The times where people thumbed their noses at a network marketing business are behind us. As a matter of fact the network marketing business model is getting more and more exposure around the globe. And in light what just happened on Wall Street lately it’s really a good thing too. People need to be made aware that there is still an opportunity to create a great lifestyle regardless of the economy.

So, why are there still so many network marketers out there acting like secret agents around their friends, family and others in their circle of influence? Why are so many still not sharing the fact that they own and operate a network marketing business? Maybe they feel that they won’t be taken seriously by those closest to them.

The spotlight is on the top commentator award winners for the month of July. Is it just me, or is every month passing by faster than the previous one? And for some reason the closer it gets to years end the faster it goes. Hold on to your britches J

In any case, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to write this post of appreciation today as this is one of my favorite topics to write about.

Normally I highlight the top 3 commentators for the month unless there are more who earned the top commentator award. This month we have five individuals who have achieved this.

I haven’t always shown blog appreciation, but once I found out about it I was hooked. I thought it was a wonderful way to give back.

Ever since starting out on my blogging journey about two years ago now, I have made many blogging friends around the world. Some walked beside me for just a little while and then went on their merry way, while others stayed with me the whole way through and new ones are dropping into my life every day.

Some are actively participating by adding comments to the conversation, others prefer to be passive and just read my posts. I am very grateful for both.

Have you ever wondered how you could revive your old blog posts and drive additional traffic to them? After all you have written valuable content and you don’t want it to collect dust in some old archive. The best solution I have found is a WordPress plugin called “Tweet Old Post.”

There are many ways you could get your old content back out to new eyeballs. For example you could use a plugin that fetches related posts from your blog and attaches them to any new content you publish. You could tweet out your older posts manually or use automated systems like SocialOomph to schedule them. But that still takes time and we are all very busy.

 With all the buzz about Google joining the social media scene lately, the subject has been on my mind quite a bit. And then the other day a headline on my friend Elmar Sandyck’s blog caught my eye. It read…“Can You Recall When Social Media Started?”

I couldn’t really recall when it started, but I was amazed to find out that the first email was sent 40 years ago. Can you imagine it’s been FORTY years?

Wow, that totally blew my mind.

The news spread across the internet like wildfire. Almost 28% of all websites where impacted by the recent Google changes also known as “Google Slap.” Guess Google just reached a point of having enough of people trying to manipulate the search engines by taking advantage of bots, link farms, article submission sites, etc.

I can’t say I blame them. Have you ever read articles written by bots. It’s pure chunk. But a lot of those articles made it on the first page of Google leaving others with relevant and valuable content in the dust. Never underestimate the power of Google. You may be able to ride the wave for a little while, but Google is an expert in recognizing the “footprint” and they will shut you down if they catch you “gaming the system.”

I have been a member of LinkedIn for years, but I really didn’t know how to use it effectively to build my business. It wasn’t until a couple of months ago when my husband came across Linked Influence that everything changed.

Up to that point I had been totally overwhelmed by LinkedIn and kind of had discarded it as a tool to build my business.

BIG mistake!

LinkedIn quietly grew to 100 million strong in the shadow of Twitter and Facebook and is now the 3rd largest social network. If you take into consideration that it is also a network of professional business people with an average household income of around $110,000 then it’s a no brainer that if you want to connect with professionals you really should be on LinkedIn.

I can’t believe that half of 2011 is already gone. What happened? It seems like just yesterday that I took the decorations off of the Christmas tree and it won’t be long before the first snowflakes start to fall again here in Colorado. Is it just me, or does time go by faster as you get older? (Sigh)

But I don’t want to get sentimental, because today is a day of celebration and I would like for you all to celebrate with me.

As always at the beginning of the month I would like to highlight, congratulate and thank my Top Commentators. These are not just fellow bloggers but people I consider my friends.

I thought I needed to do a quick follow up to my previous blog post “A Degree in Network Marketing” mainly because Len Clements, Founder & CEO of MarketWave,Inc, who is working with Bethany College on the development of this project left me a couple of links with his comment to more information on the project, which I would like to share with you. Thanks Len!

If you missed my previous post, you can catch it here, “A Degree in Network Marketing.”

Basically I was writing about Bethany College intending to offer a four year Degree in Marketing with emphasis on Network Marketing.

Have you ever wanted to speed through a lengthy webinar replay but didn’t want to miss out on any of the information? Or have you ever followed a tutorial but wished you could slow down the video so you could apply the steps without having to pause the video? I know I have.

Well now there’s a solution. A little software called MySpeed.

MySpeed basically lets you view any flash video as slow as 3 times slower than the original speed. This is great for watching tutorial videos and following along without having to stop the video altogether.

Especially newcomers to the industry often feel quite uneasy telling friends and family exactly what it is they do. The simple reaction of, “oh, you’re doing one of those pyramid things,” sends shivers down their spine and stops them cold in their tracks.

Would having a Degree in Network Marketing make them feel better?

Maybe. At the very least it would lend more validity to the industry. No college in the world would offer a degree in something that wasn’t legitimate.

I was going about my day on the internet the other day when suddenly I lost the connection. There was no warning. Boom, gone! So of course, since that had not happened for the first time, I immediately went through all the steps and procedures to get it back again. Nothing!

The next step was to call our internet provider. My husband usually does that, because he’s the techie in the family. After the usual recorded instructions we finally got a live voice. But as it turns out even the nice customer service lady couldn’t help us out. Just shooting back the signal did not work this time. Somebody had to come out and check things out on location. The earliest appointment we could get was the next morning.