Community
Are you interested in meeting like-minded business people online? If so, there is a good chance that you may have some interest in Web-based business networks. A Web-based business network is, in a way, like a community in the sense that it allows Internet business users to connect and communicate with each other on a regular basis, similar to the local Chamber of Commerce and other such traditional groups, except that the communication is done virtually via Zoom, Skype, Go To Webinar or one of the other Web-based platforms.
Despite the fact that Web-based business networking have rapidly increased in popularity – during a pandemic which still lingers – and their popularity is only expected to keep rising, there are many business owners, managers and entrepreneurs who use the Internet but are unsure as to whether or not membership in a Web-based business network is something they want to do.
Why join?
Depending on your level of interest in determining whether or not you should join a Web-based business network, it may be worth learning about why such groups have gained increased popularity, since doing so may help you determine why other internet users have made the decision to join a Web-based business network. After such an examination you might even find that those are the same reasons why you should, or would, want to join such a network. Among the reasons other business people have joined is the ability to easily meet other Internet users with similar business interests, some of which may compliment each other.
Before Web-based business networking it was difficult to meet other business people in a comfortable, professional and convenient setting without leaving their offices or home if the business is home-based. Business professionals had to rely on in-person meetings at physical (brick and mortar) locations instead. Are you familiar with, or have you ever been a member of BNI? That organization is a good example of the kind of off-line business networking groups to which I referred and even those meetings had to adopt Web-based (virtual) meetings during the pandemic, and a few chapters may still meet virtually.
The technology
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Technology has made Web-based business networks a safe and secure way for business professionals to meet other business professionals online and, in many cases, it also allows professionals like you to meet people who have the same or similar interests as yourself. Most Web-based business networks allow you to create your own profile and many even give you your own webpage. These profiles/pages will allow you to share information about yourself, including your likes and dislikes and since all other network members are likely to have the same pages and profiles, it should be fairly easy for you to meet up with other internet business users, especially those businesses that tend to compliment your business type.
Another one of the many reasons why you may wish to join a Web-based business network is because membership allows you to literally have a wide variety of different choices because, as Web-based business networks increased in popularity, so did the number of websites that could be found offering such memberships. Although Linked-in is often deemed the most popular Web-based business network, there are others that are just as easy or as much fun to use. You should be able to find those websites easily by simply performing a basic internet search.
Free and paid
Perhaps the best reasons to should join a Web-based business network is the fact that most are free to join, free to use and free of overly restrictive rules and guidelines. Popular free networks include Linkedin, Happiness Neighborhood Project, and Alignable. In addition to free Web-based business networks, there are online networks in which you are required to pay in order to join, and although you may not want to pay for something that you can obtain for free elsewhere, you are likely to find that most paid networks offer you more membership benefits when compared to free business networks.
Due to the fact that most Web-based business networks are free to use or at least free to try, it is recommended that you take a closer look at this type of networking for businesses. If you are dissatisfied with what you see you can easily cancel your membership at anytime; but if you find value in networking with other business professionals, then by all means, upgrade where necessary to maximize the benefits that accompany that action, expand your membership, grow your list of contacts and enjoy the increased profits that are often the result of such business growth.
