Get a lift from online networking (1/3)

A wave of new business networking websites can be used to obtain contacts and advice, and find new business opportunities

Rose Gamble- Sunday Times

“ARE you on Facebook?” Not long ago this phrase would have been confined to a student bar. Now you might hear it anywhere, including the office. In the past few years social networking has become commonplace and is rapidly infiltrating professional life. So do social networks offer any benefits to small businesses and is it worth investing time in them?

Andy Lapota, a networking consultant and director of the online network Word of Mouse , believes social networking is here to stay. He said that the Blackberry and fast, round-the-clock access to the internet had paved the way for online social networking.

“The internet is suddenly much more accessible,” he said. “Without the long download times that frustrated us when we were using telephone modems, we can do so much more online.”

Lapota also believes that the online networking revolution is largely being driven by demographics.

“Many of us have had to learn about the internet, e-mail and other new technology as adults. But now an increasing number of people are entering the job market and business community for whom texting, instant messaging and blogging are a way of life,” he said.

All of this means that small-business managers should not ignore these phenomena but use them to their advantage.

For the business manager thinking about trying them out for the first time, things are not nearly as daunting as they seem.

For a start, “social networking” is an umbrella term. It encompasses the well-known networks such as Bebo , MySpace and Facebook - set up as social tools for students - but it also includes a raft of online networks designed specifically for businesses. The latter are not purely social sites; rather they are online business networks that can provide a host of contacts and potential business opportunities.

Business networking sites normally fall into one of three categories. The first is profile-building networks, such as Ecademy or BT Tradespace . Essentially, these sites let users build up their business profiles by posting details of their activities, writing blogs, joining clubs and exchanging messages with other users.

The second type of site is the brain-building network, such as Web Wednesdays , focusing on an exchange of information and business support. These sites aim to bring together professionals – often from one area of business – to exchange ideas and solve problems.

The third type of site is the referral-building network, such as Linkedin and BT Tradespace, which focus on business building. They aim to connect members so they can get to know each other’s skills and previous experiences, which leads to recommendations, referrals and word-of-mouth marketing.