Running your own business is a lonely prospect, whether it's a huge firm like SEO Canada or a small shop selling hand knitted doilies in Salem. This is especially true if you've just moved to the area and you don't have a lot of contacts in the local business community. Salem, Oregon recognizes that we all need a little face time with each other, which is why the city's chamber of commerce has organized a program known as Face2Face to help members of Salem's business community connect with one another. For more information on Face2Face and how it can help you, read on.

Salem's Face2Face program is modeled after successful social networking websites like Facebook and MySpace but is specifically geared toward business owners in Salem, Oregon. Members can share their personal and business profiles with one another as well as events such as the launching of a new brand of copper lugs at a local factory or the opening of a new business and news items like the fact that your business is being considered for an award or is starting a charity initiative.

In this way it's like a combination of networking breakfast, events calendar, and newspaper that operates 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in the world. And like in Facebook, Face2Face members can form and join groups like "Women in Business" or "Instantaneous Water Heater Development Team." And what's better is that membership is restricted to members of the Chamber of Commerce, which is effectively Salem business owners. No random anonymous flamers can find their way in because everyone has to use their real names and photos.

If you want to sign up, all you have to do is join the chamber and enter some simple details like your birth date and a password. You will also, however, have to abide by a code of ethics that is designed to keep relations positive. This shouldn't be difficult for you as a business owner, because savvy business owners know it's never a good idea to burn bridges, even if it's a bridge to a Huntsville, Ontario catering company that they think they'll never be able to use.

So what are the benefits to you from joining Face2Face? Well, if you're a newcomer to the area it's a great way to integrate yourself into the business community and get the word out about your new keel repair business. Even if you're an existing business owner who has lived in Salem for decades you'll still meet people you never knew. You'll also have a forum in which you can ask for help with your problems from people who have perhaps encountered and solved the same issue before you.