Wading through the social networking web can be somewhat confusing and mystifying. From MySpace to Facebook, Digg to Feedblitz, Linked In to Zoom, Twitter to Ryze where is the best place to spend your time and connect in a meaningful way with others? Sure you can spend hours and hours online just playing, but in today’s business environment it is vital to avoid the tendency to see this all as a big toy box and realize it can be a valued tool for business. In many ways it can best be compared to the optimal places to leave your footprints for others to follow you or make a connection.
Age, intention, and demographic does have a lot to do with it. In my experience, since many, if not all of these services are so far free, it can’t hurt to put up a profile. Many are short or limited to name, picture and tidbits only, then send a handful of invites out and see what sticks. I know it sounds haphazard but trial and error is still a reasonable test method. I’m getting good response on Facebook, and amazed at the number of connections on Linked In. Ryze hasn’t done a thing for me as yet and I’ve been there the longest. MySpace so far seems strictly social, but the jury is still out. I’m still learning the ins and outs on Digg, Reddit, and Feedblitz. Zoom is waiting to be explored. Twitter seems interesting but you have to be proactive and post blog bits with live links back. One of the best experts in navigating all this is Penny Sansevieri. Penny tells you clearly and concisely how to benefit quickly and easily from these networks. She’s got a great free ezine that really delivers.
