The Million Dollar Network

This post was guest blogged by Jane May.

Bloggers have come and gone this past year like it was an old 80′s fad. With over 100 million blogs in the world, it’s easy to get lost in the masses with intimidation, feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated. Just take a week vacation without writing a post and try coming back to daily posts, you’ll know what I mean Now, how can you overcome this, be successful, and reach your goals whatever they may be?

Create a million dollar network. Now what the heck is a million dollar network? It’s essentially a network of people that have the same vision, shared goals and ambitions as you do. I say “million dollar” because it’s a high number that people can relate to as being valuable, that doesn’t necessarily have to be your goal, but its a good image nonetheless. Me and my network don’t have a goal to make a million dollars from blogging, but the network itself is valuable beyond belief.

How do I find a network? An easy place to find a network is by taking a look around you. There are tons of people starting a blog that have started about the same time. Me for instance, I started around the same time as Nate Whitehill, Jeff Kee, Gary Lee, and many others. I consider them to be all in my network. We all started by trying to gain exposure and familiarize ourselves with the scene. I think I met all of them through John Chow’s site at one point or another. That could have been the best thing to have happen to me.

Let’s take Nate for example, if I hadn’t met him as we both started out, I would have never come as far in the blogosphere as I am. And I don’t even consider myself being very far at all. Why can networking with fellow bloggers that start around the same time you do help?

1. Bounce ideas off of each other.
2. Provide constructive criticism.
3. Link exchange.
4. Ideas for future posts.
5. Provide a source of motivation.
6. It’s a lot more fun knowing you’re not alone!

You will constantly learn from trial and error. Trust me, I have learned from MANY errors (I think Nate can attest to that..hehe). Seeing what worked for Nate, Jeff and Gary gave me some ideas to test. Not everything someone else does is a good thing for you, but it sparks ideas that you wouldn’t have found any other way.

If I had one piece of advice, find someone that’s a little smarter than you in an area you are weak on; find someone that shares a common vision and goal for your online career; and find someone that makes it fun interacting with; you put them all together and you form your million dollar network.

Jane May teaches readers how to create and monetize blogs on Daily Web Ideas.