Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are great for large scale connections and discussion. However, as a small business owner, you need services that allow you to connect to like-minded individuals in a more focused environment.
To help you and to save you the time searching, I've compiled a list of social networking sites specifically designed for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
I hope you find this list helpful and if you find any broken links or would like to suggest a site, please let me know. Happy networking :)
Blellow
Blellow is a community with a focus on productivity. It's a place for freelancers and professionals to collaborate, find work and solve problems.
Biznik
Biznik is an award-winning community of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed. Biznik is for people who are building real businesses, for sharing your ideas and the place where real conversations about small business and entrepreneurship are taking place.
Cofoundr
Cofoundr is a fast growing online network for Entrepreneurs. Join the private community of startups founders - developers, investors, CEOs, advisors, programmers and designers to find co-founders, build teams and get advice.
Ecademy
Ecademy is a social business network founded in 1998, a community that enables people to learn, network and develop their business with a "digital mindset" for effective economic growth. Using the tools, resources and events that Ecademy has developed, a small to medium business can quickly and effectively find the right kind of people it needs to grow. Ecademy allows you to attract the people you would like to meet 24 hours a day from your office or home.
E.Factor
E.Factor stands for "The Entrepreneur Factor" and represents a vibrant online community and virtual marketplace designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. It's a place where you can focus exclusively on making business connections, negotiating deals, exchanging information and advertising your products.
Entrepreneur Connect
Entrepreneur Connect is a social network where small business owners can create a profile, explore the community, share ideas and make connections. This site is not intended for mass self-promotion, but rather should be a positive destination where entrepreneurs can exchange real advice and make lasting connections.
Fast Pitch
Fast Pitch is a professional social network for business networking professionals. Founded in 2006, Fast Pitch gives you competitive tools and features that enhance your presence on the web in a professional environment where everyone is committed to doing business.
Focus
Focus provides millions of professionals with the expertise they need to make better business decisions. At the heart of Focus is a network of world class business and technology experts. These experts power the real time Q&A, world class research and personalized support that so many businesses now depend on. Best of all, Focus is free and available to anyone who wants to make better business decisions, faster.
Home Based Business Network
Home Based Business Network is a community of like-minded people from around the world who enjoy the freedom of working from home and for themselves. Quickly create a free profile for you and your business, join or start a group, create a blog, take part in discussions, browse member profiles, make friends, share ideas and more.
JASEzone
JASEzone is an online neighbourhood gathering spot for professionals from around the world. Through your JASEzone network you can find potential clients, subject matter experts and business partners; be found for future business initiatives and get introduced to other professionals.
Jigsaw
Jigsaw is a prospecting tool used by sales professionals, marketers and recruiters to get fresh and accurate sales leads and business contact information.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the leader in business social networks. Founded in 2003, LinkedIn exists to help you make better use of your professional network and help the people you trust in return. Their mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.
Networking for Professionals
Networking For Professionals offer online networking and business events. Founded in 2002, NFP provides a better alternative to building business contacts, quickly and efficiently by combining online networking with face-to-face meetings. They put you in touch with serious and successful professionals in your area and across the country, accelerating the way you network.
Ning
Ning offers an easy-to-use service that enables people to create custom branded social networks. Design a custom social experience in under 30 seconds giving you the power to mobilize, organize and inspire.
PartnerUp
PartnerUp is an online community that focuses on the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs. Founded in 2005, each of PartnerUp's features and functions is aimed at providing the most complete and efficient small business networking experience.
Qapacity
Qapacity is a business directory, a promotion tool and a professional network dedicated to sharing, contracting and promoting services. You are given a set of tools that makes it easier to reach new clients and to promote your business online.
Raise Capital
Raise Capital has one very simple mission, to connect entrepreneurs and investors. They are the premiere online destination for entrepreneurs to showcase their business ideas and capital needs directly to investors.
Ryze
Ryze is a free social networking service that helps you expand your business network. Through a free personal networking-oriented homepage, you are able to make new connections to help grow your business.
Spoke
Spoke offers on-demand business to business contact information for sales people, marketers and recruiters enabling Sales Lead Generation, Business List Creation and Professional Networking.
StartUp
StartUp is a fast growing small business social network.
StartupNation
StartupNation is a free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. As a leading online content and community resource, you’ll find all the easy-to-follow, practical information you could ever need to start and grow your own successful business.
Talkbiznow
Talkbiznow is a web-based business community that provides business services for small businesses and professionals. Their mission is to simplify the essential business services and seamlessly integrate and deliver them through the internet for free. Members can network, collaborate with each other, promote and do business online.
Unstructure
Unstructure is an open discussion platform for business professionals, bloggers and contemporary thought leaders to discuss and debate action ideas that would aid the evolution of business. Unstructure consists of an online discussion forum, an annual physical event and a book of insight and action ideas for businesses of the future.
XING
XING is the social network for business professionals. With over 10 million members worldwide, XING helps you expand your business network.
Yelp
Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses. In addition to being a local business review and talk networking site, business owners can setup a free account to post offers, photos and message customers.
YouNoodle
YouNoodle develops innovative ways to bring together the information, people and technology that help startups succeed.
Ziggs
Ziggs is a one-stop source for creating and managing your online brand. Market yourself on the Web and simplify how you stay in touch with people important to you. People who use Ziggs enjoy comprehensive online personal branding that they control, top visibility in search engines, easy communications and a strong sense of community with people important to them, as well as networking opportunities with millions of other professionals.
... and once you've become successful:
Affluence.org
Affluence.org is a private social network where wealthy individuals connect, share information and engage in meaningful conversations. Affluence.org also provides exclusive, high quality content and advice from experts on subjects such as art, technology and travel.
To your success!
To help you and to save you the time searching, I've compiled a list of social networking sites specifically designed for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
I hope you find this list helpful and if you find any broken links or would like to suggest a site, please let me know. Happy networking :)
Blellow
Blellow is a community with a focus on productivity. It's a place for freelancers and professionals to collaborate, find work and solve problems.
Biznik
Biznik is an award-winning community of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed. Biznik is for people who are building real businesses, for sharing your ideas and the place where real conversations about small business and entrepreneurship are taking place.
Cofoundr
Cofoundr is a fast growing online network for Entrepreneurs. Join the private community of startups founders - developers, investors, CEOs, advisors, programmers and designers to find co-founders, build teams and get advice.
Ecademy
Ecademy is a social business network founded in 1998, a community that enables people to learn, network and develop their business with a "digital mindset" for effective economic growth. Using the tools, resources and events that Ecademy has developed, a small to medium business can quickly and effectively find the right kind of people it needs to grow. Ecademy allows you to attract the people you would like to meet 24 hours a day from your office or home.
E.Factor
E.Factor stands for "The Entrepreneur Factor" and represents a vibrant online community and virtual marketplace designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. It's a place where you can focus exclusively on making business connections, negotiating deals, exchanging information and advertising your products.
Entrepreneur Connect
Entrepreneur Connect is a social network where small business owners can create a profile, explore the community, share ideas and make connections. This site is not intended for mass self-promotion, but rather should be a positive destination where entrepreneurs can exchange real advice and make lasting connections.
Fast Pitch
Fast Pitch is a professional social network for business networking professionals. Founded in 2006, Fast Pitch gives you competitive tools and features that enhance your presence on the web in a professional environment where everyone is committed to doing business.
Focus
Focus provides millions of professionals with the expertise they need to make better business decisions. At the heart of Focus is a network of world class business and technology experts. These experts power the real time Q&A, world class research and personalized support that so many businesses now depend on. Best of all, Focus is free and available to anyone who wants to make better business decisions, faster.
Home Based Business Network
Home Based Business Network is a community of like-minded people from around the world who enjoy the freedom of working from home and for themselves. Quickly create a free profile for you and your business, join or start a group, create a blog, take part in discussions, browse member profiles, make friends, share ideas and more.
JASEzone
JASEzone is an online neighbourhood gathering spot for professionals from around the world. Through your JASEzone network you can find potential clients, subject matter experts and business partners; be found for future business initiatives and get introduced to other professionals.
Jigsaw
Jigsaw is a prospecting tool used by sales professionals, marketers and recruiters to get fresh and accurate sales leads and business contact information.
LinkedIn is the leader in business social networks. Founded in 2003, LinkedIn exists to help you make better use of your professional network and help the people you trust in return. Their mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.
Networking for Professionals
Networking For Professionals offer online networking and business events. Founded in 2002, NFP provides a better alternative to building business contacts, quickly and efficiently by combining online networking with face-to-face meetings. They put you in touch with serious and successful professionals in your area and across the country, accelerating the way you network.
Ning
Ning offers an easy-to-use service that enables people to create custom branded social networks. Design a custom social experience in under 30 seconds giving you the power to mobilize, organize and inspire.
PartnerUp
PartnerUp is an online community that focuses on the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs. Founded in 2005, each of PartnerUp's features and functions is aimed at providing the most complete and efficient small business networking experience.
Qapacity
Qapacity is a business directory, a promotion tool and a professional network dedicated to sharing, contracting and promoting services. You are given a set of tools that makes it easier to reach new clients and to promote your business online.
Raise Capital
Raise Capital has one very simple mission, to connect entrepreneurs and investors. They are the premiere online destination for entrepreneurs to showcase their business ideas and capital needs directly to investors.
Ryze
Ryze is a free social networking service that helps you expand your business network. Through a free personal networking-oriented homepage, you are able to make new connections to help grow your business.
Spoke
Spoke offers on-demand business to business contact information for sales people, marketers and recruiters enabling Sales Lead Generation, Business List Creation and Professional Networking.
StartUp
StartUp is a fast growing small business social network.
StartupNation
StartupNation is a free service founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. As a leading online content and community resource, you’ll find all the easy-to-follow, practical information you could ever need to start and grow your own successful business.
Talkbiznow
Talkbiznow is a web-based business community that provides business services for small businesses and professionals. Their mission is to simplify the essential business services and seamlessly integrate and deliver them through the internet for free. Members can network, collaborate with each other, promote and do business online.
Unstructure
Unstructure is an open discussion platform for business professionals, bloggers and contemporary thought leaders to discuss and debate action ideas that would aid the evolution of business. Unstructure consists of an online discussion forum, an annual physical event and a book of insight and action ideas for businesses of the future.
XING is the social network for business professionals. With over 10 million members worldwide, XING helps you expand your business network.
Yelp
Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses. In addition to being a local business review and talk networking site, business owners can setup a free account to post offers, photos and message customers.
YouNoodle
YouNoodle develops innovative ways to bring together the information, people and technology that help startups succeed.
Ziggs
Ziggs is a one-stop source for creating and managing your online brand. Market yourself on the Web and simplify how you stay in touch with people important to you. People who use Ziggs enjoy comprehensive online personal branding that they control, top visibility in search engines, easy communications and a strong sense of community with people important to them, as well as networking opportunities with millions of other professionals.
... and once you've become successful:
Affluence.org
Affluence.org is a private social network where wealthy individuals connect, share information and engage in meaningful conversations. Affluence.org also provides exclusive, high quality content and advice from experts on subjects such as art, technology and travel.
To your success!