It is no secret that blogging and social networking have changed the face of the Internet. These services allow people to connect and share similar interests with each other.  Not only is it a way to meet new friends, these services also allow you to build and market your business.

Yahoo 360 is a site that combines blogging with social networking in a very simple to use and non-threatening format.  If you have been under the impression that blogging requires technical skills, or if you felt intimidated by some of the fancy HTML and CSS found on other social networking sites, Yahoo 360 will be a much easier way for you to get started.

When you create a Yahoo 360 account, you can set up a page that tells the world a little bit about yourself.  While this is no substitute for an actual business website, it does allow for networking and marketing opportunities.




Creating your page is very easy.  There are quite a few pre-made themes to choose from, and you also have the option of creating your own custom theme.  If you are familiar with Yahoo Messenger and already have an avatar, you can use that as your 360 picture or you can upload a regular photo of yourself.

Once you have created the layout of your page, you can start adding content.  The site allows you to create a blog, create lists of items you recommend, add reviews, and more.

You can easily market your business with these tools.  For instance, you can create a list of products you have reviewed (don’t forget to include your affiliate links); display the links to your website(s); and if you have a business related blog, you can add the RSS feed to your 360 page.  If you have created your own physical products, you can display pictures of your products.

You can also invite other 360 users to become your “friend”.  This is where the networking comes into play.  Using this service, you can meet other people and establish relationships with them.  Some of these people may end up becoming customers or future business partners. 

There are several ways to find people.  You can search by location as well as interests. The location feature is great if you would like to promote yourself locally.  Searching by interest will allow you to find people in your target market who may be interested in your business.

Using these types of sites can help you spread the word about your business.  However, you still need to continue with other forms of marketing.  Not everyone in your target market will have a 360 account.   Your 360 page can be another tool in your marketing toolbox, but it shouldn’t be the only one.