Social networks

These days, everyone is talking about blogs, online communities, social networks, and social applications. You can use them to make friends online. You can promote your business. You can use them to find a date, even.

But have you ever come away from an online conversation with that feeling of "ICK"? Or worse, have you found that people tend to ignore you, and you just can't figure out why? Maybe you're making some of these social media blunders - check and find out if you are a misfit or if you are IT. Do you...

Do the hard sell

If you are on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or mingling with other bloggers and pitching a product, the door will slam in your face fast. There are places on the internet for pitches and sales - appropriate places, even, like in press releases, business websites, and ads. The pitch isn’t welcome in most communities -- and it’s sad to see that some people still haven’t figured that out by now.

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As a business owner, I have my share of questions and quandaries even though I'm also a business expert. My issues run the gamut and thankfully they aren't always the same ones because I do eventually find solutions -- either through other entrepreneurs, through social networking contacts, through a little research, through a bit of luck or a combination of these things.

Here are my Top 5 Business Quandaries, in no particular order.

1. How do I handle a client who doesn't have any business boundaries?

I've got a client who started off calling me at home at all hours wanting to talk about the project. I finally told him my husband didn't want him calling our home number. I've resorted to leaving my business cellphone off more often than I'd like to moderate his calls. When we are on the phone -- even if it should be a quick conversation -- he goes off on tangents, and the calls last over half an hour or more for no good reason. How do I draw firm boundaries without risking a good business relationship?

UPDATE: Parted ways with the client. Huge sigh of relief.
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