Social Networking for Bloggers and Photographers

I've been getting more involved with social networks and online communities lately. There are a ton of resources out there for bloggers and photographers alike. These social networks are a great place to learn about specific topics and interact with other people who share a common interest.

If you haven't noticed (or if you only read the feed), I've placed “My Networks” on the right sidebar so you can meet up with me online in various places. If you belong to any of these groups, and you like my blog or my photography, add me as a friend or contact and I'll gladly do the same for you. If you want to learn more about me or my other interests, that information is scattered across my various networks.

Here are the five I'm most active with:

StumbleUpon! — This one is my favorite, and I've been spending a lot of time there. The site offers hours of mind-numbing websurfing fun, social networks, and discussion groups. If you're not a Stumbler, you've got to try it. Visit me at StumbleUpon!

photographyVoter — If you know about digg and you hate the fact that they don't have a category for photography, this site takes care of that. It's like digg, but only for photography. Visit me at photographyVoter.

MyBlogLog — This is a site for bloggers to network with each other. It's not quite as interactive as the previous two sites, but it's not bad. Visit me at MyBlogLog or visit the Epic Edits Weblog community.

MySpace — Yes… I have a MySpace. I just made one a week ago, and I'm finding that there are a ton of discussion groups here that you can interact with. Haven't been able to participate yet because my account is less than 7 days old, but I'll be hitting the discussion groups this weekend. Visit me at MySpace.

Technorati — Not really an interactive discussion-type site, but you can add favorite sites and things. Visit me at Technorati.

If you, yourself, have a blog or a photo gallery that you're trying to promote, these networks are a great place to do so. Just remember, you have to be an active contributor to these communities to really reap the benefits — otherwise you'll just look like a spammer and get shunned from the community.

So get out there and make some connections with the people you'd otherwise never meet!