Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68009
BUSINESS SIDE Internet Integrity While Internet networking is so accessible, bear in mind that the very quality that makes it so great is also a reminder to handle with care. If your business and social networks overlap, as many do, remember that clients, business associates, and friends may see your posts, pictures, and so forth. While you might want your friends to see that you were dancing on the bar at your high school reunion, you do not want clients, or a potential employer, seeing any such thing. Of course, don't post pictures of yourself in inappropriately revealing clothing if you are profiling yourself as a massage therapist. There are still individuals who persist with the old "massage parlor" way of thinking, and the networks have a hard time weeding those people out. Some don't even try. Craigslist tries to separate therapeutic massage from sexual service providers, but some still manage to make their way into the therapeutic listings. The network has a "flag erotic/ sensual ads" feature in the therapeutic section in an attempt to police the problem, but it seems that two pop up for every one removed. Your listings make it very clear that you provide nonsexual, therapeutic services. List your credentials, state license number, national certification number, professional affiliations and designations, and anything else that will make it evident that you are a professional massage therapist and not an adult entertainer. post and search for jobs, and much more. MySpace and Facebook share the feature of targeted advertising; for instance, if your profile states that you are a massage therapist, ads for massage-related companies and products will appear on your page; it's how they help pay for the site and keep it free for users. PLAXO Plaxo (www.plaxo.com) started out as an online address book, and now has more than 49 million users. Plaxo has evolved into a social and business network, but without the bells and whistles of Facebook or MySpace. Plaxo allows photo sharing and personal updates, but you won't find the flippant applications that are hosted by the other two. You can set your preferences to notify you by e-mail whenever someone in your network posts an update. TWITTER FACEBOOK RYZE Ryze (www.ryze.com) is another business network that currently has about 500,000 members. According to their FAQ, the name Ryze was coined to indicate a site that helps people to "rise up through quality business networking." Although many features on Ryze are free, you have to pay for features such as conducting advanced searches for people or organizations, or contacting people who are not in your direct network. TWITTER Twitter (www.twitter.com) is the simplest and one of the most accessible of the social networks. Twitter asks one questions: "What are you doing?" You must answer with 140 characters or less. Michael Reynolds, a massage therapist from Indianapolis, is an active user of several Internet networks. "My favorite [network] depends on 26 massage & bodywork july/august 2009