The Internet Brings People Together
One of the great things about the internet is how it is bringing together people. The internet is the greatest communication media in the history of mankind, and as such it is allowing people to communicate who in the past would never even have dreamed of talking.
The philosophy that I follow is to use the internet to find new friends, build up relationships and enjoy talking with others all over the world. It's amazing that such barriers as race, religion and sex just seem to fall apart the more people talk. And the internet is definitely blurring those lines.
Currently I am a member of a number of email groups. What these do is allow me to create a single message and send it to everyone on the list. This is not spam, as everyone on the list has agreed to receive messages from everyone else. It is important, as always with this kind of communications, to stay on topic. If you do you can find yourself in some fascinating conversations with hundreds or even thousands of people at a time.
For example, I sent out an email to one of my lists (a social club kind of group) asking what would be a good present for my kid. I got back dozens of responses and it helped me get a great present.
Newsgroups are another good way to communicate, although they are not as good as email lists. I've found that newsgroups tend to get clogged with spam and off-topic junk very quickly, sometimes to the point where they are useless. However, if you can find a group with some strong contributors, you can really begin to understand what an internet community is all about.
Another good way to use the internet for communication is message boards. These do tend to fill up with spam sometimes, but they are great places to have a discussion. I believe that all webrings should include a message board so that webring members can communicate. After all, everyone who has joined presumably has a common interest already, so why not add a little community spirit?
By adding email groups, message boards, webrings and similar things to your web site, you can increase your traffic greatly. This is because people have a new reason to visit your site - to get involved in your community. By creating or joining web communities, you can also gain customers and a few friends.
One of the great things about the Internet is it brings people together. People who would normally never even come close to communicating are now chatting, emailing and talking every day. My wife is a member of numerous discussion groups in which she's helping others solve family crisises, trading recipes, signing guestbooks and sending e-cards.
If you really want to be part of a group of great people, I suggest you check out Random Acts Of Kindness. This is a great group of people who enjoy talking with and helping each other. The concept is simple: just perform one act of kindess each day, randomly. This could be as simple as singing a guestbook or two, or sending an ecard or whatever else you can think of. RAOK also has half a dozen webrings you can join, and numerous other activities going on all of the time.
Another great group is Misker's Den-izens. These people are great! Nice, down-to-earth people who just want to share friendship.
These are just two examples of the many, many social groups on the web. Others include Inner Dreams, Netdudes, Phenomenal Women of the web, Sisters of the Golden Moon and many, many others. Be assured that there will be one or more groups on the Internet for you.
If you want to start your own group, you can add many different things to your own web site. People who sign up for your list will be able to send messages to everyone else on the list. It's a great way to have a group discussion, although it can create a heck of a lot of email traffic.
You will almost certainly want to add a message board to your web site. You can visit http://www.insidetheweb.com/ for some excellent services. Both services are highly customizable, easy-to-use and fast.
Another site you absolutely must check out is http://www.bravenet.com/, which includes an incredible number of services and things to plug into your web sites. You can create message boards, forums, chat rooms, guestbooks or mail lists, among other things.
You can, of course, start lurking in your favorite newsgroups, then start posting information. Be careful here about SPAM, as many newsgroups will report you to your ISP at the merest hint of advertising. A simple one or two line signature on your newsgroup posts directing people to your web site is all the advertising you should do.
Look through the resources that I've mentioned in this article and make your own decision. It takes some work to be a member of a group, and it takes even more work to create your own. But the rewards in terms of satisfaction and traffic to your site can be huge.
The philosophy that I follow is to use the internet to find new friends, build up relationships and enjoy talking with others all over the world. It's amazing that such barriers as race, religion and sex just seem to fall apart the more people talk. And the internet is definitely blurring those lines.
Currently I am a member of a number of email groups. What these do is allow me to create a single message and send it to everyone on the list. This is not spam, as everyone on the list has agreed to receive messages from everyone else. It is important, as always with this kind of communications, to stay on topic. If you do you can find yourself in some fascinating conversations with hundreds or even thousands of people at a time.
For example, I sent out an email to one of my lists (a social club kind of group) asking what would be a good present for my kid. I got back dozens of responses and it helped me get a great present.
Newsgroups are another good way to communicate, although they are not as good as email lists. I've found that newsgroups tend to get clogged with spam and off-topic junk very quickly, sometimes to the point where they are useless. However, if you can find a group with some strong contributors, you can really begin to understand what an internet community is all about.
Another good way to use the internet for communication is message boards. These do tend to fill up with spam sometimes, but they are great places to have a discussion. I believe that all webrings should include a message board so that webring members can communicate. After all, everyone who has joined presumably has a common interest already, so why not add a little community spirit?
By adding email groups, message boards, webrings and similar things to your web site, you can increase your traffic greatly. This is because people have a new reason to visit your site - to get involved in your community. By creating or joining web communities, you can also gain customers and a few friends.
One of the great things about the Internet is it brings people together. People who would normally never even come close to communicating are now chatting, emailing and talking every day. My wife is a member of numerous discussion groups in which she's helping others solve family crisises, trading recipes, signing guestbooks and sending e-cards.
If you really want to be part of a group of great people, I suggest you check out Random Acts Of Kindness. This is a great group of people who enjoy talking with and helping each other. The concept is simple: just perform one act of kindess each day, randomly. This could be as simple as singing a guestbook or two, or sending an ecard or whatever else you can think of. RAOK also has half a dozen webrings you can join, and numerous other activities going on all of the time.
Another great group is Misker's Den-izens. These people are great! Nice, down-to-earth people who just want to share friendship.
These are just two examples of the many, many social groups on the web. Others include Inner Dreams, Netdudes, Phenomenal Women of the web, Sisters of the Golden Moon and many, many others. Be assured that there will be one or more groups on the Internet for you.
If you want to start your own group, you can add many different things to your own web site. People who sign up for your list will be able to send messages to everyone else on the list. It's a great way to have a group discussion, although it can create a heck of a lot of email traffic.
You will almost certainly want to add a message board to your web site. You can visit http://www.insidetheweb.com/ for some excellent services. Both services are highly customizable, easy-to-use and fast.
Another site you absolutely must check out is http://www.bravenet.com/, which includes an incredible number of services and things to plug into your web sites. You can create message boards, forums, chat rooms, guestbooks or mail lists, among other things.
You can, of course, start lurking in your favorite newsgroups, then start posting information. Be careful here about SPAM, as many newsgroups will report you to your ISP at the merest hint of advertising. A simple one or two line signature on your newsgroup posts directing people to your web site is all the advertising you should do.
Look through the resources that I've mentioned in this article and make your own decision. It takes some work to be a member of a group, and it takes even more work to create your own. But the rewards in terms of satisfaction and traffic to your site can be huge.
