Considering I haven’t even had as much as the “sniffles” for the past 8 years and I am really  a lousy patient when I do get sick, I sure hope for a very healthy 2012 for my family’s sake.

But back to the subject…

For the very last time this year I have the privilege and the immense honor to highlight the…

Top Commentators of The Enlightened Networker for November

So without further ado, here they are…

For the 3^rd time in a row sparkling at the #1 spot is Adrienne Smith. Adrienne is always leaving meaningful replies as well as adding her own warm and witty personality which also reflects on her own site where she is sharing great tips on how to build a successful home business.

Make sure you read her latest post:  “CommentLuv Premium Goodies”

Coming in at second place Ryan Biddulph is no stranger to The Enlightened Networker’s Top Commentators Award. He’s also one of the most giving people I know always sharing mine as well as other people’s content throughout the social networks. If you’ve never visited his blog make sure you do so today as you will find a wealth of information there on how to grow your home business opportunity.

I invite you to read Ryan’s latest post:  “Take The Lazy Step To Grow Your Home Based Opportunity”

And in 3^rd place another serial Top Commentator Award Winner, Marcus Baker. I love it when Marcus visits my blog and leaves his feedback, because his comments are always insightful, warm and add great value to the conversation. Marcus writes about personal development on his own blog and his posts are packed with great information helping you grow as a person.

So make sure you check out his latest post: “Replies To Messages In Bottles”

So, there you have them, the Top 3 followed by…

4. Diane Aksten, 5. Oliver Tausend, 6. Etieno Etuk, 7. Tosin Adeoti, 8. Albert Rox, 9. Radu Dascalul, 10. Akos Fintor

It’s because of all of you that The Enlightened Networker is what it is.

“Many thanks for your continued friendship and support!
Thank you for your never-ending feedback and adding great value to my blog!
For all you do, please accept my sincerest appreciation.”

To Your Massive Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Related posts:

1. Top 3 Commentators at The Enlightened Networker for October
2. A Heartfelt Thank You to September’s Top Commentators
3. I’m Back! – And Thanking My Top Commentators for August
4. No More Faceless Blog Commenting on The Enlightened Networker

The first day (or first week) of the month is also traditionally the time when I acknowledge and say thanks to my top commentators. At least it’s been like that for the past year or so.

This month almost looks like a repeat of last month, only the order has changed. Marcus and Etieno switched places.

So, let’s see then…

The Top 3 Commentators of
The Enlightened Networker
for the month of October are …

Sitting pretty and steady on first place is Adrienne Smith. Adrienne always delivers exceptional value on her blog and her engaging way makes her blog posts a very easy read. You’ll come away with information that rocks so if you haven’t visited her blog yet, make sure you do it today.

Here’s a preview: “Why Free Information Is Sometimes More Expensive”

Coming in second is Marcus Baker.  If you are a regular reader of my blog you may know that Marcus is no stranger to this award as he is one of my top supporters always leaving me great feedback. His blog is about personal development where he shares his great insights sprinkled with his personal experiences.

Find a great sample here: “Make Life an Ongoing Joyous Experiment”

And occupying third place is Etieno Etuk.  Etieno is still quite new to The Enlightened Networker however he managed to being featured in the top 3 spots twice in a row. Good for you, Etieno! His passion for wanting to help people find success shines through on his blog so make sure you pay him a visit.

Etieno’s latest post: “Les Brown On How To Discover The Greatness Within You.”

Following on places 4 through 10 are….

4. Oliver Tausend,  5. Brock Blohm,  6. Jym Tarrant,  7. Ryan Biddulph,  8. Christian Hollingsworth,  9. Jayne Kopp and 10. Stacy Claflin

Thank you so much to all of you!
Your comments always put a smile on my face and the added value
is so very much appreciated not only by me,
but by my readers as well. So again, my heartfelt THANKS!

 I have to add that I truly appreciate all of my readers. I know some of you just read my posts without leaving a comment. And that’s totally fine. Just know that I do appreciate you all as well. Without you, The Enlightened Networker would just simply cease to exist. So thank you!

Here’s an invitation to everyone visiting this blog:

I write an appreciation post like the one above in the beginning of every month. If you like to be featured as one of The Enlightened Networker’s top commentators next month all you have to do is participate in the conversations. Make sure you provide valuable feedback which actually adds to the conversation and not just a “nice post” for example. I will then acknowledge you with your picture (make sure you have one) and a link back to your BLOG. (No sales ore capture pages please.) — Here’s a “heads up” …changes will be coming down the pike where commenting on this blog is concerned. So stay tuned!

To Your Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Related posts:

1. My Sincerest Thanks to The Enlightened Networkers November Top Commentators
2. A Heartfelt Thank You to September’s Top Commentators
3. I’m Back! – And Thanking My Top Commentators for August
4. No More Faceless Blog Commenting on The Enlightened Networker
5. Changes at The Enlightened Networker and Your Feedback Please

To be quite honest with you, I had to look up the word “versatile” in the dictionary as I had no clue of its meaning. Cross-checking various online dictionaries as well as my trusted Harper Collins German-English dictionary I came to the conclusion that it means…

1. Capable of doing many things competently. 2. Having varied uses or serving many functions.

Pretty cool!  Now that I know what it means I’m even more delighted and only too happy to pay it forward.

What do you do when you get nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award?

• Thank the person who nominated you for the award by linking back to him or her.
• Pass the torch along to 15 other deserving bloggers
• Let those bloggers know they’ve been nominated
• Share 7 random things about yourself

7 Random Things About Me (Betcha didn’t know this…)

1. I learned English listening to Beatles records. After my grade school teacher denied me to take English classes (because I only had a mediocre grade in German) I killed my piggybank and invested in an audio language course, titled “Walter and Connie.” After that I translated Beatles songs with the help of a dictionary.
2. I was a huge Formula One Racing Fan and often went camping out at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim with my friends. Once I came to the U.S. it was harder to keep up with the races, but I still watch the Indy 500.
3. Racing isn’t the only sport I love watching. Being German I am also a huge soccer fan as well. As a matter of fact, I was such a die-hard fan that during the World Cup Final in 1982 I did not go to the hospital to have our first son until the game between Germany and Italy was over. My husband was getting more nervous by the minute as my contractions had started early that morning and here it was late in the afternoon. Well, Germany lost to Italy that day 3:1 and Gavin wasn’t much in a hurry after all since he didn’t arrive until the next morning.
4. I used to knit all my sweaters, before meeting my husband and moving from Germany to the U.S. As a matter of fact I used to do a lot of crafts even when the kids were little. Just no knitting, because I couldn’t find the yarns I was used to. I’m kinda picky like that.
5. In my early 20ies I took Judo classes with a friend of mine. We were the only girls in the class. I was quite amazed the first time I put a guy weighing twice as much as myself and being at least one head taller than me on the mat. I barely weight 100 pounds back then.
6. The most stupid thing I have ever done, was trying to pick up the front end of my car and lift it off the railroad tracks. To this day I don’t know exactly what happened, but when I got into my car that day at the Post Exchange in Bremerhaven it somehow rolled right into the tracks. My first thought was, to pick it up and lift it off the tracks…Em, stupid!!! In my defense I have to say, I was pregnant at the time and maybe the hormones had something to do with my thinking I was Superwoman. Luckily some very nice gentleman soldiers came to help me out. They lifted my car off the tracks and I drove home, quite embarrassed about the whole situation.
7. I actually was terrified of dogs as a child. After being bitten a couple of times by a dachshund — admittedly after pulling his tail — I changed sidewalks if I saw a dog a mile away. Good thing I got over this or I wouldn’t be able to enjoy our family darling, George the boxer.

So, there you have them. Seven things I bet you didn’t know about me.

Passing on The Versatile Blogger Award

And now it’s time to pass on the torch to these outstanding bloggers, listed below in no particular order.

Peter Fuller – Home Business Solutions for Zoomers (Boomers with Zip)

Carol Amato  – A Marketer With Integrity Ready To Help YOU Make Money Online

Carolyn Nicander Mohr – The Wonder of Tech

Maria Eves – Attraction Marketing Specialist

Kimberly Castleberry – Just Ask Kim

Etieno Etuk – Where Transformation Happens

Carla Gardiner - Anti-Aging Fiery Grandma Exposes Secrets to Turn Back Clock

Mavis Nong – Attraction Marketing Online

Bob and Rosemary Clarke – Simple Solutions for Part Time Networkers

Catherine Alexandra – Attraction Marketer Problem-Solver and Visionary

Janet Callaway – The Natural Networker

Mike Paul Jr – MikePaulJr.com

Michele Welch – NewBizBlogger.com

Stella Anokam – Simplifying Online Marketing How-Tos For Beginners

Jane Sheeba – ProBlogging Success

Of course my hope is that you all will take me up on your nomination and then pass it on to other deserving bloggers. That way we will all get to meet and connect with fellow bloggers we would have never had the chance to meet otherwise. Now isn’t this fun?

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

No related posts.

First: Faceless Blog Commenting

I have addressed this issue before in my post “Invasion of the Face Snatchers,” but it’s time to do it again.

Blog commenting is one of the best strategies I know for not only getting quality backlinks but to build profitable and long-lasting relationships with like-minded people as well.

PEOPLE is the key word here. Not company logos, pets, or default faceless avatars.

I can’t help but feel a little uneasy if someone leaves a comment on my blog and I can’t see his or her face. Even if it is a well-written comment, I am torn between approving or disapproving it.

Now in the case of people who use the default images, I assume they just don’t know how to upload a picture. But those who use images of pets or company logos, should know better. If they can upload a picture of a pet then they can just as easily upload a picture of themselves.

If I reply to a blog comment I would really like to know whom I am replying to.  This is a “people business.” I don’t talk to dogs (except for my own) and I don’t converse with logos or faceless people either.

To be quite frank with you here, I rarely comment on blogs where there are a lot of faceless replies. It makes the site look very unprofessional and I don’t want my own site to look cheap or spammy either. I have put too much time and effort into it for that.

So, from here on out, if you would like your blog comment approved, please make sure to use your picture as your avatar.

You can do that very easily at Gravatar.com. Just get a free account, upload your picture — you need to use the same email address that you use for leaving comments — and Gravatar.com automatically updates all your past comments automatically. Isn’t that cool?

Second: Landing or Product pages

As you probably noticed I am a great fan of CommentLuv. I believe in giving back to my readers who take the time commenting on my blog. Commentluv does that beautifully as it creates a link back to the blog post of the person who’s leaving a comment.

As beautiful as this feature is, it also creates a little problem for me. I do not like to link back to landing or product pages. For two reasons, one, it’s spammy and two, I can’t leave a comment in return and create a backlink to my own site. If I give you a backlink, wouldn’t it be only fair if you gave me one back as well?

So starting today, I will only approve comments which link back to other blogs. My focus is to connect with other quality bloggers so if you would like some link juice from me, please create a blog.

(There is one exception…I have a few regular commentators whom I have build a relationship with and who don’t have blogs. I will still approve your comments, but I will no longer link back to your sales pages. I sincerely hope you understand. The easiest way to get around this would be to get a blog that is not focused on selling a particular product or service.)

In conclusion let me make this as clear as I possibly can…

• Faceless comments will no longer be approved.
• Make sure your NAME appears in the Name Field not your keyword or company name.
• Comments must be contributing to the conversation. No “nice post” comments.
• Comments must link back to quality blogs, (preferably in the same niche as this blog) not to landing or product pages.
• In order to be featured on my Top Commentators list you must both show your picture as well as a link back to your blog. (If I can’t leave a comment on your blog, I can’t feature you or give you link juice.)

That’s about it! I’m getting off of my soap box. I’m really glad I finally got this off my chest as it has been bugging me for quite some time. Blog commenting is supposed to be fun. Let’s keep it that way.

Here’s to a beautiful and long-lasting friendship!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Related posts:

1. Top 3 Commentators at The Enlightened Networker for October
2. Enlightened Networker Taking a Break | Guest Post on Attraction Marketing Online
3. Changes at The Enlightened Networker and Your Feedback Please
4. My Sincerest Thanks to The Enlightened Networkers November Top Commentators
5. New Directory for DoFollow Blogs Sweeping the Blogoshere

Well, for us adults anyway. For the children it may still seem endless before they will be allowed to unwrap those shiny presents underneath the Christmas tree.

But let’s not get to far ahead of ourselves … Back to September.

It was a very interesting month for me, one that I won’t soon forget. But through all this I still managed to get out a few posts which hopefully were providing some value to you.

As I do in the beginning of every month I would like to acknowledge those of you who don’t get tired (at least not yet) to come over to my blog and see what I’ve been writing about.

“I can’t put into words how much you all mean to me.
And then again, words mean so little compared to the deepest appreciation
and gratitude I feel towards all of you.”

That said,…

Here are the Top Commentators for the
month of September.

Coming in at first place this month is last month’s second place winner, my good friend Adrienne Smith. (Yep, Adrienne, you are officially a serial winner now.)

Adrienne’s blog is about anything to do with online marketing. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with her warm and friendly nature so make sure you pay her a visit to find great information to help you grow a successful business online.

Her latest post: 20 Tips For Getting Your Content ReTweeted on Twitter

Claiming spot number two, a new face here at The Enlightened Networker, Etieno Etuk.

Etieno is very passionate about helping home business owners achieve success in the industry. He shares helpful tips mixed with healthy doses of inspiration and motivation on his blog so be sure to visit if you haven’t yet.

His latest post: 3 Strategies + 3 Free Combo Twitter Tools for Increasing Your Twitter Following: For Bloggers and Marketers With Little or No Budget

Arriving in third place is no stranger to claiming a spot on the Top Commentator list. My good friend from down under, Marcus Baker.

Marcus slightly changed the direction of his blog lately and is now focusing more on personal development. I think it’s a topic that suits him very well. So, if you haven’t been to his site for a while, it’s time to give it a visit.

His latest post: Do you Welcome Failure or Hide from it?

So there you have them, the Top 3 Commentators of the month of September.

Following these top bloggers are the rest of the Top 10…

4. Andrew Walker, 5. Oliver Tausend, 6. Ryan Biddulp, 7. Mavis Nong, 8. Peter Fuller, 9. Volker schaefer and 10. Brock Blohm

To each and every one of you…

“Two small words. A great deal of gratitude… Thank you!”

Here’s an invitation to everyone visiting this blog:

I write an appreciation post like the one above in the beginning of every month. If you like to be featured as one of The Enlightened Networker’s top commentators next month all you have to do is participate in the conversations. Make sure you provide valuable feedback which actually adds to the conversation and not just a “nice post” for example. I will then acknowledge you with your picture (make sure you have one) and a link back to your BLOG. (No sales ore capture pages please.) — Here’s a “heads up” …changes will be coming down the pike where commenting on this blog is concerned. So stay tuned!

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

Related posts:

1. Top 3 Commentators at The Enlightened Networker for October
2. My Sincerest Thanks to The Enlightened Networkers November Top Commentators
3. I’m Back! – And Thanking My Top Commentators for August

Have you ever wondered what the person who’s email you are reading looks like? Where they live? If they are on Facebook, Twitter or any of the other major social networks?

Well, wonder no more!

Check out some of the cool features of Rapportive

Now you can…

• See there smiling face and know exactly whom you are dealing with.
• See if they live close to you so you can interact on a local basis.
• See their job, company or LinkedIn profile.
• See their latest tweets.
• Connect with them in Facebook or other social networks right from within your Gmail.
• Like and comment on Facebook posts right from your Gmail inbox. (Now, this doesn’t help your EdgeRank because Facebook gives more weight to interaction right within Facebook, but it’s still cool.)
• Set up your Rapportive profile and add your favorite sites. (Click the “Help” section for details.)

Now isn’t this pretty cool?

I find this little piece of technology extremely useful. What do you think?

Why should I install Rapportive?

Here’s why, because it’s all about getting to know your contacts and establishing rapport.

Let’s face it, we online marketers are all very busy. And anything that makes our job a bit easier growing our network is very welcome. Don’t you agree?

I mean, wouldn’t you rather want to have the information of a person you are interested in connecting with right there at your fingertips as you are reading their email versus having to hunt for it in the different social networks?

Well, I do! And I also like to have a face for the people I am corresponding with. I like to know more about them. That helps build that all-important know, like, trust factor.

Rapportive makes that very easy.

Why don’t you give Rapportive a try?

It’s very simple to install. Just a few clicks and you are ready to roll just minutes from now.  Get that little app right here: Rapportive.com

Well, there’s a lot more I could share. But that would be just words. The best way to find out how cool this service is, is to experience it yourself.

So, what are your thoughts? Let’s hear your feedback in the comments below. Especially if you are already using “Rapportive” yourself.

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

No related posts.

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.

Now there are rumors that email will be a thing of the past pretty soon.

Really? C’mon.

But think about it, everyone is texting now on their iPhones and smart phones. How many people are still sending out emails to communicate? Texting is so much quicker and the response can be immediate.

I often find my son watching a movie on his big screen TV, following sports on his laptop and texting his friends on his smart phone… all at the same time. Who said men can’t multi task?

Social Media is going to change how we do EVERYTHING!

There’s a social media revolution going on and it is gaining momentum and it will be changing the way we do anything and everything forever.

I don’t watch much TV but lately I have noticed that many companies have the line “Visit us on Facebook and YouTube” attached to their commercials.

Dr. Denis Waitley said it best…“You’re either online or in the bread line.”

Where would you rather be?

That goes for us network marketers too. If you want to stay in business you better be online. You better include social media as part of your business strategies.

Now, I understand with the constant changes, and they seem to happen faster and faster, it really can get overwhelming .

Social Media: How do you keep up?

You don’t have to join every social network that pops up or you get an invite too. But I would strongly recommend being at least part of the top 3. …Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn…and probably the new Google+. And I’m saying this, because you never want to underestimate Google. Google wanted to become part of the social media scene for a long time and after some flops may just have found its vehicle with the new Google+ and Google +1.

Here are some of the reasons you want to include social media into your business strategies.

• Facebook – launched in February 2004 and at the time of this writing (July 2011) has more than 750 million users. Everybody and their grandma is on Facebook.  Founder Mark Zuckerberg, who together with his college roommates and fellow computer science students created this social networking platform to keep in touch with each other, probably could not in his wildest dreams have envisioned where his journey would take him as Facebook quickly took on a life of its own. It is still a social network where people stay in touch with friends and family, but more and more businesses join to get information out to their customers and keep in touch.Just to give you one example of how social media will be changing the way business is done. When Netflix recently announced its rate hike customers went onto their Facebook page to express their outrage. News, especially bad news, goes viral very quickly online.
• Twitter – a social networking and micro-blogging service which launched in March of 2006 has long since evolved from a place where people tweet about what they had for lunch to a place where businesses stay in contact with and get feedback from their customers. More and more online marketers as well as traditional companies are using twitter for business. As of this writing the 200+ million users are generating over 200 million tweets a day.
• LinkedIn –launched in May of 2003 and often called “the forgotten social network” quietly snuck up on Facebook and Twitter and now has more than 100 million users in over 200 countries. LinkedIn is more of a business social network. 95% of companies who are using social media for recruitment are using LinkedIn. It’s a network of professionals where the average income of LinkedIn members is around $110,000 dollars a year.

Is Social Media part of YOUR Business Strategies?

“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media,
the question is how well we DO it.”
_Eric Qualman.

I happen to agree. How about you?

I believe any business that is brushing off social media as part of their business strategies is missing the boat. You need to go where your customers, clients and prospects are, and that’s online.

What are your thoughts? Are you including social media in your business? I always love to read your feedback so please make some noise in the comment section below. Thanks!

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. Sharing is caring! I would really appreciate it if you could share this post with your friends and followers. You can do that easily by using the buttons in the sharebar to the left or the TweetMeme and Facebook buttons on top of this post. Thank YOU!

Related posts:

1. Rapportive – Instant Information About Your Contacts Right In Your Gmail
2. Make the New Facebook Ticker Work for Your Business
3. Facebook Influence – Why I Highly Recommend FBinfluence
4. Cool Little Twitter Trick to Help Get You More Business
5. Where to Get the Coolest Facebook Timeline Cover

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.

Yeah, I know, it’s not as easy to set up your profile like it is with Facebook or Twitter. It’s also not as easy to connect with people and build those all-important relationships. I hear you. I felt the same way.

What is Linked Influence?

Linked Influence is a four module training course that teaches you everything you need to know about LinkedIn. Lewis Howes wrote two books about LinkedIn so he knows what he’s talking about.

I like the step-by-step, take me by the hand and show me kind of training modules. I’m a visual person and I like to see how something is done. I also like to learn at my own pace. So this video course is perfect for me.

What You Will Discover inside of Linked Influence

• How to navigate LinkedIn and find your way around.
• How to set up your profile using targeted keywords so people can actually find you and how to optimize it for massive exposure.
• How to create a compelling headline. (First impression is the most important. This is a network of professionals.)
• How to tell people who you are, who you help and how you help them.
• How to get recommendations.
• How to make the best of LinkedIn Groups. Connect, share and build your database!
• How to connect with investors, high-level decision makers and desired business partners.
• How to drive floods of targeted traffic to your website or blog.
• Strategies on how to use LinkedIn for maximum profit.
• …And so much more!

“Linked Influence” also includes some awesome additional bonuses you don’t want to miss.

Oh, did I tell you that Lewis Howes wrote two books about LinkedIn? They’re included in the bonuses. So is Twixplode by Sean Malarkey. Isn’t that awesome?

Who can benefit from Linked Influence?

Everyone who wants to attract high quality clients, drive targeted traffic to their site, build a network of professionals or land the career opportunity of his or her dreams.

If you want to take the mystery out of LinkedIn and start using this powerful network to build your business then I highly recommend you take a look at this value-packed training course.

Especially at that low, low price Lewis is offering it right now. (We paid a heck of a lot more for it. But I won’t complain. It’s worth every penny.)

Watch this short video about Linked Influence now and start using LinkedIn the right way!

You really can’t afford not to invest in this course! Don’t you think you owe it to yourself to move on this incredible opportunity?

To Your Success,

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. As always, if you found value in this post please share it with your friends and followers. Thank You!

Related posts:

1. Facebook Influence – Why I Highly Recommend FBinfluence
2. Rapportive – Instant Information About Your Contacts Right In Your Gmail

Guest Blogging

Over the past year I have formed some great relationships, even friendships, with some of the most well-known bloggers in my niche, the mlm or network marketing industry. I enjoy reading their content and comment on their blogs on a regular basis and lately I’ve noticed a new buzz word circulating around …”guest blogging.”

What is Guest Blogging?

For example, if there is a blogger who’s content you enjoy, you can ask him or her if you can provide a guest post contribution. On the other hand, you can also invite a blogger you like and who’s blog posts you enjoy to write a guest post for your own blog.

This is what happened to me recently.

Imagine for a moment what would happen if someone whom you highly respect and who’s content you’ve enjoyed reading for the past year asks you to contribute a guest post for his blog.

No doubt you would jump at the opportunity, wouldn’t you?

I did!

When Elmar Sandyck, one of my Top Supporters for both December 2010 as well as January 2011 asked me to contribute a guest post for his blog I didn’t have to think twice.

What an honor to be given the opportunity to shine my little light on his magnificent blog.

However, I had some big shoes to fill following the lead of my good friend and fellow German Oliver Tausend. Oliver always puts out incredible content, so I was a bit nervous if I could measure up.

I think I did alright though. But I’ll let you be the judge. Comments are highly encouraged and greatly appreciated. Thank You!

Here’s the post I shared with Elmar’s readers ….

“How to Crush Your Competition and Survive Marketing Your MLM Business Online”

Are there Benefits to Guest Blogging?

Absolutely!

Besides the obvious, increased traffic back to your own blog, you instantly gain access to your hosts readership. A whole lot of new eyes are going to see your content. That can mean massive exposure.

How about reciprocation?

Chances are that if you write a guest post for another blogger that he or she will agree to write one for you in return thus treating your own readers to some excellent new content maybe a different viewpoint.

So, what do you think? Could guest blogging be in your future? As you can see it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

To Your Success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. Don’t forget… sharing is caring! So if you enjoyed this post please make sure you re-tweet it and share it with your friends.

P.P.S. If you are not a regular visitor on Elmar Sandyck’s blog yet, please make sure and bookmark it. I promise you won’t be disappointed as he always shares exceptional value. Also be on the lookout for Elmar’s guest post on The Enlightened Networker in the near future. It will be a treat!

Related posts:

1. Enlightened Networker Taking a Break | Guest Post on Attraction Marketing Online

Online Marketing Forum

Is it worth spending time in online marketing forums? Does forum marketing really work?

I would definitely say “YES!” Considering you are following the forum marketing tips below.

You can make some great connections there. Find answers to your questions by posting threads. Well, even find prospects for your business opportunity.

However there are some rules you need to follow.

Some are common sense but still I see people violate them all the time.

Just like blogs, or social networks, online marketing forums are very public. People can follow and observe you without you even knowing it. So it is of utmost importance that you are at your best behavior at all times.

I think it goes without saying that you should be treating people with courtesy and respect.

Here are some forum marketing tips that will make your experience in online marketing forums more fun:

1. Read the rules. That should be a no brainer, as not following the rules can get you banned from online marketing forums altogether.
2. Be transparent. Don’t hide behind an avatar, company logo, picture of your dog or any other such nonsense. People want to know who you are. They are much more likely to connect with you when they can see your face.
3. Be kind and polite to fellow members. Think twice before cutting someone down, leaving a rude comment, or being darn right nasty. Remember, these are real people you are interacting with. Just like you, they do have feelings. Offensive language doesn’t get you anywhere. It can actually get you banned from the forum as well.
4. Never sell or promote anything. People don’t like to be spammed. An online marketing forum is not an ad board, but a place to communicate, share experiences and help and support other members.
5. Always give value. If you have helpful information that you can add to forums, or the solution to someone’s problem ,  by all means share it. Share freely without expecting anything in return. The more you contribute the better people will get to know you.
6. Be appreciative. If someone helped you out, please let them know that you appreciate their help and support. A little “thank you” can go a long way.
7. Create an attractive signature file. This is the place where you can link to your opportunity, your website or your blog. The only place where you can toot your own horn. So make it interesting for people to want to find out more about you or your business.

There you have it. It’s not rocket science. Most of it is common sense.

Remember, whatever you say in online marketing forums is public and out there for everyone to see.

I hope these forum marketing tips have been helpful.

Oh, by the way, you can find some great online marketing forums by doing a search on Google.

However, the best online marketing forum I have found is BetterNetworker.

If you are already at Better Networker, make sure to connect with me. I’d love to meet you.

To your success!

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you found value in this article please share it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Thank you!

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