Work.com is a new resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Work.com is an online small business community on the Web created for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Our featured guest in this episode is Shara Karasic, Community Manager of Work.com. Shara will provide the inside view on how to use work.com as a valuable source of insight for your business — and also the ins and outs of how to use the site to increase visibility for your own business online.

Here is a sampling of some of the benefits of using Work.com:

• By contributing to the large database of 1,300 how-to business guides and developing your own guide, you become published and viewed as an expert in your field.

• Work.com guides become indexed by the search engines providing additional visibility. Keyword research as well as using the proper terms related to your topic will benefit the visibility of your guide within the search engines.

• Your guide may bring additional contacts and networking sources to your doorstep, as well as supplement your marketing efforts. You can begin by emailing your guide to clients and colleagues, linking it to any web sites you may have, and including it in your bio.

Today’s Trend: In addition to the above points, please stay tuned at the end of the program to the Today’s Trend segment. The Today’s Trend for this episode is: 2007 Shopping Trends - Online and Offline. Today’s Trend explores the trends currently driving today’s transitioning shopping industry. How we shop, where we shop, and who is shopping are all changing. Men are becoming the new force to be reckoned with, celebrity “wanna be” shopping is on the rise, shopping is now a social activity, and temporary ownership is the norm.

Recorded: February 13, 2007

Duration: 52.28 minutes

About Shara Karasic, Community Manager of Work.com

Shara Karasic, Work.com community manager, has over 10 years of experience leading online communities for clients including Classroom Connect, the Quest online expeditions, and the Schwab Foundation.

Shara was selected to be a Geekcorps technology volunteer in Ghana in 2001. She is fascinated by the strong bonds and collective wisdom that develop through online interactions.

Shara has consulted with many small businesses in the U.S. and abroad as a web consultant and trainer. She loves the fact that on Work.com, you can learn about everything from doing business in China to starting a pool hall.

For more on Work.com, visit Work.com.

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