How social networking is changing the web

Many users of the web now expect a more personal experience when they visit your website. We have all witnessed the huge growth of sites such as My Space, Face Book, Wink, YouTube, and Fickr. These sites are quickly outpacing many of the traditional websites in popularity. What does this mean to you? It is signaling that many Internet users want more personal contact. If you can portray a portion of who you are on a more intimate level potential clients will feel more at ease when choosing a service provider. No one likes to hire someone for professional services without more information. From the client's point of view they maybe more inclined to hire you if they realize you donate your time and services to worthy causes, or see you have close family ties. This helps them to perceive you as someone they can trust and feel comfortable with.

The other important impact of networking sites is the ability for your practice to set up a profile on such sites as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Corante, and Avvo. This is a great way to build links, and mass market yourself. They give you the ability to further personalize yourself. Many network websites are free, and give you the ability to blog, which also helps with your search engine popularity. If you haven't set up a profile on LinkedIn, Plaxo, Corante and Avvo please do so. Take advantage of their free marketing.