Here are ten no-cost items that you can use to create some buzz online and meet more people. It takes more than signing up, you have to think about what the people using these tools will be likely to notice.
- Blogger [http://www.blogger.com/] - Free Blog Service that will get you noticed if you create regular, quality content on focused topic.
- Squidoo [http://www.squidoo.com/] - Build an expert lens and focus people to your site.
- Del.icio.us [http://del.icio.us/] - Social Bookmarking for your sites and resources
- Digg [http://www.digg.com/] - Publish an IT related resource and watch the buzz grow in this social rating system for news.
- Shoutwire [http://www.shoutwire.com/] - Another social rating system but the news topics are broader.
- ODEO [http://www.odeo.com/] - Make podcasts and share them with the world.
- PR Web [http://www.prweb.com/] - Send free press releases out to the world. Pay for higher ranking if desired.
- LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/] - Build and network with your extended network.
- Yahoo Groups [groups.yahoo.com] - Join a group that interests you and participate.
- Email - There are plenty of free emails out there. Email is a powerful tool. Make a habit of researching and emailing one person per day that you do not know but would like to. People do not mind email from a stranger as long as it is personal and well intended.
While all of these tools are free, they do require an effort on the part of the user. Just like the Buzzoodle system, it only works if you work it.
