As far as blogs you might participate in, that goes back to the question of your expertise. You would want to actively participate in blogs that pertain to that – for purposes of personal branding. So you might want to go online and do a search on “insurance blogs” and see what comes up. Observe conversations for a while and see if you think it is worthwhile to participate in. Of course, there may be other interests you have such as snowboarding or some other hobby and by all means you can participate in those blogs as well. Just remember, all your comments are visible to the world – keep it respectable!

Social networks are formed typically by a group of people with similar interests or values. The great thing about participating in social networks is that you can “introduce” yourself to many people in an effort to expand your personal network. This provides great access to individuals that you otherwise may not have the luck to meet. These entries also get indexed by search engines and increase your visability on the Internet.

Since you are a business owner, you might consider Linked In (www.linkedin.com), Plaxo (www.plaxo.com), or create a Facebook (www.facebook.com).

Thank you