"How Many Social Networks are Enough?"

[Rich Jacobson]

If you're like me, it seems like you're get invited to some new social platform nearly every day.

How many Social Networks are enough? Seriously. How effective can you be at networking if you're spread too thin already? After all, we do actually have to spend 'some' amount of our time doing 'business.'

Are we just the kind of folks who have to take a peak at anything new that comes along? Are we just naturally 'curious?' Or is it that the social networks we're already involved in just don't satisfy all our needs/wants?

What say ye?

[Stephanie Edwards-Musa]

HI Sally, :) Isn't the Hawaii party this weekend?

[Elaine Reese]

I think I'm pretty well done joining. At least most don't require much work after setting up a profile. I have noticed that Naymz, Spock, Linkedin do well in Google searches. Even this new one is being picked up for my key words.

I wish we could make our profiles on AR as pretty as we can on this platform. And I do like the layout of this one better.

I don't Twitter ... just can't see devoting the time to it.

[Carole Cohen, Realtor®, Howard Hanna Company]

Hi Elaine I've missed you! I twittered tonight for first time really in a week...just been too busy; but it's a nice way to meet fellow Ohioans I swear! Not everyone is in real est lol. I hear you though, too much just makes me crazier than I already am, plus less productive. Heck I'm having enough trouble just commenting on AR let alone writing a post1

[Carrie Higgs]

Thank you for the e-mail. It seems I did really good with it at first, but then quickly lost steam...I don't know what to say, I'm actually busy showing property, too busy to blog, although I think it's still the right thing to do if I can remember to do it! If social networks are not creating closings then I would say keep it to a minimum, 15 min a day....the hardest thing in this biz is to know what will really bring leads and when you are just wasting time.

[Elaine Reese]

Carrie, my blog is doing the best for me so that is my focus. Last week I put a listing in-contract ($249K) because the buyer found my blog and learned about the home and the neighborhood. I have a listing appt this coming week (~$320K) because the seller found my blog. So, yes ... I make time for it. Can't say I've gotten anything from AR, but I think it's because of the way we "can't" write there. I can be much more personal on my own blog, plus, I've got a lot of extra stats and housing info on my blog which can't go on AR.

[Missy Caulk]

Too many, I'm exhausted.... but I really like activerain for the friendships I have made there. Been busy trying to get my baby blog going.
I have been using rss feeds to my Google reader and deleting the emails, so that is helping. I sign up for just about everything because you"never know"

[Carrie Higgs]

Hi Missy, I remember you on AR, you have some great ideas , I can't remember exactly but I'll have to read your comments again!

[Missy Caulk]

Sounds good, is that where you post the most?

[Carrie Higgs]

Yes I do, I think it's great to post info, and I like the localism.....I have been lazy or busy lately don't know I need some motivation or results!

[Brad Andersohn]

I am up to 3 that I use regularly. Activerain, Real Estate 411, and Cre8Buzz. I do have some outside blogs I run as well. That's all I have time for until I retire off the next really great Real Estate Market! :-) ...

....ooops, I forgot Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter... Great discussion Rich, hope you'll come by and visit us sometime at theRE 411

[Josette Skilling]

Rich hounded me to come comment! Actually it's funny to get a message on this since I'm part of a group right now that is very active in social network marketing from all walks of life. My eyes are opened to so many more marketing opportunities than what I'd see just staying in the real estate space so the need to branch out is really important. The social networks that are specific to your industry though seem to provide the most in terms of rapid learning and overall diversity - as well as complexity - among our peers.

Who needs to sleep??

[Ines Hegedus-Garcia]

For me it's all about ease of use. I've signed up to tons and just leave my profiles out there because I know it can't hurt. One example is Twitter - I signed up to Twitter last Summer and wondered what it was good for and it didn't take off until last month.
Others, link NING I think are pretty but you do not get e-mail alerts and you have to go around looking for the discussions (not enough time in my day).
I think in this age of technology, these social networks will come and go and it's up to each individual to pick what works for them.