Ok people, we now have over 100,000 members (and counting) of the Shell LiveWIRE Social Network.

The vast majority of members are based in the UK, although a growing number are based around the world in the 25 countries that have their own Shell LiveWIRE programme (see the International site www.shell-livewire.com for details).

The Shell LiveWIRE Social Network has huge potential for connecting young entrepreneurs by enabling them to hook up, share ideas and do business with each other so to get the most out of it I suggest you all do the following:

1. Keep your Social Network profile up-to-date. 

Even if it's just basic info about you and your business idea, your Social Network profile should be seen as your 'shop window to the world' as you never know who might be checking you out and looking to do business with you. It's a  great way to raise your profile and network with others for free, especially if you don't yet have a website and another useful marekting tool if you do. The Social Network provides all registered users with a profile page that allows you to enter a short description about your business, contact details, photos, events diary, classified ads and even a free blog so you can keep everyone infomed about your journey.

At a bare minimum you should make sure that you have a contact name, email address, website address (if you have one) and a photo / logo. However, like most websites, all Shell LiveWIRE Social Network pages are indexed by visible to search engines and so please note you should only include contact details that you don't mind being made public, e.g. contact details for your business and not personal addresses. Once logged in, to edit your profile click here and to adjust your privacy settings click here.

2. Network and make friends with other members.

Most members have joined the Shell LiveWIRE community for similar reasons. Either they're thinking about starting a business, have recently set up, or have already started trading. Whatever stage they are at, people come here to network, share ideas, help each other out and hopefully do business with each other.

We call it a Community for a reason, and there are already lots of examples of people who have made great connections with other users to benefit their business. So, whilst you're here, make the most of the tools available and make friends with others. It's simple to do. Just check out another members profile and then click on 'Add to my friends' on the left hand side of the page, underneath their photo / logo. Once you are friends with someone you can send them direct messages.

Even if you're not yet a friend with someone you can leave a Comment on their profile (provided they have enabled this on their page). You can also start your own market-interest Group and invite people to join you to discuss certain topics.

3. Get talking!

As well as just being a great way to market and promote your business, the Social Network has a cool little Chat room that anyone can use at anytime to share ideas and discuss business. Simply login to the Social Network and then click on My Apps > Chat to start talking in real time, just like MSN Messenger or AOL. However, to get the most out of the Chat room, why not change your profile Status (underneath your photo / logo) to say something like 'In the Chat room so let's talk' or something similar. You can also pre-arrange scheduled meetings with other members in advance so that you're not just talking to yourself!

4. Support each other

Shell LiveWIRE has a history or helping young entrepreneurs connect with each other and one of the biggest strengths (if not the biggest strengths) of the programme is the willingness of members to help each other out by offering advice and support and signposting people to useful resources for their business. We'd like to think that everyone can get something out of the Shell LiveWIRE Social Network as well as the Discussion Forum (www.shell-livewire.org/forums) and information held on our main website (www.shell-livewire.org).

Also, why not help each other out in financial terms too? With so many members on here, why not make it your mission to help at least 1 other Shell LiveWIRE business by using their products and services, rather than going to a bigger, more established company? They're sure to appreciate your business even more than a large company with lots of different customers and you will probably get a more personal service too. If everyone did this then it wouldn't take long for people to benefit and to see their business grow.

5. Spread the word

How did you get to hear about Shell LiveWIRE? Did you stumble upon it by accident in Google? Think how much time and effort you could have saved if someone you knew and trusted recommended it to you. If you like what we are trying to do here at Shell LiveWIRE, tell others about it and encourage them to join. Word of mouth recommendations are the best way to spread the word so why not link back to your Shell LiveWIRE Profile or Blog from your business website(s), Facebook and Twitter? The Shell LiveWIRE Community is growing all the time as it is, but will be even stronger with your help and support.

6. Make the most of Shell LiveWIRE

Remember, Shell LiveWIRE is the UK's biggest online community for young entrepreneurs starting a business and all the tools and resources are provided free of charge to all registered users. It's been this way since the beginning way back in 1982 and isn't going to change so make the most out of what's available to help yourself and your business. It's YOUR website and we're also always open to suggestions for making Shell LiveWIRE even better so if you've got any ideas please send them through to me at paul.lancaster@shell-livewire.org and we'll look at each one in turn.

Now go on and get networking!

Paul Lancaster
Web Development Executive
www.shell-livewire.org

Blog: www.shell-livewire.org/network/lordlancaster/blog/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lordlancaster
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lordlancaster
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ShellLivewireUK