Tells friends, colleagues, send emails to old friends, create free press releases, submit good content to Digg.com, create a Twitter account and follow like-minded people and tweet, create a facebook fan page, etc...

It's a process, no doubt. But this is true of any website on the Internet. If you don't mind me sharing my thoughts on the topic: Ning shouldn't have ever offered all the cross breeding and spamming, in the first place. I work around the clock and have for almost 3 years, getting the word out, working on the sites, etc... I won't lie to you. It's a job, and a very low paying one. Hopefully if anyone works long enough, hard enough, it will pay off. That's my belief. ;-)

Here's a list of things you should start out with, I just left this answer for a new member, on a blog:
http://theningdirectory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/newandconfused-1

I think it would help for you to read the whole thing. You also need to research and study SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Wishing you success,
Jen

Thank you for inviting me to your site. I don't have time to look over the blogs or ask questions but I will as soon as I have time. I think this is an excellent site for all women no matter what race they are.

Karen,
Too, have you joined http://www.blackbusinessspace.com/ ? I think this is an excellent Network for you to spread the word about your Ning Networks.
Best to you,
Jen

Here you go Karen, the interview question I talked about in the email.

Any advice for aspiring Network Creators? How do you suggest Network Creators spread the word about their network? Well, first and foremost, you must be committed and willing to work many long hours to make your community a success. You must be willing to spend the time and money to “get on the map”, before you can truly monetize your site. After you accomplish this, the next step (and plan as you grow), is to offer real advertising on your site. You can work with affiliate programs and exchange banner programs, until that day comes. Unless, you have an overnight success with a most unique idea.

In order to get “on the map” without spending thousands of dollars on a daily basis, you gotta do your homework. Join other Social Communities like MySpace, Squidoo (the best for putting you on the map), Mashable.com, create a blog on blogger.com, create widgets for other sites to install and utilize on their sites. Make sure you create a widget that is truly usable and an asset to other sites. Do place your community name and link on the widget. Make this subtle. We use widgetbox.com. Play an active role in other Social Networks, and not your competitor’s sites. This is bad mojo. There are plenty of Social Communities that are not theme related, where you can become an active member. When you create a Squidoo lens, or a blog somewhere else, make darn sure that you are not just advertising your site. This too will get you blacklisted in a hurry. Offer real content, good content to your readers. While, at the same time, spreading the word about your network. Work long and hard on choosing the perfect keywords for your site. Watch the stats, research what keywords your competitors are using, especially the successful ones. Use SEO tools like www.seobook.com Rank Checker, and www.engineseeker.com. These will help you keep track of where you are ranking in the search engines for your keywords. Work on getting a good Alexa ranking, and Google page rank. Do not spam other sites. It is not acceptable, and not necessary. Create press releases and distribute across the Internet. There are many free Press Release sites available, like www.1888pressrelease.com. Do this on an on-going basis. Submit your site to Digg, and Social Community awareness and voting sites like www.killerstartups.com. Join exchange link programs, submit your site to directories, search engines, etc… I could go on and on. Commit a portion of your budget to paid-for advertising (CPC/PPC Pay per click, and banner ads on sites with related content). Like I said, you must be committed, if you want your Social Network to be a success and a real business. If you are only in it as a hobby, then that is another story - - and a good thing too.

l am trying to get more points by giving out a good tip or two. The best way to get more traffic to your website is by joining groups, making more friends and inviting more people to join us here.

l am trying to get more points by giving out a good tip or two. The best way to get more traffic to your website is by joining groups, making more friends and inviting more people to join us here.

Have a Great Weekend