"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?

[Linda Scanlan]

Rich, I'm a member of about six and I feel like that's enough. I try to visit at least a couple of times a week, but I've been busy this last month and I'm afraid that I've been slacking off somewhat.
Of course when I hear of a new one I just HAVE to go check it out.
I'm satisfied with the ones I'm a member of, just don't want to get spread too thin.

[Elaine Reese]

I just had to come back to tell you something I just experienced. Tonight I wrote a post on the 30-yr anniversay of the biggest blizzard to ever hit Ohio. I just rechecked my blog for traffic or comments. Someone had googled the search terms "78 Ohio blizzard" and landed on my blog. My 2-hour old post was already on page 2 of Google!!!!

THAT's what our blogs do for us. And all those backlinks from the various social networks certainly help.

[Jeff Turner]

Rich, for me most of what I join I join just to get a look around. I consider it research. I look at GUI, ease of use, page structure, flow of information, etc. I am only active on a couple that I enjoy. At some point, if all of your networks have the exact same people in them, the differentiation make each of them less valuable. If there is real differentiation, then the value increases on each. What I'm seeing in the RE.net is that there is little differentiation.

[Midori Miller]

Haven't been here in a while.... I will set up a profile anywhere and make it a profile worth viewing....but I can't see the sense in trying to keep up with all the different social networks. I look at what gives me the most benefits and take it from there. I spend the last 3 months of 2007 evaluating what works for me! Activerain....more activerain.......cre8buzz....mybloglog....but my profiles......heck I go to sign up for something new...and I am already there!

[Chris Griffith]

Rich

I think I take a peek at a lot of new stuff but don't always stick with it. I don't get facebook, namez (however its spelled) or linkd in but I'm a member. I am a twitterer. I enjoy it while trapped in meetings, etc.

[Bill Gassett]

Hi Rich,

I here your question loud and clear. There are only so many that you can be actively involved with on a daily or weekly basis. We do afterall need to make a living selling homes. I would like to interject something to the discussion to consider though. You don't necessarily have to sign up to a social network just to be there and socialize with others all the time. There are SEO benefits to joining different sites if they allow you to add a link to your website or blog. Jeff mentioned he is not sure if they help. I would like to say that I would be VERY surprised if they do not. When you join a site and are able to add your website you are able to add an "inbound" link pointing to your site. This is good SEO and does help you move up in the serps. Some of these social sites have excellent page rank. I use tracking software that tells me what sites I have joined have given me an "inbound" link.
If you have listened to Mary Mcknight or any of the other SEO experts at AR and other places on the net they will tell you besides content your inbound links are one of the most imporatant things driving your postion in the serps. Think of an inbound link as a vote for your site.

So the long and short of this is when people ask me how do you keep up with all these sites? The answer is simple - I don't. Some of them I have joined and maybe gone back once or twice. I do have a profile and a link to my website or blog though. This is important to me. So the next time you say to yourself I am not going to join another site, you may want to reconsider - spend the 5-10 minutes it takes to create a profile - It will be worth it in the long run!

[Jeff Turner]

Bill... If the "Jeff" you are referring to is me, I just want to clarify that I did not say that or even intend to imply that. If it another Jeff, then I haven't found their comment yet. :) Obviously quality links help, that's a fact. In some cases, it is the only reason I leave my profile on a site.

That begs another question, however. How quality is the link if your not even willing to participate in the site? What page rank makes it worth your effort?

[Sheron Cardin]

Hi Rich,
Coming out of the 'rain' can be refreshing but honestly...I think we are a curious bunch reaching to see what is out there. The colors are nice here too :)

[Elaine Reese]

Back again. I don't view LinkedIn, Plaxo, Naymz, Konnect, Spock , MyBlogLog as social networks. Once I took the time to set them up, they don't require much maintenance afterward other then responding to 'connections'. But as Bill says, they DO provide Juice and I'm getting links from them to my blog according to my stats. Since I don't do Twitter , Faceboork or MySpace, I only comment here and on AR because I HAD to cut down the time I was spending. For me, it was too easy to lose my focus on what I SHOULD be doing and that is to generate income.

[Faina Sechzer]

I am exploring everything that can enhance my business, and it takes a while to see what works. I was surprised, to see in my stats Google search for particular key words. I didn't remember writing about it -it turned out to be my comment on the Real Estate World. It's hard to remember all the sites -I am here now because I got an e-mail reminder to come to the site. I like this one for the sense of "comfort" (like a living room discussion), and the immediate contact with others it provides. You raise a question - you get answers (like this thread). If I found the social network that helped grow my business -I would be there all the time:) Until then - the search continues.

[Lisa Hammerstein]

Hey There Rich!
We are totally in agreement and sometimes it feels like we're in a race to beat someone else who's trying to beat us at something. But we just do our best to invite and reply to as many as time permits while trying to do business. It's challenging but we do enjoy it so it's also fun! Thanks for including us in yours.

[Bob Carney]

This is funny Rich, the day before you sent me an email to read this post... I just deleted this profile. I really hate to say it but Turner said it all. We follow each other to the next Social network. I have looked at a lot of them and have profiles on most. If my blog can syndicate to it or I put a widget up... I leave it. It looks like I am doing something on it.

Honestly I have not met any new client through Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn, However I truly haven't used them they way they are designed to network. I have only networked with the same people...doh. Not that is a bad thing, it is bad for business though.

A couple places that I have met virtually the most people, My blog for one, Flickr, Twitter and Localism.... Again, that is where I spend most of my time. ..

I think Ning is great for a Hyper Local Blog...but I don't see this as a global answer for bringing in customers. By far Active Rain is the best to network with other professionals....all the other sites are great to give your blog some SEO creditability.