The past few weeks I’ve been meeting many new contacts at various networking events either local (here in Rochester) or via the internet through LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I’m really enjoying meeting others and feel very energized when I go to these events. I’ve met some awesome people and I’m really happy to call many of them my friends and they’re great business contacts.

As I reflect back, it’s amazing the responses I get when talking about the Social Media tools we all know and that I’ve talked about the past few weeks (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook).  Many people are starting to realize the importance and power of using these tools for business. I think the article about Dell earning $3M since 2007 using Twitter will help with that.

One of the most amusing responses I get is when I tell people that I work directly from home. Many of you that read my blog work directly from home. But others who work in offices think, “I could never work from home, I wouldn’t learn and socialize with my co-workers”. I would say maybe 4 to 5 years ago, when I first started out on my own, that this statement may have been true. But now, with the variety of tools to connect, learn from others and all of the networking events, I would say I’m learning much more now then when I worked in a cubicle type job. I have more friends that are all over the world and I’m learning a ton everyday thanks to websites like Twitter, Facebook and of course, LinkedIn.

Social media tools are great, but I should note that it’s important to meet people (live) through various networking events.  The 1 to 1 interaction is so important and for me, it’s just energizing meeting others.

Many people ask me, “Would I go back into the real world?” My response:  if the opportunity is right, maybe.  I feel I’m much more productive in my own environment and enjoy it so much more. I would say I work longer hours and weekends on my own, but I enjoy what I do and that keeps me going. And when I need a break, I just take my 2 buddies (Jade & Bella) for a walk and come back to the “office” refreshed and ready for more.

Bella & Jade - Our 2 great danes

I hope you enjoyed the post. Do you work from home? If so, do you use social media tools to learn and promote your business? If you work in an office setting, I’d love to hear your feedback on these topics as well.