Social-Networking Solutions

Every day in business, you're either looking for a solution to a problem or you want to be the solution to somebody else's problem. Online social networking has become a useful method used today - and sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn offer the promise of extending your reach and making useful business contacts.

There's no simple formula that indicates how much time we need to spend on social networking sites in order to see results. While some argue that networking adds value, others shy away altogether for fear of getting sucked into unproductive activities like endless instant-messaging and following Twitter.

Building Presence
Three of the most popular social networking applications--Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter--have risen to become standard tools. While setting up a complete profile on these applications should be your priority, it's more important to talk to connected people in your industry and ask them what services they're using.

A complete profile is welcoming, so be sure to take the time to fill out all-information. An incomplete profile screams, "I don't have time to talk to you."

Growing Your Network
To help you quickly realize the benefits of social networking, most services will assist your network-building by scanning your contacts (via your uploaded contacts list or by logging into your Web mail account) to see who's already using the service. For those already on, you can easily invite them into your network.

Other ways you can grow your network: Repeat your address-book scan periodically, people in your contacts database will eventually join these services.

Managing Information
Your next step should be to sign up with RSS feeds, so you can stay on top of hot industry issues and know when someone is talking about you. This is the key to discovering solutions for your business needs. Over time, you'll discover which of these feeds you need to follow and which ones you can delete.

Building Your Brand
To build your own brand online, keep in mind your objective of broadcasting your ability, and stay focused on providing value to your community. You can also incorporate tools you're already using outside of your social-network.

Via PC-World