And the winners (and losers) are…!
I decided at the beginning of the year to try out as many social and blog networking sites as I could handle, try them for a few months, weed out the losers, and try some more.
I’m not saying I know much about these sites or programs, just that they didn’t work for me. If I say something bad about one you like, convince me why I should like it! Perhaps I’ll give it another shot.
I should also mention that my goal was to bring more readers to my blog and sales to my Etsy shop and to bring the two together in a cohesive manner (without turning this blog into an on-running ad for myself)
The “Go fly a kite” award goes to Entrecard. I really liked the idea but I found it labor intensive and I really dislike the Entrecard site, finding it clumsy to navigate. I also have to say that I really don’t like the ads most people create! Why would i want them on my blog?
I’m also trying BlogCatalog. A simple blog directory. Haven’t seen much action but I like the site and being able to connect with a wide variety of bloggers, not just other crafters or Etsians. I think I will try LinkedIn next.
Facebook. It’s taking me a while to adjust to Facebook. I started a personal page so I could get the hang of it and then found out you cannot add a separate business page. It is against Facebook’s TOU to have 2 accounts. I did find out recently that you may add as many pages as you want to your personal page, making them business related if you choose. I started, but have not yet published, my business page and now I’ve lost it! The jury is still out on Facebook. Any tips would be appreciated.
GoogleBase. I’m still a little new to this one and can’t really say one way or another if it’s working. But it’s free and you don’t need to update too frequently. Since this can result in direct sales from a very large audience I will stick with it and see what the long term results are.
The “If I could only choose one networking site to have on a desert island” award goes to Twitter. I am in love with Twitter. Once you get the hang of it it’s fun and simple and addictive. I’ve had at least one direct sale because of it. Just treat it like you would your blog. Keep the content varied and don’t spam your shop nonstop and you’ll have followers in no time! Another plus to Twitter – you can be sporadic and you won’t lose followers like your blog would. There are also many Twitter related directories, search engines etc to play with.
So there you have it. A brief survey of my random networking experiences. Time to move on to some new ones, try them for a few months and do this again! For promoting your blog and/or Etsy shop which one site can you not live without? Which one disappointed you most?
