Comments on: When Does Social Networking Become “Busy Work?”

By: Brett Grendahl

Brett Grendahl — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:38:40 +0000

I completely agree Tim! The question that burns in my action-oriented mind is always…..”okay, is this just information or can I really do something with it?”

As a avid LinkedIn, Facebook, and various other social networking & online sites junkie it can surely become overwhelming.

This also creates opportunity for those that can separate the wheat from the chaff. In my opinion, today’s web user does not need the overload, they just need something that cleanly fits the bill for whatever it is they are doing. LinkedIn works great for mining for business networking & the old Facebook interface worked great for keeping your social scene lively.

By: Jordan Schwartz

Jordan Schwartz — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:39:28 +0000

As a creator of yet-another-social-network (and one that I’m proud to see will be used at NME: http://pathable.com/events/nme08/), I must honestly say I agree that there is an issue. And it’s not just limited to the web-based social networks, there’s a flood of mobile networks, too: should I tell people where I am via Dodgeball, Loopt, Twitter, Swaggle?

I think the key is context: we have enough generic “everybody I’ve ever known” social networks. But when I’m going to a conference, I have a very real, specific goal: I need to find out who is going to be there so I can make sure I meet the right people and make good use of precious face-to-face time.

That’s why I think Pathable (www.pathable.com) is so valuable. It’s goal-oriented social networking, with a goal that’s so much more important than “how am I going to kill 10 minutes so I don’t have to get some real work done”. I’m taking time and money away from work to travel to be in the same physical space with thousands of people. Pathable helps me make new connections when I’m there, and that’s why I go.

By: sterling doak

sterling doak — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:33:20 +0000

Tim,
I have about 10 social media profiles online. I tend to use Twitter the most, but I do a lot of social bookmarking, messaging on Ning sites and so forth. It is a chore to keep up with the accounts, but I think we all have to accept the battle ground for what it is. Different people hang out on different corners and in order to network, you have to be willing use some time to get to those corners and find those people.

I can’t say any one method is better than another. I think you have to find a comfortable level of engagement with your networks and exploit them to your best ability. Hey, I’m no social media expert… but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

See you in Vegas. I’m @sterlingdoak on Twitter. And there’s nothing better than talking social networking while hitting the black jack table!

By: Melanie Jordan

Melanie Jordan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:48:25 +0000

I’ve seen some good results for myself and my Infopreneur and Marketing coaching clients using Propeller, Blog Catalog, and select sites using Socialmarker. I’m also adding Linked In to my efforts. You absolutely need to evaluate which social media sites are doing you good based on your definition of success, and which seem to not make a difference.

In addition, each social media site has its own philosophy and rules as to whether your participation is welcome or not, and it can be frustrating to try to figure it all out. So you work with those that are easy to use and that welcome you, and avoid those that are too hard to deal with.

For me, success is testing to track site traffic and search engine rankings for items submitted using one source over the other. I’ve already dropped some that are just not a match for my style, my topics and/or do not show a difference that makes the effort worth it.

By: Les Blatt

Les Blatt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:42:14 +0000

Fair point, Tim. Personally, I’m active on Facebook and LinkedIn – but I receive messages daily from contacts, colleagues, etc., on Plaxo and a variety of other services. I can’t possibly keep up with all of them.