What the Heck is Social Networking

What the Heck is a Social Network

Back in the day, you know in the 80’s, social networking was called “getting together”. “Getting Together” translated into hanging out in the woods around a fire pit with a couple of guitars singing Arlo Guthrey tunes. Today, no one really “gets together” unless they are away at sleepover camp. Today, it’s all about social networking, which is a global interactive interaction between people that want to see and people that want to be seen.

Like a big ‘ole planetary party the social network sites all vie for the same audience… everyone.

Each site offers an interface (or in English – a way to get in and look around) and each site wants to be your main source for activity on the internet.

Here are a couple of common “social networking” sites, that I checked out for this article. If you are interested in reviewing a more complete list… check out the list on Wikipedia at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites or you can google the key phrase :list the social networks, and you will see several sites with a long long long list of what’s available.



My Space
I thought it was - 3 foot perimeter around my immediate vicinity
It turned out to be - Website where people upload their pictures, personal information. Apparently this is a great way to meet other people on the planet "virtually" -helps not spread disease

Flickr
I thought it was - When the lights dim momentarily
It turned out to be - Big Huge Online Photo album available for free

Linkedin
I thought it was - a combination of popping beads together to make a necklace and the word "in" which means hip or cool
It turned out to be - This is a business social networking site. Similar to MySpace but for more serious people.

Facebook
I thought it was - Interesting combination of words. First, there is Face. Obviously the part of your head with eyes. Then Book, used to be something made with paper pages.
It turned out to be - Similar to MySpace, seems to be a little less popular and a little less sleazy.

Piczo
I thought it was - the sound a tire makes when it is rolling down the street with a pebble stuck in the tread.
It turned out to be - Another website where individuals are provided space to create their own page advertising their pictures and personal information, not as popular as My Space or Facebook, easy enough to join, but I don’t feel the need. It’s just a little … blah

StumbleUpon
I thought it was - Finding something you really like at a garage sale.
It turned out to be - This site was a little hard to understand at first. Then within minutes I grew to love it… NOT because of the site, but because of the toolbar. The toolbar rocks! Basically as you use the internet you give thumbs up or down to sites that you find and I believe that helps other people “stumble upon” them. I will definitely be spending more time here.

Digg
I thought it was - What the Diggingest Dog did
It turned out to be - Interesting website, needs more time to review but it looks like it's more or less a method for linking and thus almost voting on the popularity of articles, blogs, websites, videos. The membership page is nice and clean and easy to navigate

pownce
I thought it was - once spelled pounce, was what a cat did to a mouse
It turned out to be - This is another social networking site, that during the setup of your free account allows you to "import" your friends from the following other networks: digg, facebook, twitter, flickr, gmail, hotmail, aolmail, yahoomail. I'm not crazy about this site. I'm not really sure what it does and frankly I don’t like thinking too much

Twitter
I thought it was - The sound a baby bird makes
It turned out to be - A micro-blogging site. I tried this one a while ago and it's great if your friends are also on twitter, if they aren't, then you are reading about what a bunch of strangers are doing. However you can send links to web pages so I have seen some neat videos

KickApps
I thought it was - Well, Kick used to mean, to strike someone with your foot… but now it means, something more like "excellent". Apps used to be a common typo for Alps, but is more of an abbreviation for applications or appliances or appaloosa ponies.
It turned out to be - This website of ALL the websites is serious product for people in communities or interest groups. I saw some really great groups and communities. Perfect for large followings and fund raisers and family reunions and projects and all kinds of things.

If you take a minute to check out the Wikipedia list you will see that there are over 300 social networking sites out there. So when I say there are just a few, I’m not kidding.

I hope this helps.

For more helpful hints, tips and tricks check out my blog at http://mombloggerworks.blogspot.com/
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Put Your Spare Time and Writing Skills To Work

Have you ever wondered about the people you see on the news that make a living blogging? You know, you see them in their pajamas with a cup of coffee, sitting at their computer a couple of hours a day, writing about topics they find interesting.

Have you ever wondered how they find those choice jobs?

Personally, I have struggled with finding extra income doing something I love, and have always thought that adding advertisers to your blog was the only way. I, like many, just thought that these people must be exceptionally gifted and have a HUGE following to have reached that level of blog popularity.

Now, I'm not saying that they aren't. I'm just saying that you don't have to be to earn a nice income blogging on topics you hold near and dear. There are several companies that offer payment for bloggers willing to write about specific topics.

The best way to find these opportunities is to google keywords like: Pay to write blogs, Get paid to write blogs, or something along those lines.

I am currently reviewing a company called PayPerPost. It looks great, the customer service or "customer love" as they refer to themselves is exceptional. I found this company by following the below link:

Your Momma blogs...and we pay her to do it! I though that was funny, and I looked into the opportunity from there.

When I checked out the site, I found several great things about this opportunity.
#1) It's Free. That's right. Guess what that makes it... a legitimate opportunity.
#2) The customer support is very friendly and knowledgeable.

If you are thinking about signing up, one word of caution.

When setting up your account, you will be asked for your blog categories. These categories are very specific and important to the opportunities that you can accept. AND you can only change your categories once every 30 days.

My suggestion is that you read through some of the successful bloggers material to review the types of entries that are working for other bloggers, and also to get an idea of what categories are popular with the opportunities.

5 Ways To Earn Money While The Kids Are At School

In today’s day and age more and more people are supplementing their income with side jobs. That means they go to work 9-5 then they pick up extra hours in the evening or the weekend to try to make ends meet. Over the years I have spoken to many successful people to find out how they started their business. All of these people have one thing in common, they worked hard.

The old adage, nothing is free; is absolutely true. If you are looking for a get rich quick scheme, this isn’t it. These are 5 bonifide business opportunities in 5 niche markets. It doesn’t matter how great the idea, if you aren’t willing to go door to door to sell it, then no one is going to buy!
Having said that, here are 12 great unique businesses you can start for under $100.00

#1) Dog Waste Management – Yeah I know, it’s gross. But I know someone that rakes in (no pun intended) hundreds of dollars a week, cleaning up peoples yards. He sells weekly or bi-weekly contracts depending on the number of dogs. His expenses include, gloves, bags and he opted for a separate pair of shoes for work. He charges $20.00 a visit for contracted clients and $40.00 for non-contract. He said it’s approximately 5 – 15 minutes per yard. He averages $700.00 a week, doing 5 – 7 clients a day. (plus if you wanted to do a mailer, you could go to the town and purchase a list of the people who have licensed dogs)

#2) House Cleaner – Not everyone is cut out to clean. I’m one of those people that is happier paying someone else to clean. There are two schools of thought with cleaning, you can show up and use the homeowners cleaning supplies and appliances (i.e. vacuums) or you can bring your own. The women I hire usually use my stuff and leave me notes when they are getting low on supplies. They only come if I agree to let them come every 2 weeks and they charge from $45.00 to $75 depending on the size of your house.

#3) Nanny or Babysitter – As a parent of 3 small children I am constantly looking for qualified person to watch my kids, especially in the summer. Again, not everyone is cut out to watch someone else’s children. And if you don’t have the temperament, then don’t even try. In New Jersey, Babysitters are getting between $10.00 - $15.00/hr. That’s a long way from the $2.00/hr when I was growing up!

#4) Sell on eBay -- the nice things about eBay is that you don’t have to have money to make money. One of the biggest sellers on eBay is CHILDREN STUFF. Toys, Clothes, books... Its work, and you need to make sure you do the research before you list your stuff, but you can make good money on eBay, especially if you are interested in selling other peoples things on consignment. Then you will actually get paid for your time. eBay has some great help pages to help you get started.

#5) Tele-work – Normally I wouldn’t suggest this type of work for parents of small children, but this article is specifically geared towards those 2 – 6 hours the kids are at school. Many companies outsource their customer service to individuals working in a home office. You can locate these opportunities the same way you would locate regular jobs, you simply go to the job search engines (like http://www.careerbuilder.com/ or http://www.hotjobs.com/ ) and use one of the following keywords: Telework Telecommute or telecommuting. AND remember, you don’t have to limit it to your zip code or even your state. If the work is remote and from home then it doesn’t matter where the company is located. One word of advice: NEVER PAY for the opportunity to work. If the company wants you to send money even if it is a small amount, it is a scam. You wouldn’t expect to have to pay to work anywhere else, then why pay to work remotely. Right?

Telecommuting is great, but only works if you are able to talk on the phone uninterrupted without noise in the background. That means, you will only be able to do it while the kids are at school.

Well, those are 5 great job ideas for earning money while the kids are at school.

Each one of these jobs will produce as much money as the time you are willing to put in.

Don’t forget, it’s always easier with another person. If you know another mother looking for an opportunity, think about joining forces and teaming up.

Enjoy and let me know how you do! You can read other articles and get other ideas on my blog http://mombloggerworks.blogspot.com/.

Real Tips for Mom’s looking to work from home

If you are anything like me, you have spent as many years as the age of your oldest child trying to work from home. It’s an ancient struggle, earning enough to live and having enough time to enjoy your children while they are young. I have been at this for 7 years and I have some practical tips and suggestions.

I know, I know, everyone reads the ads that promise riches and you think… Then you get to the website and they urge you to make a small investment. And you think, “Well, I gotta spend a little money to earn a lot of money sounds ok” Actually, if you think about it, it doesn’t make any sense. Would you normally pay someone to let you work? No, they pay you. If you are required to pay for anything… then you are getting scammed. ESPECIALLY, if you are paying to get a list of “opportunities”. Let’s face it, the only one that is going to actually make money is the person selling the list.

Have you checked:
http://www.hotjobs.com/
http://www.careerbuilder.com/
http://www.monster.com/

Yup, those are the sites people looking for jobs usually try. The difference is, if you are looking to work from home you would use different keywords. You would search “Telecommute” or “Telecommuting” or “Telework”. Go ahead, try it. The nice thing about looking for Telecommuting work is that you are not bound by locality. You could live in Florida and work for a company out of Idaho.

You will find a lot of the “scam” companies or educational companies place ads for these types of positions and once you access the link you will find they want you to pay for the training required to get the position. But there are several positions that are ALWAYS available to telecommuters.

The two biggest categories are Sales and Customer Service. I hate sales. I despise calling people and trying to sell them something. That’s what sales people do, as much as I despise it… it’s really where the money is. Most sales positions are paid on commission, that means the more calls, the better your chances of making money. I prefer having customers or clients call me… that is generally customer service. Since I’m a bit of a computer geek, I also apply to the technical analyst or help desk support ads. Customer service positions generally are either paid per call or hourly. Not as lucrative as Sales, but not as stressful either.

Here’s the other thing. As a mother of three small children I have spent the last 7 years dipping into various opportunities and almost all of them are a no go with young kids. If you have to spend any time on the phone, you just can’t. As you know, you will have 30 possible 45 minutes of nice quiet time PROVIDED you haven’t picked up the phone. As soon as you pick up the phone to take or make a call, all of the kids that that opportunity to either start fighting or they all need to discuss something…with you… simultaneously… very loudly.

The trick is to find something that you can do at home that doesn’t involve phone calls. Start by making a list of things you can offer a perspective employer:

Legal Transcription – Typing Legal Documents from Tapes (if an attorney’s office has extra work it usually means the attorney has recorded documents to be typed on tapes. The secretary listens to the words using a transcriber machine. If you pick up work from an attorney, they will probably lend you a machine with the tapes

Collection Letters – if this is done properly, you can have a series of letter templates that you would just plug in the addresses and print out the letters and envelopes. If you are writing the letters on behalf of a company, then you can save the documents on a disk or flash drive and let them print them out. If you are collection the money for a commission, there may be added expense for P.O. Box and postage and what not.

Data Entry – Could be anything from entering amounts and dates into a spreadsheet to accessing the company database and entering customer information directly into their proprietary system.

You get the idea right? Think about all of the things that you are qualified to do in an office. Then think about how you would be able to do them at home.

So, once you have compiled your list of things you can do from home, you need to plan your strategy. Start close to home, check your yellow pages and compile your list of local companies that may need secretarial help or check your local job opportunities.

Your introduction letter needs to sell your services to your perspective employer. Your letter need to explain how the employer will benefit from hiring you, how qualified you are for the position and allude to a money saving aspect without stating how much you want to earn.

Save the rest for the interview.

I have one last comment before I say, “good Luck” and that is… Spell check your introduction letter AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure the letter is formatted professionally.

Good Luck