As my first blog post i want to start it off with a bang! None of you yet know me, to you I must be another ShoeMoney or John Chow wanna-be. A guy that thinks he knows it all about making money online simply because he started a blog.

That is infact both true and untrue. I do know quite a bit about making money online. Information I will gladly share with my readers. On the other hand I am still learning and that means I have and will make mistakes out in this big wide webverse.

The aim of these mistakes is to turn them into positives. To share them with my community so everyone can learn.

So now onto the actual content. As previously stated I want to start off on a good foot. So lets talk about the simple and underrated concept of networking (not to be confused with social bookmarking).

Often overlooked to things like SEO, networking in my experience has taken a backseat. Many undervalue the price that you can put on having a community you can rely on. Lets take a forum for example. Through your time on a forum you make friends and meet people. As long as you do this you have started your very own network.

As this network grows you can use it as a source of traffic and a way to get known. Have a great idea that you’ve just developed, or have an old one that needs a new bang. You can rely on those “friends” you’ve made to help you out. I can’t count the number of times I’ve casually been describing what I’m doing to a acquaintance that has been made online and they have actually Given me the idea I was looking for, or offered to help out! Whats better than free help?

A network is also self expanding. Talk to your network if you have time. Chances are they have a friend that has the same interests, and right there you’ve multiplied your contacts.

A few things I personally do to build my networks. I have separate messenger addresses for my network and personal life. Although it may be tempting to mix them I find it best to usually keep them separate. Although this may cause you to split your time between them, in the end you never get confused between the web and real life. These are also great for forums where you may not want JUST anyone getting your messenger address.

I also am active in many forums, for example Digital Point Forums. It is a large webmaster forum where you can meet other webmasters and find information on almost anything. Through my time there I have built up contacts that not only have led me to a business arrangement or two, but also have provided inspiration to go out on a limb and try new ideas.

Last but not least a social network is FREE. You don’t have to spend a dime! While it can be expensive to hire a SEO expert or employ a promotional strategy such as advertising, you never have to spend a dime to network properly.

Over the years I have built up an extensive social network and I can’t say how much it has helped me. You can’t put a pricetag on friendship in most cases but in this case is no exception. YOU may have a network and not even know you do. If so, get to work utilize it!

I hope this first post has started off what will become a wealth of information for the average “joe” that wants to earn online.