Sounds a bit crazy, but membership on a social website like Facebook or Myspace can be one of the most indispensible weapons in a marketer’s arsenal.

Why?

While some of the more popular social websites were created for college campuses, more and more savvy marketers have been using these sites as a way to establish connections with other virtual professionals – connections that can pay off big time! After all, in the 9-5 world, an important ingredient for corporate success is networking; so why should it be any different for online entrepreneurs? If you could use a few refreshers on how to confidently network with your peers, here are a few tips:

Mind your appearance. Think of your profile as your virtual appearance: the more professional it seems, the more professional you’ll appear. So make sure that you hid those pictures of last year’s high school reunion or the night at the bar you can’t remember – after all, quality marketers won’t want to be associated with someone who can’t take the time to clean up their profile.

Avoid poking. Sure, it’s cute to use fun features like Super Poke on your girlfriend or boyfriend, but no marketing professional wants to see that you’ve “thrown a sheep” at them. Try to use your social profile strictly for networking and avoid any “cute” features that might make your maturity level appear to be that of a twelve-year-old.

Be aggressive. Don’t just wait for other like-minded professionals to find you. Join groups or forums centered on your subject matter and try to engage other members in thought-provoking conversations. The ideas and tips you might garner will be invaluable to your business.

And above all… Be polite! The online world has made good manners almost obsolete; but when it comes to your business, don’t slack off on politeness. Don’t type in caps (you’ll come off as angry and obnoxious), use proper grammar and spelling, and avoid emoticons and other online vernacular such as “lol” or “omg”. If you can’t see a Fortune 500 CEO writing an email with smiley faces all over the text, then don’t do it. Your professional peers will thank you!

Online networking is a lot easy than it is in the real world, especially if you’re a bit on the shy side. Just think: no awkward face-to-face conversations about the weather and no need to spend tons of money on a suit! Yet the etiquette rules for virtual networking remain the same as in the 9-5 world. Remember, you are a top-notch professional – make sure that your profile and online behavior accurately reflects you!