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Of All the Networks

Written by: Chanie Pritchard

Article Overview: The sheer number of social and business networks vying for our membership these days can be overwhelming. A quick search for “business networking” yields over 33 million results.

Of All the Networks

The sheer number of social and business networks vying for our membership these days can be overwhelming. A quick search for “business networking” yields over 33 million results.

I’ve got a LinkedIn account, both personal and business Facebook accounts, a Flickr account, an old (very) outdated MySpace page, Orkut, Bebo, Plaxo, Multiply… and though I’ve signed on with well over a dozen other sites offering similar services, to be honest I’ve never been able to keep them all active and up to date. Who has the time?

Which led me to think, where is it all going? I’m not going to harrass my clients to join every new networking site that I’m approached with. A handful were generous enough to write a recommendation for me on LinkedIn, and even then I hated asking.

There has to be a turning point, where a selection is made and the madness ends. Which ones to choose though? Just when you think you’re all set up on one service, another comes by waving promises of exciting new features and capabilities that the old one hasn’t got. It’s like that skit from The Onion where Joe Consumer isn’t even home with his state-of-the-art new computer, when the next version is announced rendering his shiny new acquisition obsolete… and repeat ad nauseum.

Platforms like Facebook probably didn’t have business in mind when they originally set up shop, but more and more businesses are using social networking sites - and not just to fill employee time either. An InformationWeek Research survey earlier this year found that social networks were used by nearly half of the companies responding, for legitimate business purposes. They reported use for things like viral marketing, recruiting, peer networking, and emergency coordination and communications. Some of the bigger guys (and little guys) are latching onto this and are developing products to let businesses create their own social networks, including communities which let customers interact with the company itself.

Biggies like Microsoft and Nike are already well onto the social networking bandwagon, and McDonald’s is joining the crowd - employees and partners will soon be able to create their own profiles on the company’s social media platform, from which they can McBlog and participate in McCommunities.

This seems be where social networking is going for business. We’re all carving out our own microcosmic slices of the networking universe. But that said, there’s always going to be a place for the web based unaffiliated (or at least apparently so) communities. There’s big value in communicating on a more casual level with your clients, but it doesn’t help much in expanding your business or client base.

Personally, my time is spread thin enough as it is. Unless something comes by and really blows my mind, I might just stick with the word-of-mouth marketing my existing clients are already providing.

A small selection of my own scattered profiles:
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Flickr
• Orkut
• Bebo
• Multiply
• Plaxo
• MySpace
• Entrepreneur Connect
• MyBlogLog
• Jamuse

My advice would be to pick a few that work for you, keep them current, keep in touch, and get on with your work. Otherwise, you'll just be caught in the whirlwind.

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Article Tags: ad nauseum, bebo, business networking, business networks, developing products, employee time, facebook, informationweek research, legitimate business purposes, linkedin, little guys, new computer, peer networking, research survey, sheer number, similar services, skit, social networking sites, social networks, viral marketing



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