Daniel Felice

Benefits of Using Twitter

// June 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // General, The Internet

Over the past few months I have been using Twitter more and more. The more I use it, the more I realise that it is so much more than just another social networking tool.

Many people just use it as a way to communicate with others, and for others it is fast becoming an important tool for business. I am beginning to rely on Twitter more and more for everyday life, from news, to business, to asking advice on what camera to buy!

Here is what I use Twitter for:

News

Previously my first stop would be a news site to get the latest headlines. Now, I am a follower of numerous news agencies and I can get all their headlines in one place.

Employment

When my freelance works starts to slow down, I simply tweet that I am looking for more freelance work. Generally I get at least one or two leads which then turn into work. Normally at least a handful of people are looking for some kind of work.

Networking

Since I began using Twitter I have made a lot of contacts who have helped me build my freelance work, as well as give me general advice about whatever I need. I now know many people who I can turn to if I need developers, marketers, sales people, and so on. All I have to do is ask!

Purchasing

When I was in the market for a digital SLR camera I asked Twitter what a good entry level camera was. I got a few responses back which helped me along the way to choosing my product. I do this with any big purchase now because chances are someone on Twitter is using it and will give you some honest feedback.

Friends

On top of everything else, I have a few friends that I communicate with via Twitter. I managed to find a few people I have not spoken to in about 10 years on Twitter!

Marketing

I recently ran the BuddyPress Theme Contest and spreading the word via Twitter was an important factor in generating traffic to the website. Looking over the stats, at least 50% of the hits were from Twitter.

What do you use Twitter for?

Chasing the Dream

// February 5th, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Project Blogger

When I first started blogging about 9 months ago, it was an experiment to see if it was possible to make money from the Internet. I can confirm that it IS possible to make money online, however whether you can make enough money to support your lifestyle is another thing all together.

However, when I started blogging I didn’t have any online contacts and since starting this blog and a few other websites over the past few months I have met a lot of people who have helped me create my online “empire” and who have opened up doors that I wouldn’t have had access if I didn’t start this blog.

I am currently employed in an IT infrastructure support based job which I do enjoy and I think I am capable of making a life long career out of it. But my passion lies in web development/design and that the direction I would like my career to head in the direction of.

Over the past few months I have made some contacts online that can make that dream come true. At the moment I do some part time web development and my workload is increasing week to week – all from having a few online contacts that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t start this blog.

If I can increase my level of web development work over the next year or so and can make enough money to survive (and more hopefully) I might be able to leave the normal everyday 9 – 5 and work on my own terms, run my own websites and develop sites for other people – all while working from home!

The way things are looking it is looking like I am heading in that direction, however it would want to be 100% secure before I up and leave my full time job. Running your own business is difficult, and I think it is even harder to run a web based business as things change very fast and you always have to stay ahead of the game and learn the new tricks.

Fingers crossed….what dream are you chasing?

Importance of Networking

// August 14th, 2008 // No Comments » // The Internet

Since I began my online projects I have joined numerous forums and networking websites, creating relationships with people from all over the world who have the same interests, goals and online dreams.

These relationships are important in the early stages of your blog or website – not only from the traffic point of view, but also in terms of advice and ideas. For example, if you are a member of a blogger forum, then most likely those users are in the same position you are, or have been at some stage or another.

It is great to share ideas with people who are in the same position as yourself, and it is even better to know what other people can do and how they can help you. At first you might not know it, but at some point in time you are going to you are going to come across someone who can help you in more ways than one.

Over the past two weeks I have met a few people online who have managed to influence a few big decisions I have had to make, and one of those people may have opened up numerous opportunities to me – not just online but also in the “real world”.

The point I am trying to get across is – network. Be sociable online just as you would in real life. In life there are many people who can teach you a thing or two, and with the growth of the internet over the past decade or so, there are now even more opportunities to take advantage of.

There are thousands of opportunities the internet can create, and there are also thousands of people online who can create those opportunities for you. You never know who that person with that weird nickname on some random internet forum can do for you. They might have that something you need and you might have something they need. Together you might be the perfect business partner and just because they are “online” doesn’t mean they can’t offer you the same opportunities someone in the real world can.