I started the Trailing Spouse Network about a year ago with the first iteration of the web-site and a small group of interested people. My goal continues to be to:

facilitate communication and assist each other to find employment, build business and maintain careers while living the expat lifestyle.

www.TrailingSpouse.NET

We’ve responded to comments and feedback and continue to overcome the challenges of building a trusted, worthwhile community on the internet…all while relocating, finding work and keeping head above water. I welcome your input, comments and suggestions about building and improving this community and web site.

I encourage you to participate with articles about your experiences and your business. Let others know what resources you’ve used to find work. Tell us what’s worked and what hasn’t. We’ve helped several people with business networking and finding employment – reach out to the community and you might be surprised how eager people are to help. We are constantly building our network of contacts in the business community to identify opportunities, particularly with organizations that are telecommuting friendly.

The Trailing Spouse.NET site has a growing collection of articles and web based resources. The member’s only section has additional information and now allows you to enter your profile information that can be viewed by other community members to facilitate networking amongst peers. Share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with and feel free to reach out to other members, including me for assistance.

Your profile can also include additional information about your current and future work situation to allow us to help match job seekers with opportunities on a regional basis – This information is not shared with the open community and forms part of a ‘back office’ service that we are developing.

We also have a members-only discussion forum, member-to-member instant message system and a range of other tools available to help build a dynamic community.

For people who are involved in other online communities and networks, we have a presence on several popular networks – Keep an eye open for the Trailing Spouse Network logo and feel free to hook into us that way. Of course, if there are other networks you think we should be participating in, let us know.

Finally, another exciting area of communication is our Talkcasts – Communities are built on the basis of trust, what better way to get to know someone than by talking to them. Talkcasts will be held on a regular basis where we will discuss topical subjects and take calls from the community to help answer your questions and connect you with others that can assist you with business, employment and career issues.

You can participate in a Talkcast using your normal telephone, Skype or your computer. Recorded Talkcasts can be listened to anytime using your iPod, MP3 player or your computer. Keep an eye on the website www.TrailingSpouse.NET for more information about this exciting initiative. We’re building a library of subjects for discussion, if you have ideas for subjects feel free to email them to submit them using the Contact us section of the site.

Thanks for your time; I look forward to your working with you in the Trailing Spouse Network .

Jeff - The Ausmerican         

 

                                        

 

For a full list of site features existing and planned, read on.....

• Public access

• News & articles
• Work at Home business
• Telecommuting
• Expat work issues
• Succesful Trailing Spouse businesses
• Web Resources - Links to useful resources on:
• Business development
• Business networking
• Career Development
• Expat Issues
• Job Search
• Personal Development
• Sales & Marketing
• Small Office Home Office (SOHO)
• Surveys
• Telecommuting
• Community
• Yahoo group
• LinkedIn
• Konnects
• Blog
• Talkcast / podcast
  

• Registered users

• News & Articles
• More detailed and focused articles beyond those openly available
• Web Resources
• Links to closed groups and business networks
• Community
• Profile page/s
• Promote yourself or your business to other members
• All profile information is optional
• Regional networking
• Provide details of your current and planned location to help match people and opportunities on a regional basis (under development)
• Discussion forums dedicated to business, employment and career issues
• Member-to-member messaging to facilitate contact with oters without divulging email address or other information.
• Link to Members - Allows members to link to other members of similar interest
• Talkcast / podcast

The Trailing Spouse Network is a continuously evolving project. It relies on your participation and feedback to help us achieve our goal of assisting expat family members with business, career and employment issues.