The amount of information on the Web is mind-boggling. To make more sense of it, I attended a seminar to improve overall knowledge of working with social media. The knowledge is invaluable to me on my journey to promote my personal brand in a unique way.

At a workshop called Bloggin Noggins, Paul Wlodarczyk discussed getting people to find and read business blogs. First and foremost, Paul says a blogger needs to produce great content targeted to a specific audience.

"To achieve success, you should integrate your blog into other social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. And, you should incorporate a (search engine optimization) trick; search for the needs and wants of your audience and once you have identified popular keywords associated with those needs and wants, make sure you use them in your blog content." He teaches that this step will surely send targeted traffic to your blog. His own blog is online at thecontentguy.net/blog/.

Rochester is fortunate to have a number of truly knowledgeable practitioners. They not only encourage people to experiment but offer "how to" wisdom from their experiences. This allows us to benefit from mistakes made by others who are now blogging about it! I have found informative and useful sites you will want to return to again and again. The authors are prolific, while providing insight, great content and guidance as you learn how to become part of the New Networking Community. Some of the bloggers include Rob Ewanow (robewanow.wordpress.com), Deborah Mourey (www.hellinthehallway.net) and Donna DeClemente (www.donnadeclemente.typepad.com).

Want to become a respected blogger? Each of the workshops I've attended has a similar theme. Write well and write often; blogging at its most fundamental, is a conversation. Becoming a respected online author will stretch your creative muscles as well as enhance your online credibility, visibility and long-term viability as a professional in your field.

Cynthia Barton is the owner of eConcepts Marketing, a Rochester-based marketing and public relations consultancy focused on the needs of small business owners.

This column is written by members of the Rochester Women's Network (www.rwn.org), which seeks to help women connect, grow and succeed.