend that you also sell products via a secondary payment method like Clickbank. They pay via direct deposit into your Checking account every 2 weeks, like clockwork. If, heaven forbid, your account gets flagged by Paypal – you’ll be able to pay your mortgage while getting it cleared.

Less Book-Keeping.

With Clickbank, you get paid weekly or when you reach a certain dollar amount that you’ve set. That means that you can pay less in accounting fees – because you’ll have a maximum of FOUR transactions per month, assuming you’re getting paid weekly. Compare that to using a paypal button or shopping cart – where every single transaction has to be entered by your bookkeeper – and you can see the advantage.

100,000 + Sales Force.

Yes, Clickbank has the eye of over 100,000 registered affiliate niche marketers in 145 countries. Many of these affiliate search the Clickbank marketplace first when looking for products to promote. If you’re not listed there, they can’t find you.

Clickbank’s HopAds Program.

You may be familiar with Google Adsense, but, did you know that Clickbank also has an advertising program? As a vendor, you can create Ads that automatically show on affiliate websites – based upon keywords. So, if your ebook is about “Saving Money on Groceries” and someone with a frugal or homemaking site puts the HopAd on their site with keywords “grocery” or “save money” – your ad may display in rotation with the other ads – as long as that ad is live on their site.

Hands Off Affiliate Management.

If you’re using your own shopping cart like 1ShoppingCart.com then you have to manage your affiliates or hire someone to do so. While this is definitely a profitable thing to do, some tasks can be a nuisance, like collecting W-9 forms (if you’re in the United States) for taxes. If you sell through Clickbank, that’s not an issue. They handle it for you.

Affiliate Payment Safety Cushion.

If you’re selling your products through your own shopping cart, then every month, you have to make sure to keep a “cushion” in your paypal account so that you have enough money to pay them. That’s not an issue with Clickbank. You ONLY receive your profits after affiliates have been paid. And, Clickbank handles paying them for you. You’re totally out of the loop.

There you have it. Six reasons why you should consider putting your ebook on Clickbank for sale.

Nicole Dean is the Busy Marketer’s Coach. She makes it her business to help you make more money while actually having a life. Check out her “15 Quick & Easy Steps to Getting your Ebook on Clickbank” and Let Clickbank Market Your Info Product & Attract Affiliates for you!

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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One of the ways to drive traffic to your blog posts is by having it Stumbled on StumbleUpon.

What Exactly Is StumbleUpon

In many of the forums and social networking groups that I participate in, the big discussions going on right now is that bloggers are noticing that much of the hits from traffic that they are seeing is coming from members of StumbleUpon.

StumbleUpon is a discovery engine that recommends the best of the web, personalized just for you.  Discover useful and entertaining content and information with StumbleUpon anytime, wherever you are, from any device.

I’m signed up at  StumbleUpon and also  have the Stumble Upon toolbar installed.  The tool bar is now available for Chrome, Internet Explorer and as an addon extension for Firefox.

StumbleUpon For Mobile Devices

There are also mobile apps for Android, iPhone and the iPad.

Now that I finally have my coveted  iPhone on the Verizon Wireless network, I have downloaded the StumbleUpon app for iPhone from iTunes and am able to multi-task on my smartphone by stumbling posts whenever I have some “spare” time!

Whenever I see a post that I enjoy, I give it a “Thumbs Up” and write a short review.  I have a profile telling a little about myself (my user name is Moomettes on StumbleUpon) , and have friends and followers on the network.  Through messages on the Toolbar, we suggest to each other various sites that we enjoy, and if my friends like the sites, they’ll Stumble it, and give  it a Thumbs Up.

StumbleUpon is a good tool for also discovering other bloggers in your particular niche, such as Food and Recipes, and sharing posts.

I’ve been stumbling quite a few recipe blogs using the Stumble PhotoBlog method. This is a nice option as only the photos show up under my profile stream, as visual photos are the perfect medium for food presentation!.

You can see how much traffic you’re getting from StumbleUpon by checking your stats on Google Analytics, Statcounter or Get Clicky.

Recently there have been several good articles explaining the benefits of how to use StumbleUpon  and ways to increase your traffic using StumbleUpon.

Here’s an informative article to let you know a bit more about Stumble Upon, and why it’s important to Stumble posts that you enjoy.

What is Stumble Upon and How Does it Work?

Are you sick of doing Google searches and constantly getting search results that just aren’t relevant to your needs?

If you know anything about how Google and other search engines work then you would already know that when you search for a particular item the result on the first page are usually the site with the most capital to invest in online marketing. In my opinion this is not a good way to find the thing you want to buy as the companies that have spent the most on online marketing are also going to need to charge top dollar for the products they sell to cover the costs of their marketing expenses.

Stumble Upon is a great tool that is installed on your web browser toolbar. The web user votes for the best sites in a particular niche so when someone looks for a website through stumble upon they only get results from the highest voted pages for that niche.

This is the new generation of site searching and it may even one day take out the need for search engines, it is definitely a more accurate way of giving the web searcher more relevant results for what they need and soon the search engine index will become obsolete.

This constantly growing website is shaping the future of how people will find the things they want on the net by only giving results of the most heavily voted for site on the particular subject you are looking into.

I highly recommend anyone start using stumble upon the get the websites they need and if you ever find a particular page that was helpful simply use your stumble upon toolbar to give it thumbs up!

Simon Lissa is an Online Home Based Business Entrepreneur and the owner of Online Surveys Australia.
Please feel free to visit: Best Paid Surveys

Image Credit: KrooClub

© 2011 Moomettes Magnificents

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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In his new book, Achieve Anything in Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals (Amazing Life Press, $29.95, http://www.amazinglifepress.com/), Jason Harvey provides a blueprint for personal success that can make 2010 the year that resolutions become reality.

Most resolutions fail because people try to change too fast and accomplish too much all at once,” said Harvey, a Certified Life Coach. “My book is about learning how to make small daily changes and be your own personal life coach.”

The most common resolutions – to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more, spend more quality time with family, etc. – are also the easiest to break. “The truth is, we set ourselves up to fail by making resolutions that are sweeping and unrealistic,” explained Harvey.

The resulting cycle of making and breaking promises is self-defeating – so how can individuals make resolutions stick? Achieve Anything in Just One Year equips readers with the tools to:

• Be truly committed.Don’t just go through the motions – act like you’re making a promise to your company, or to your best friend.
• Be specific. A resolution like “I want to lose weight” is easier to ignore than “I want to lose five pounds by March.”
• Set a deadline. A timeframe equals commitment and helps quantify success.
• Avoid overwhelming yourself. You may want to lose weight, quit smoking, achieve moderation with martinis and cut up your credit cards all at once, but let’s get real. Focus on a limited set of goals and plan on taking stock mid-year.
• Change one thing at a time. Recognize that change is hard. Wait to achieve one goal before starting on the next.
• Be realistic. Taking charge of a fitness regimen is a realistic goal, while exercising seven days a week may not be. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment with lofty goals.

The idea is to take daily action that creates a ripple effect in your life,” said Harvey. “By transforming your life with small steps, you can stay motivated, focused and balanced. Best of all, you’ll feel happier about pursuing your personal success.”

Achieve Anything in Just One Year is available to BUY NOW at Amazon.com.

This is a sponsored guest post written by Jason Harvey on behalf of Achieve Anything In Just One Year. Post powered by Sponzai.

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Sponsored Tweets. All opinions are 100% mine.

Twitter profiles are a window into the life and business of each user. Without a proper and effective profile, jobs can be lost, money can be washed down the drain and clients can be swayed to another profile that provides more of what they’re looking for. A Twitter profile is just like a marketing campaign for a company – a proper Twitter profile should effectively provide a snapshot of your brand.

Twitter is just another tool to implement your marketing strategy on the web. As such, the same branding rules apply to your Twitter profile. Your profile doesn’t just include the wording on your Twitter account, but also the background on your Twitter page. There are applications you can use to develop free backgrounds for your Twitter account if you’re on a budget, but in order to properly brand yourself, spend the extra money and develop a personal background the same way you would for a blog or website. It’ll pay dividends in the end.

Here are a few tips to follow when creating your profile on Twitter to help develop your brand.

• Be Consistent – Keep your message steady

• Add Pictures – Many people want to see actual pictures of who they are talking to, not avatars or logos.

• Frequently Update – When you have something new, make sure you update your profile.

• Give Readily Available Contact Information – When branding yourself or your business on Twitter, one of the most important things is to make sure people know how to get in touch with you.

• Stick with Simplicity – While you only have 140 characters to develop your profile, treat it as though it were SEO copy.

• Value Time – Take your time.  Developing your brand on a new social media tool can be exciting and a lot of fun.

Branding your blog or business took time, possibly even months. Give your Twitter profile the same attention you did to the initial branding efforts and it’ll  pay off.

Once you have everything in your Twitter profile set up properly, it’ll be easier to monetize your twitter account and sign up for sponsored tweets.

SponsoredTweets.com is an online marketplace that allows you to connect directly with advertisers to engage in sponsored conversations through Twitter. Advertisers compensate you with cash in exchange for a sponsored tweet. This is a place were people big and small can make money tweeting. There’s also a referral program you can participate in.

You’ll be able to set your price and choose your offers. Tweeters remain in complete control of their accounts at all times.  Additionally, each and every tweet must be manually reviewed and approved by each tweeter. Izea Sponsored Tweets also adheres to a strict Code of Ethics, which includes complete transparency and Disclosure.

To provide for your safety, Sponsored Tweets authenticates through Twitter’s OAuth process and doesn’t collect or store your password.

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Stop to Smell the Roses

When I was a kid, my grandmom used to have a favorite saying:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…

Most women can be micro-managers or control freaks. That’s not always a bad thing, but when you run a business from home and manage your household, the stress of trying to micro-manage every little detail can be unbearable. Learn to take it easy and make an attempt to delegate household duties and chores.  Let all the family members pull their own weight in some form or manner.

Surely you realize that before you started your blog or home business, wasn’t there days when the dishes didn’t get done because you were tired?  Hopefully no one complained. What’s changed?

Now you have taken on new responsibilities with your business that demands your time. If you’re afraid that your house will turn into a disaster without your constant attention, don’t be. All you’re accomplishing is the fact that you’re increasing your anxiety level while decreasing your productivity in the home office. Who can concentrate when their mind is all over the place?

A plausible solution is to set daily goals. These goals encompass the business side and the family side. Setting goals helps maintain the balance between family and business. This will also help you be better able to relax.

Here are some goal-setting tips:

1. Know your limitations. There are no super moms – only normal moms who are super tired. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your business be. Take it one step at a time. If you are working on marketing your business, use one strategy at a time and cultivate that. As you take on clients, spread out the work until you find your comfort zone and then you can add more projects. Allowing yourself the time to do good work and complete projects on time is a great feeling.

2. Alternate business days and housework days. There will always be housework to do. For one brief shining moment, your house is clean and then the family comes home. Choose a day when you work schedule is light or take one or two mornings a week and devote them to cleaning. Even on those days, set a time frame. Do what needs to be completed during that time and leave the rest for the next cleaning day. You’re shaking your head I can tell. Before you say to yourself, “she’s crazy” – give it a try. On the days when work is the priority, your mind will be focused on work and not the dishes.

3. Schedule in some free time. Spending time doing absolutely nothing or working on a hobby fulfills a soulful need. Work and home are more manageable when there is time for you factored into your week. It doesn’t have to be every day, but it needs to be there for your sanity. You’ll snap if you remain wound too tightly. Take time doing something YOU like to do on a regular basis.

Each day brings a new opportunity to grow your blog or business, enjoy your family and take time to smell the roses. A well balanced life increases overall well-being and productivity in all of your tasks, especially your blog or home business.

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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If you’re new to blogging, or even an old hand at it – you’re probably aware of how much time and thought goes into writing a post.  It’s always nice to receive traffic, comments and feedback, along with new subscribers.

One of the ways to drive traffic to your blog posts is by having it Stumbled.

I belong to the website Stumble Upon.  I also have the Stumble Upon toolbar installed.  Whenever I see a post that I enjoy, I give it a “Thumbs Up” and write a short review.  I have a profile, and have “friends” on the network.  We suggest various sites that we enjoy, and if my friends like the sites, they’ll Stumble it, and give  it a thumbs up.

There’s also the ability to become an Advertiser using Stumble Upon.

You can see how much traffic you’re getting from Stumble Upon by checking your stats.

Here’s an informative article to let you know a bit more about Stumble Upon, and why it’s important to Stumble Posts that you enjoy.

What is Stumble Upon and How Does it Work?

By Simon Lissa

Are you sick of doing Google searches and constantly getting search results that just aren’t relevant to your needs?

If you know anything about how Google and other search engines work then you would already know that when you search for a particular item the result on the first page are usually the site with the most capital to invest in online marketing. In my opinion this is not a good way to find the thing you want to buy as the companies that have spent the most on online marketing are also going to need to charge top dollar for the products they sell to cover the costs of their marketing expenses.

Stumble Upon is a great tool that is installed on your web browser toolbar. The web user votes for the best sites in a particular niche so when someone looks for a website through stumble upon they only get results from the highest voted pages for that niche.

This is the new generation of site searching and it may even one day take out the need for search engines, it is definitely a more accurate way of giving the web searcher more relevant results for what they need and soon the search engine index will become obsolete.

This constantly growing website is shaping the future of how people will find the things they want on the net by only giving results of the most heavily voted for site on the particular subject you are looking into.

I highly recommend anyone start using stumble upon the get the websites they need and if you ever find a particular page that was helpful simply use your stumble upon toolbar to give it thumbs up!

Simon Lissa is an Online Home Based Business Entrepreneur and the owner of Online Surveys Australia.
Please feel free to visit: Best Paid Surveys

Article Source: Ezine Articles

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Mom Masterminds is kicking off their 5th Anniversary with terrific opportunities!

I’ve been a member of Mom Masterminds, and won a Lifetime Membership when Moomettesgram’s Musings was honored with the Top 10 WAHM Blog Awards in 2008.

Are you looking to kick-start or ramp up your work-at-home business or blogs?

Here’s what Mom Masterminds can do for you:

Then and now, moms need a safe place where they can ask for advice and feedback and get it from other moms who were experiencing tangible success in their own businesses and who are willing to share how they’re doing it.

Grab a copy of the Free PDF ‘quick guide’ to the Mom Masterminds Learning Center – an enticing glimpse into all of the resources they have available to their members.  (No opt-in required).

What are you waiting for?  Find out what other mompreneurs have already known for five years and get the insider-knowledge yourself ~

You’ll have access to privilged information on:

• Free Morning Webinars

• Finding Your Niche:  Think Beyond The Obvious

• Preparing Your Website For Big Traffic Influx

To celebrate, Mom Masterminds is also hosting a Giveaway for a Free Lifetime Membership ($600 Value).

Don’t miss out on this one!

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Recently there has been quite a bit of press about the FTC and ethical implications of Mommy Bloggers doing product reviews.  I believe in transparency and  have always had a Disclosure Policy on all of my blogs.

Fortunately, Trisha over at Mom Dot has developed Pitch Bloggers, a partnership between moms who do product reviews, host giveaways and contests and the PR Advertising Representatives for companies looking to promote products.

Pitch Bloggers is a comprehensive resource to help PR and marketing professionals connect with mom bloggers and get up to speed on best practices for implementing blogger outreach campaigns.

There’s a lot of advice out there from PR pros about how to pitch mom bloggers and there’s an equal number of bloggers doling out advice about how to pitch them. But often these well-meaning groups lack something critical: a true, stand-in-my-shoes understanding of how the other half works.

Our dynamic team is made up of moms, seasoned PR professionals and long time, experienced bloggers. We provide the ideal combination of expertise and experience to help you effectively engage with bloggers.

In order to be considered as a Pitch Blogger member, mom product reviewers must fill out an application and sign and agree to an Ethics Agreement.

All those accepted will proudly display the banner showing that they meet the Ethical Blogger Professional Standards.

Whether you’re a mommy blogger trying to work at home and break into product reviews, or a PR  advertising rep for a company looking to have your product reviewed, check out Pitch Bloggers today!

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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If you’re a work-at-home mom, chances are you have a limited advertising budget.  Submitting your blog or ecommerce site to a Site Directory is a great way to gain exposure, traffic and readership.

I’ve submitted all of 3 of my blogs ~ this one, Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews and Mama Mentor to the newly launched Slogbite.com

What distinguishes Slogbite and makes it unique from the run-of-the-mill directory sites, is that Slogbite seeks to establish a “sense of community” among it’s participants ~ which is all part of the new Web 2.0 marketing trend.

To increase your site’s exposure, increase your sites traffic, increase your site’s readership, have fun and become part of a growing and influential community.

You have the ability to submit to multiple categories as well as add your banner.  Once entered, each banner will rotate on either of Slogbite’s sidebars.

Mel has done a terrific job of offering technical support if you need help, and is quick to respond by e-mail with suggestions to help you out if you get stuck.  Not everyone is a techie-and Mel understands that!

Like any good Oscar celebrity party, there’s an “A” List and a “B” list of participants.

Do you belong to Entrecard?  There’s a whole check-off box for that so any Entrecard member can easily find your blog or site.

Slogbite is definitely worth checking out ~ let Mel know I sent you!

Visit: Slogbite

Further Reading: Increase Blog or Website Traffic

6 Reasons Why You Should Sell Your Ebook on Clickbank is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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By now you’ve either decided to sign up for Twitter, or you may still be on the fence.  I would say ~ Go For It!  I actually came across this valuable information by being referred from a Tweet, and thought, I must share.  It’s the most succinct set of guidelines that I have seen yet.  Don’t forget to Follow Me on Twitter ~ Moomettesgram ~

Be a Model Twitizen: A Twitter How-To

by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, www.lasarafirefox.com
(Follow me: http://www.twitter.com/Yoga_Mama)

I was skeptical at first, but now Twitter is my golden city. As a busy mom and entrepreneur, I can take a few minutes and digest a handful of posts from my favorite Twitter friends, or post a bite-sized delight about my own day – all condensed to 140 characters or less. Who doesn’t have time for that?

Yes, often those posts will contain a link that may lead to an off-site exploratory mission, but so far it’s the most organic and dynamic way I’ve found to keep to my finger on the quick-beating pulse of the magical and diverse interwebs, and at the same time keep a constant stream of interest in what I have to offer.

If you’re new to Twitter, or have yet to join the chorus, here are a few ground rules that will help you to make your tweets harmonious.

1. Follow me, and I’ll follow you…and vice-versa:
If I follow you, please do the community-oriented thing and follow me, too. That way it becomes a conversation, a collaboration, a community. For us dedicated tweeters, Twitter is about building relationships. Build one with me!

Most of us don’t tweet to hear the sound of our own voice. No one wants to be shouting into a well. Consider my follow an invitation into my world, as well as a tip of the hat to your skill in presenting a doorway into yours.

2. Write a good bio:
In the beginning, this tiny bio is all we know about each other. 160 characters of character. The bio is often an under-utilized aspect of Twitter. I’m encouraging a bio revival! Make me want to know you. (It’s great practice for your elevator pitch, too, right?)

I encourage you to include something about your openness to new followers, or the reason you’re on Twitter. I put “Follow me, I’ll follow you,” in my bio. If you only want people you already know to follow you, you can protect your updates. In addition, you could say “I only follow people I know.” This little step will save both of us time, energy, and pride.

In addition to the bio, there’s a spot for a url. Add a link to a place where I can find out more about you; your blog, your website, an article you’ve written, your facebook profile.

3. Building your “Twitterverse”:
The way to build your network is to follow people. Yet, you ideally want a good balance between following and followers. So there’s a rhythm to building your twitterverse. Here’s how mine goes:
a. Find prospective Twitter friends (see step 4 on some tips on that), and follow them.
b. Allow a few days for the prospective community member to follow me in return.
c. If they follow me back, I make personal contact through a direct message (aka, “dm”, see section 6 for more info) and all is good. If they don’t, I evaluate whether they’re worthwhile to follow without the benefit of a two-way conversation. If they are, I keep them on. If not, I unfollow them.

4. Finding your twitter-posse:
You want to follow people you find interesting. You want to be followed by people who will find you interesting. Whether this is for work, fun, community building, or all of the above, your skill in creating your personal Twitterverse predicts how rewarding your Twitter experience will be.

There are worlds of possibility in every moment, but even more so in Twitter. Bloggers, and moms, and marketers, oh my! Really, you can find followers and followees from all walks of life, and with interests that run the gamut. These people are going to be getting into your head, and introducing you to new worlds day by day. Choose accordingly!

First off, click on the Find People tab on your home page (upper right, see it? good!) you might want to follow your irl (in real life) friends. You can search them by name or e-mail address. You can also invite them to join twitter, if you think they’d enjoy the experience.

Next, you’ll want to choose a few terms that indicate shared interests. For me, those terms were mom, mommy, mama, momma, and the dad variations, too. Then yoga. You can either search by terms at http://search.twitter.com/, or you can use the Find People tab again.

When you search your terms, the search will bring up profiles that list terms in the Twitter user name, in a tweeter’s bio, or even sometimes in a tweeter’s tweets. I found pages and pages of members listed on most of the terms I searched.

I chose selectively from the tweeters listed. Some of the parameters I used to decide whether I should follow someone or not were;
* The date they last tweeted – if someone hasn’t been on in months, what are the chances they’ll respond to a follow alert from a stranger?
* What their most recent tweet said; for example, if the tweet said “Why the hell are all these strangers following me? Creepy!?!”, that member is not a likely candidate for community building!
* Their bio, and whether it sounded like we’d be a good match.

Most often I would choose not to follow people with protected updates, but in rare cases I’d risk it and request permission to follow. I recommend that you judge that one on a case-by-case basis.

Another way to find like-minded tweeters is to go to a like-minded tweeters page, and follow the tweeters they follow, and those who follow them. You can see bios by placing your cursor over a tweeter’s name.

I would follow as many tweeters as I felt inspired to in one fell swoop (I think my “following” list got up to around 2000 once), and see who followed back. After a few days, I’d go back check out which tweeters had responded, and go through the evaluation of whether I would keep following tweeters who had followed back, or not.

Through this strategy, I built my list of followers up to over 700 in a matter of days.

5. Ethics for business (and personal) networking:
Some disagree with me on this, but I believe that even – or perhaps especially – if “you” are a business, you should follow in return. Yes, Twitter is free advertising, and it’s SMART advertising – JetBlue, Zappos, Vans and thousands of entrepreneurs can’t be wrong!

But, as always, there needs to be some buy-in. In this case, imnsho (in my not so humble opinion), the buy-in is this; I’ll pay attention to your posts, but I expect you to pay attention to mine, too. It’s a give and take, baby!

Besides, think of the marketing information you’ll be able to gather. Two-way communication with your demographic is just plain smart business sense.

Also, it’s not good manners to follow me, and then turn around and unfollow me when you think I’m not looking. I will come back and check from time to time, to see if those I follow are following me. (I do the same for those who are following me, too. I go and check my followers and make sure I’ve returned the follow.)

Not only that, there are tons of third party systems coming into being that are created to augment the Twitter experience. One of these even helps twitterers keep track of their follower activity. And, there are sure to be more of them as time goes by, and Twitter’s popularity continues to soar to new heights.

There are a few exceptions to the rule, but I generally don’t follow those who aren’t willing to follow me in return. I cast a line out, and if you grab hold I’ll hang on too. However, if there’s no resultant tug on the rope, I’ll reel it back in and cast in another direction.

If you have something amazing to say, and I just can’t live without your voice, I’ll stick around. But I tell you, it’s so much more fun when we can all sing out together!

6. A few easy commands that will be useful to know:
@username: this creates an automatic link to a tweeter’s profile, and alerts the user that you have sent a public post that cites them. If you’re replying to a tweet, including @username (like @yoga_mama) is great. It both promotes the tweeter, and creates a connection between you and the tweeter in question.

#tag: (like #gratitude, #palin, #debate, etc.) makes it easy to search an item, and get all the tweets that are relevant. It’s also is an easy way to see relationships between tweets by multiple tweeters.

rt, or retweet: when you repost someone’s tweet, it’s proper to add “rt @username” and then the retweet. Basically, it’s a way to give credit where credit is due. And again, it promotes tweeters who are tweeting things you appreciate or agree with.

d username: direct messages are the way to send a private note to another tweeter. Remember, it’s “d(space)username(space)message”. You’re only able to “dm” tweeters who are following you.

In closing:
Twitter is a community. In some way more profoundly than any other networking site I’ve ever been part of, the tweeters I follow have worked their way into my heart.

Maybe it’s the often unguarded, haiku-like quality of the “microblogging” experience. Maybe it’s the frequency with which I see the words of a given tweeter. Maybe it’s the fact that the Twitter experience has the contour and context of a conversation drifting in through the kitchen window.

And this in a country (the USA) where we often don’t have a sister or best friend living next door, or a neighbor we could easily ask for advice on a moment’s notice. Much less, hundreds of neighbors, many of whom might send well wishes when you need them, and heartfelt advice when you ask for it. (Or, just like any family, sometimes even when you don’t!)

Twitter has brought us into one another’s living rooms. It’s allowed us to share our vacations, our kid’s Big Game, our successes and heartbreaks.

It’s opened a window into a community that never goes to sleep – tweeters live all over the world, as one tweeter tweets her last missive of the night, another wakes up to a brilliant new day. A community that is always willing to give a shout out, send a smile, talk about politics, and lift one another up in a challenging moment.

Remember this as you build your personal Twitterverse. You are creating a new world, from nothing. Build it, grow it, nurture it with intention and care. And you know, everything will be just right.

About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPNLP, is a coach, trainer, and published author. LaSara helps clients find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values. She teaches and coaches internationally. She’s wife to an outstanding man, and mom to two brilliant girls.

You can find out more about LaSara at www.lasarafirefox.com. While you’re there, be sure to check out LaSara’s weekly conscious parenting podcast; Yoga Mama Satsangha.

(Please feel free share this article, in its entirety. Repost, send to your list, share with your friends. Please include all links, and LaSara’s bio. Quoting is always welcome, and should be executed in accordance with basic MLA quoting guidelines.)

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