End Your Isolation with Online Communities
Judith Stephens
Working from home can be a great experience. However, for extended periods of time, it can also be lonely and unproductive when you’re without a network or support group.
When you have no cyber-equivalent to the office water cooler to catch up with associates and gossip, working from home is downright lonely. Particularly when your family and friends have no idea what you do, or how to help you do it.
And yet, the number of people working from home — solopreneurs, work at home parents, contractors, those looking for an opportunity — continues to grow.
How do you minimize home-based work isolation? By finding like-minded people to talk to and/or chat with during your work day. It’s important to find others to talk, laugh and work with. You’re looking for people available to answer questions, brainstorm issues, share links, and speed your learning.
How do you find online communities? Here are five steps to becoming actively involved:
1. Start with the major search engines — Google, Yahoo or MSN. Use descriptive keywords to find sites that interest you.
A *keyword* describes an area of interest. It can be broad or narrow like moms, business entrepreneurs, dads working from home, beaders, and baby boomers. For example, search “moms + forum” to find mom-related forums.
2. Join Google and Yahoo email groups. Again, use keywords to find the groups that interest you. Join and read the emails for a week or two. If you find a good fit, stay subscribed. If not, quit and go on to the next one.
3. Ask people you meet. People love to suggest and recommend their favorites. I click on shared links. And I’m always amazed at the quality of the help I receive by asking for it.
4. Join Twitter and other social networking groups. I like Twitter because it’s microblogging in 140 characters or less. As you add *followers,* you gain valuable information in small bites. It takes a while to *get* Twitter, but it’s well worth your time.
5. Join a Skype room. Download Skype for free. Then search the Unofficial Skype Chat Directory to find a room to join. My favorite Skype room is Katherine Reschke’s Passion Project Introduction Room. It’s a helpful, positive, and informative business discussion room.
Read and absorb. Get a feel for the people in the forum or room, and the types of discussions. Then decide if you like what you’re viewing. If so, introduce yourself. Just general information initially. Don’t share your life story or anything too personal.
There are major benefits to joining online communities. In addition to making new friends and acquaintances, you’ll find increased business opportunities, accelerated learning, and much more.
As a guy in one of my new groups posted today, “There are no Lone Rangers in successful businesses.”
Many Successes,
Judith Stephens
Judith Stephens @ May 5, 2008
Judith Stephens
Judith,
Good points. As a very social gal working from home, I have found these tools to be very useful. Forums are also a great way to get involved.
Great point Judith!
I know I’ve found tons of help in the forums and groups that I’ve been in over the years.
Jenn
Judith, for me the online world has been a lifeline for me. I don’t socialize much so it is contact with the outside world and has been invaluable to me. I think an online support group is a must for all of us who run online businesses.
Before the advent of social networks, my online experience was very mixed, and not very encouraging, which is why I didn’t come online again until October 2007.
My offline friends are usually very busy, in very different work environments and therefore not very responsive to my specific needs.
I’m very happy that being online has enabled me to build a network of like-minded professionals, many are not in the same field as me, but what counts is the willingness to support and help when possible.