PLN - Part 4

My original plan for the foundation of my PLN  was to mainly stick with people in my physical network of associates, friends, and family, I have come to realize that very few of those folks are active social media users. In keeping with the spirit of this class, I know I have to branch out further and more creatively. Besides, I have also come to terms with the fact that my time and availability is limited and I simply have to be able to learn and grow professionally as my crazy schedule permits, even if it is 4:00 in the morning.

I found a couple of sources that I think can help me with this. The first source is Constant Contact. The site has a blog page dedicated to their own staff contributors as well as a place for community bloggers. I found a number of free "webinars" in the Community portion of the site one of which, I have written on my calendar.. I am following them on Twitter and have subscribed to their blog lists. I like that I can follow just the one blog page without having to subscribe to all of the staff blogs individually.

Another source that I especially like is Open Forum.  Sponsored by American Express, this site offers a wealth of resources for business owners - videos, articles, blogs, podcasts, and expert advice to boost my business. To take full advantage of all of the features of the site, you need to log in. In order to do so, you must have be an American Express account holder. At the moment, I am not one, although I do plan on applying for a business account soon. There is, however, plenty of information that is accessible without being a  member. There is an entire section called Crash Courses, which I have browsed through and subscribed to. There is a lot to be learned here. There is a community blog section here as well and a section on Women in Business, which I am very interested in.


For me, this is one stop shopping! I can follow both of these sites easily and feel as if I will be getting a good return on my investment of time and mental energy. What do you think?