As a marketing guy I think it is important to be a pioneer and try new technologies as they are introduced so I can advise others. Well here is my first review of Social Networking. I quit. Well not entirely as there is one exception.
For a guy more than a half century old I surprise a lot of people when I tell them I have 3 blogs including
this one*, I am on Facebook and Linkedin , have a Plaxo account and attend a regular Meetup (marketing related I assure you) I have also posted videos on You Tube (this one is hilarious even though it is my daughter ejecting off uneven bars…but she did not get hurt). I also participate on at least four Forums including Young Entrepreneur, Agents Online and Start Up Nation and comment on various blogs. To top it all of I have also posted photos on stock photo sites to spread the word even further.
Add this all up and I would appear to be a serial social networker and the business must be pouring in with all of this effort, but sadly it is not working as well as I hoped. In some cases I may not have worked the concepts enough and in other cases I know I have tried everything, but with one exception I could eliminate all forms of social networking and it would have no negative impact on my business. What I would keep and strongly believe in is blogging. (Didn’t I just write about this a couple of days ago?)
This post is not to sell blogging again, but to make you feel better about not participating in Social Networking as a means of building your business. It may be working for some, but I can’t see the return on investment.
Setting up Facebook has resulted in being invited to join a number of business-oriented Facebook sites which I have, but logging on to Facebook and keeping up with all of the activity is too time-consuming. If you want to do business with me at least have some one-on-one contact. While I have added more friends than I thought I had to my Facebook, I cannot see it as a way to build my business. It is a great way to entertain yourself if you have time to kill and see pictures you would not otherwise see, but as a business development tool I think it has a long way to go. Am I wrong?
I feel the same about Linkedin and Plaxo which although different they are both social networking tools. I have yet to be contacted by anybody in my networks even though I am certain they have needed the services of a marketing guy from time to time.
Participating in Forums and Discussions has been useful in attracting readers to my marketing blog and developing a few business leads, but here is where I am going to get controversial. People who participate regularly on Forums are probably more interested in seeing their problem featured and discussed than they are in actually doing something about. On many occasions I have offered sound solutions, but have never been contacted.
So I will keep my Facebook account and log on every couple of weeks, but I am going to let everything else go and focus on what brings me the highest return on investment…this blog.
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Good Ideas Are a Dime a Dozen, But Implementation is Priceless 
I completely agree with you regarding the social sites.
You can really waste a lot of time with these sites but
depending on your business you may be better off
using old style marketing and copywright.
Thanks for this beautiful Posting On social networking!
It was very nice to see this great article talking about Community!
Thanks for the honest post.
In the long run, the most effective social networks (for business and personal life) are those that include (at least optionally) a face-to-face, real life dimension. We are beings with bodies and senses beyond simply eyeballs, and our ‘social needs’ are only minimally met by ‘social media’.
I think this is why Facebook is doing so well -most ‘friends’ are added from the real world. Meetups is also effective because of its real-world element (BTW, they recently launched a campaign capitalizing on this, have you seen the ‘Get Unplugged’ site/video -http://www.unplugyourfriends.com).
Because of their emphasis on genuine connection online and offline http://www.Biznik.com is by far the most effecting social site for growing one’s business through biz networking, excellent learning articles, great discussion community, and more. Currently, this real-time strength is highest in the Seattle area, but it is rapidly growing globally -so I’d suggest getting in on it early for your area.
Warmly,
Leif
Leif. I do think there’s so much out there to choose from and so many of us in small business need to use our “online-time” efficiently so we can get back to serving our clients and still have lives! I mean, isn’t that what “life-work balance”–the buzz phrase of the 21st Century–is all about? I, too, love Facebook and have found (or been found by) friends from the first 20 years of my life. So cool. And Biznik is the most recommended site for “outside the cubicle” entrepreneurs. I’ve recommended that site to at least 200 people, I bet. It is a place that I’ve not only found business peers online and in person (through free workshops) but, because of all the publishing possibilities that Biznik makes available to members, I’ve also found my voice as a writer.
Thanks for these time saving tips,
I have a facebook account also that I have recently grown to over 1000 friends. I didn’t see the business connection with it either until I participated in a Mastermind Group that showed me how to use it for business development.
It has provided me a great number of connections, opportunities and introductions to people like yourself and others with resources I might have not otherwise come across.
So for me facebook has been a useful business tool.
I am also a Linkedin, Plaxo and Twitter user.