Social networking is a must for online business success. Having the right connections gives you a wider audience and a greater chance of succeeding. But it isn’t that simple - if you break the rules, it could be the end.

If you’re looking for a broader social network, then there’s no better way than social networking to achieve this. Social networks online include using sites like Facebook, MySpace, Tagged to name but a few, as well as posting on blogs and forums and building a network for business or personal recreation. For example, you can add like minded people to your friends list in MySpace, post once a week to your blog, and participate regularly in forums.

It’s possible to open up more opportunities and find suitable business partners to work with - especially if you incorporate some or all of the following tips:

When joining social networks, start by creating a good profile that reflects you and what you do - no selling here, telling users how becoming your friend is going to benefit them.

By making friends at the social networking site, you are building the foundation of your network. Social networks are all about creating friendships and connections, the more Friends you make, the more people the wider and more diverse your network becomes.

Communicating and interacting frequently with your friends will show your enthusiasm. When someone has asked you to be your friend, write to them and thank them. Show genuine interest in them.

Don’t Market, don’t try to sell… Some sites are successfully trying to build a business using these Social networking sites. The reason why they work well is because they actually don’t use these sites to sell things. They try to integrate their brand into day-to-day conversations in social networks.

Bulletins are used to update your network of Friends on any new feature or a service you may have launched recently. This is one of the most effective tools to interact with your target audience and provides a cost effective way to reach out to your users. But remember not to misuse this option.

Posting the same stuff again and again is spamming and will damage your credibility in your network. Post bulletins to maintain interactivity with your Friends and only when you have something interesting to tell …make sure that your headline is meaningful.

Social networking sites like MySpace, Tagged, Tagworld, Facebook and Xanga (etc)) provide an extremely cost effective medium to market your site, product or a service. However these sites have their own rules which you should read up on.

Social Network should form an essential part of your traffic optimization strategies, where you’ll see growth in your traffic from these networks if master these techniques. Unlike traditional traffic from search engines or link exchanges, traffic from social networks can be more viral and very often more targeted.

Finally, it’s a good idea to spread your social networking efforts wide and deep. This ensures greater visibility to many potential business partners, joint venture partners and prospects.

Cross boarder online social networking services have come a long way since the introduction of MySpace and plenty more of this type of service are surfacing everywhere you surf, each catering for every type of individual. So, if you’re into social networking and want to rate, review and read what other people are submitting or you want to show off links to your favourite websites - then either one of these social networking services could be for you. Read more »

Gooruze is a new social network for Online Marketers, where member can post articles and news items. Gooruze is most likely the phonetic pronunciation of “Gurus”.There are a great number of discussion groups covering specific online marketing methods.

So what’s Gooruze all about? Well at first glance and according to Gooruze….

Online marketing is in hyper-drive - keeping up is almost impossible. Gooruze provides a one stop source for ranked news and advice, created and rated by the members.

Join Gooruze & You Could WIN!

Sign up today for your chance to win FREE Google AdWords traffic - there’s $10,000 up for grabs. Stand out “active” members be chosen by our Founding Gooruze and rewarded with FREE Google AdWords clicks!

Haven’t signed up yet, thinking that I probably can’t spread myself more thinly - nevertheless, I don’t want to miss something. So, first thing Monday morning I’m first in line at Gooruze.

I came across Flixya recently, which is a social networking site that pays you while you’re making friends, networking, sharing pictures, videos, blogs ….. and through Flixya’s network of content and redistribution partners, they automate the process of distributing and adding your content to the search engines and social bookmarking sites.

Remember to read their terms and conditions beforehand as there are a few reasonable rules that users need to follow. Cool site and worth looking into.