Take a career field, any career....a sport, any sport.... a hobby, any hobby...and chances are, you'll find bunches of targeted online associations, organizations or societies that are dedicated towards providing extra value and benefits for all of its members.

Don't believe me? Well, have you ever heard of...

Society of Automotive Engineeers

Aerobics and Fitness Association of America

Golf Course Builders Association of America

The National Association of Women Lawyers

World Rock Paper Scissors Society

I rest my case. If there's more than one person interested, there's probably a group or association about it on the Internet.

Knowing about associations can be most profitable for you! So let's start with:

Before You Begin - Benefits of Associations

There are many benefits to belonging to associations. They have their own bottom line (increase membership to increase incoming funds), so they have to provide extra incentives to get you to join. Some of those perks might include:

• Targeted job/resume bank

• Membership lists

• Professional growth/continuing education classes

• Local chapters/seminars

• Private message board

• Topical networking

• Discounts on related merchandise/books/etc.

At its most basic, targeted associations are great for networking and career/interest growth; they are quite worth your while. Thus, let's now dive into:

Step 1 - How to Find Associations Online

Go to your favorite search engine, say, Google, and search on:

interest association

or

interest organization

or

interest society

Let's say you want to find insurance assocations Searching on:

insurance association

might lead you to:

• American Insurance Association

• The Association Of British Insurers

• American Risk and Insurance Association

A rather easy search, right? Let's try something a bit more difficult.

Let's say you want to find educational associations in California. Search on

california education association

You might find:

• California Teachers Association

• California Elementary Education Association

• California Science Teachers Association

See how you can get more and more specific with your search criteria? You can search by geography, topic, interest and more. In other words,

Step 2 - Smart Searching Is Good Searching

When searching for really targeted associations, remember:

Precise! Precise! Precise!

If you're looking for Florida realtor associations , searching for

florida realtor association

will bring you more targeted results than, say,

realtor association

Think of whether your interests are best served by national, state or town associations, and then search appropriately.

Most useful, I'd say. Associations are a great way of networking online and finding real bargains.

Step 3 - For More Information

There are some great association directories online, including:

• Associations on the Net - from the Internet Public Library

• Trade Association Forum - UK-oriented

• Google Directory - list of associations

• Weddle's Association Directory - career related, very comprehensive

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