Women at work and their tips, challenges, advice, complaints, and experiences

As you may recall, Workerette Danae recently asked me for tips on being a work-at-home mom.  First I touched on 13 tips for working from home; tonight I'd like to share an article I found about a very important issue for work-at-home parents: socialization and networking.

Once you make the switch from the office (or cubicle) and no longer have a break room, water cooler, or company gym to retire to for some "grown-up" time, work can take on a whole new meaning.  As a WAHM it's very easy to begin to feel isolated and shut off from your colleagues, friends, and frankly, the world in general!  It's a smidge easier if you are in a position that puts you in frequent contact with the "outside world" via lunch meetings, the phone, or even IM conversations.  However, if your job doesn't require much of this, or you're a freelancer like myself with no staff or bosses to speak of, you'll find yourself jabbering the UPS guy's ear off whenever a package arrives. 

That's why networking online can be a lifesaver - or at least a sanity saver.  Email can only provide so much interaction when the folks you email with are busy too.  Online forums and networking sites, however, can offer you an opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, and in the case of home-based business owners, spread the word and develop key marketing and business contacts.  Read on for two authors' takes on the subject, as well as their suggestions for networking sites to look for.