How to Get the Most Out of Every Social Networking Service

Social networking services aimed at bloggers have come and gone. Some are still here, like Stumble Upon, Digg, and Mixx, some of which have recently seen significant improvements and others that have entered the scene rather recently. While some would say that they aren’t aimed entirely at bloggers, I have to object, since they are the prime location to get word out about your site, at least initially, is through these sites.

According to some, the social networking sites are reserved to MySpace and Facebook, while the “bookmarking” sites are Digg and the like. However, all of these sites now combine a set of powerful tools to help you connect to your visitors and distribute your content in a somewhat efficient manner. There is really no way to control the amount of success you have and replicating the results of a single submission may never happen, especially if you don’t have the traffic and reputation to support it.

However, there is a way tot gain respect, authority, and continue producing top-notch content through use of these services. There really are no secrets as long as you know what the foundation of each of these services is and how to optimize that approach to get the best results.

1. Have an Account

Many bloggers start out with little idea of what Digg is or any other service for that matter. The best place to get started is by having an account. I recommend sticking with the larger services because they have the most traffic to be distributed, but the smaller sites can also help when you target specific niches or want to connect with a smaller, more focused community.

Other members will submit your content even though you don’t have an account, but by having an account, you can return the favor and develop a community – more on that later.

Links to join: StumbleUpon | Digg | Twitter | Mixx | Delicious

2. Begin Connecting with Others

A large part of blogging is developing relationships with others. Follow or friend people who may be involved in your niche and communicate with them through the inbox systems that the sites have. This can also work in a way that helps you promote your new posts, but you have to keep everything in moderation.

If you personally found articles you enjoyed reading, share them with others. The whole idea behind these sites is to share as many quality articles as possible.

3. Be Responsible When Stumbling, Digging, or Linking

Treat these forms of sharing content with a cautious stance. Promoting too many pieces of content form other sites (or your site) can result in a ban from the service. Having this happen to you can result in a ruined reputation and the loss of articles that you may have saved.

In addition, don’t think that these services can draw in traffic overnight. Sure, they can, but not always. Before giving up, make sure that you have read other tips on how to use each of the services. Often, the sites have tutorials on how to use them properly, and be sure to read the terms/use statements.

4. Promote Your Profile

Add links back to your site and include any necessary details for others to find you if they do a search through the site. You want to make it as easy as possible to find you using a term related to your site.

Furthermore, add links on your own site back to these sites. This indicates to your readers that you do have profiles on these sites, and they may find it easier to contact you through these profiles, rather than email.

A large portion of people on these sites have gained authority, and have been able to promote other people’s content to new levels. More than anything else, a lot of it is just a popularity contest – the more people that visit your site, the more likely you’ll see your content appear on these sites and be promoted.

5. Be Active

There have never been any self-sustaining sites that have helped to develop relationships between people, and there likely never will be. It is all about the work you put in and the expected returns. For example, if you are able to attract a thousand people to become your “friend” on social networking/bookmarking sites, and 1% return the favor, you’ll see ten unique visitors per day, likely in addition to traffic from other services.

Now, this might not appear like a lot of traffic, and it most certainly isn’t, but multiply it by the wide array of sites out there that help promote your site. If you find your content being stumbled or dugg often, traffic will only multiply exponentially.

Not always true, but worth a shot: promoting someone else’s content will garner more promotion by the other people. This goes in line with helping other bloggers out to attain their own goals.

Conclusion

All social networking sites are the same in the sense that they help you create profiles and share what you like with others. Each has their own benefits, and while you can sit back and enjoy using them for finding inspiration, they work even better when you use them to help promote your content. Like everything else, it does take time to expand your profiles on the web, and it’ll be sometime before you can really attribute the success of your profiles to your blog’s traffic and longer-term growth.