Are you finding it increasingly difficult to decide which of the many social networking sites to join? You are not alone.
With more social networking sites springing up each day, it is important to determine your goals your goals for being a member of a social networking community.
It's no different to joining a professional association or face to face networking community.
Let's take a look at a couple of specific examples and why you might want to consider being a member.
A.
LinkedIn This is one of the first social networking sites I recommend you upload your personal profile to, especially if you are in a corporate a position as you can: - add your complete work history and career profile - it's like having your CV or resume online - you can search for people through your immediate contacts that you would like to connect to as ask them for an introduction - you can make your profile visible in a Google search - when building your personal brand online, it's critical that we are found when people search for us by name in the search engines - you can add testimonials and recommendations to your profile - consider these like an online reference.
It is especially important if you are looking to progress in your career as LinkedIn is certainly seen as THE professional online network and is used by executive search consultants and recruiters alike to find candidates for roles.
B.
Facebook Increasingly more business leaders are moving onto Facebook.
This is partly due to the publicity about Facebook and word of mouth, but the ease of use and ability to customise your profile has been another driver.
In Facebook you can: - directly connect to people unlike on LinkedIn where you have to have a paid membership to directly contact people rather than through an introduction - customise your Facebook page to reflect your interests and expertise, enhancing and reflecting your personal brand online - use Facebook purely for personal networking as many people do, as at this moment in time your Facebook profile is not visible to the search engines so there is no risk that it will be found in a Google search - though my recommendation is to always make sure that whatever you write online you would be happy for anyone to find and read - quickly scan information and news from your network and follow up with them if there is something of interest you want to connect with them about - add your feeds from your blog to your Facebook profile.
I have found people are generally more active on Facebook which makes it feel like a more energetic place to be.
The question of which social network to join really comes down to the time you have to nurture your online network and your purpose for joining a social networking site - but it's like any network online or off-line, if you invest in it you will reap results.
Just as we choose which professional association or off-line networking community we want to join based on perceived value, return on investment (be that time or money), the ability to connect with key influencer's (be they people who can support us in our career or may connect us to potential clients) and where people we like to be with hang out, you can use similar criteria to determine which online network to be a member of.
But remember that the same rule for networking online as off-line is critical - it is about giving to your network, adding value and supporting them - that is what will enable you to build lasting relationships and friendships which is the platform for great career and professional success.