Personal and Professional Promotion Via the Internet by Lizzy Taylor

In order to climb the corporate ladder, you must be willing to branch out and network. Networking used to be limited to face to face business meetings or socializing at a party. These were times when it mattered greatly who you knew and who they knew, etc. Having such connections could propel you up the ladder and into a higher paying job with more opportunities to grow as a professional. Making new friends in various social circles has always promoted personal well being. Playing golf has always been a popular way for people to discuss work while also enjoying cold beer and a friendly game on the links. Personal and professional growth is crucial to making your way to the top in this complex, high tech world. As the internet grew in popularity, so did online social networking. People who may have lost touch along the way can easily be brought together by Facebook and various other social media sites. These sites can also be used for business networking. Among the social media sites, there are some that focus on live discussion, instead of a thread of comments and updates. One can discuss a multitude of issues and actually gain responses from other members without much of a delay. Most chats or discussions are silly dominated by numerous asinine comments. The comments worth reading are usually overlooked because there is just too much going on in the thread. Many companies have come to life that promote life chat with minimal delay in responses. People set up a time to discuss a particular topic and they discuss it as though they were talking face to face. This provides a discussion and debate forum for users to interact with one another on a personal and professional level. All of the topics discussed in the scheduled chats are available for the public participation. One can leave comments that others in the audience will be able to see and respond. This eliminates the one sided arguments people love to dominate and offers a level playing field for people from all walks of life. You may discuss a topic with someone on the other side of the world without even knowing it. Often a person will have a different opinion than yourself and just may move you to a new way of thought. Sometimes people are limited by their surroundings, so networking with others on a variety of topics can open your mind to issues you may have never even considered. You may be more willing to understand and consider the opinions of others. Love discussion forums often provide a moderated platform on which to safely express an opinion or idea, whereas on many social media websites, your voice is lost in chaos.