Though they specialize in launching business without outside backing, bootstrappers are not necessarily loners.
As bootstrapping advocate Bijoy Goswami explains in this rational for the founding of the Austin-based Bootstrap Network and in the below video, teamwork and community can be key in sharing resources and forming the teams that can be so integral in many ventures.
If you can’t rely on your immediate face to face community for the necessary resources to launch your venture, other options may include the following:
- LinkedIn—Pretty much the ultimate network for forging long distance business relationships in a variety of fields with online groups in a variety of entrepreneurial areas.
- MySpace—Though often thought of as the first choice for hook-ups, sometimes questionable business ventures and promoting your band, the fact is that the community remains one of the largest on line and offers a much less restricted way to meet new contacts.
- Yewie—Sort of like MySpace but with a share of the advertising revenue going to the creator of each profile. It also seems to have some of the same drawbacks and a much lower membership hence less potential contacts. The future, however, remains uncertain.
- Facebook—One of MySpace’s great competitors with some differences thatg may make it somewhat more discriminating in the kinds of contacts made.
- Squidoo—Seth Godin’s website creating community, it encourages websites developed around expertise and thus the potential of more select contacts. The actual community aspect of this site, however, is somewhat less defined and thus each site is more like a blog than a profile page.
- MyBlogLog—A community developed to promote and connect the readers of specific blogs, it has evolved into a high volume network driven more around profiles but is more focused in terms of shared interests because those who read similar blogs often share other commonalities.
- Bootstrap Network—The site co-founded by Goswami, it is much like Facebook but much more tightly focused (too tightly for some perhaps.)
- Second Life—A weird virtual reality community. Believe it or not there is actually a book out on how to do business on this site. It may turn out to be very effective for spreading certain ideas.
- Flickr—The best known image sharing community on Earth, unfortunately, as I have found recently, somewhat slow in responsiveness on technical issues. Naturally, posting images of any press conferences, products or launch parties would likely generate interest for your company from unanticipated quarters.
- YouTube—As Flickr is to still images so YouTube is to video. Some companies seem to actually be using this site to launch their product or service with a podcast-style profile page dedicated top their efforts. Immitators have spring up in the form of Revver, Blip.tv and LiveVideo (with elements of MySpace mixed in).
- Two sites I’ve recently profiled include LeadVine (a social network that turns it’s community into a sales force for new products, services and opportunities) and ZooQ (a sort of problem solving network.)
- Others I’m less familiar with but which have been recommended to me include Xing (another business networking community) and Virb (a kind of everything but the kitchen sink sharing space.)
Think we’ve missed something truly incredible? Please add it in the comment section below or e-mail me and we’ll blog about it in a future post.
Thanks to Greg Cruey at BootStrapMe.com for recommending John Jantsch’s Let's Talk: Social Media for Small Business, a guide to this new frontier, available free here.






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