Social Networking for the Busy Professional

Social networking for the busy professional does not have to be hard work.“What to do, what to do… update LinkedIn or Facebook? Yikes, I haven’t even looked at my MySpace site in a month.” The busy professional has a hard time finding time to keep social networking sites up-to-date and they really only work for you when you are actively “working the network”.

This is why I recommend selecting just one social networking site and then sticking with it. For my age group and profession the social networking site of choice is LinkedIn. Most of my clients are there and this is the site that I get the most requests from to add new friends.

College kids and the younger professionals are using Facebook a lot and nearly no one is using MySpace anymore, unless you are a band. The ebb and flow of the popularity of social networking sites makes it hard to choose one and stick with it.

The reason I like LinkedIn is that the set up time was quick and that I do not have to invest a lot of time in maintaining or updating the site. Social networking is not for everyone and some people will simply have more time than others to manage their sites. Others will see no benefit to investing even a millisecond on sites like LinkedIn or Facebook. For me, this is why I like Twitter so much. Twitter is part blog and part social network. Although there isn’t the friend interaction on Twitter, unless you have social friends there, the ability to see what is happening with others in your field in regards to sites they are watching, new information they feel is important, and the speed in which information is shared, is what makes this flavor of social networking popular for the busy professional. Who doesn’t have one nanosecond to write 140 words about what they are doing right now”?

You can follow me in Twitter from the Twitter Feed bar just to the right in my blog’s sidebar. My Twitter ID is McCordWeb. See you there!

Facebook Thrashes Google Friend Connect

Well the deal is down for the count. Facebook has just stated today that Google’s fledgling Friend Connect violates it’s terms of service and will block its use of their network. You can read the full post here.

Not only is this really bad news for Google as Facebook was the most important site on its implementation list, but it is bad news for Friend Connect users. Without Facebook the other services, other than LinkedIn, in the Friend Connect network are marginally used.

The only way that Friend Connect will really get off the ground is to have other great social networking sites buy into the program.

But does Facebook’s decision surprise you? Not me, Facebook is in talks with MSN so why would MSN want to let Google has access to one of its “cherry” potential properties. Let Microsoft implement its own version of Friend Connect tied in to Facebook and that’s sure to be winning combination and a perfect ad vehicle for Microsoft adCenter – you go Microsoft!

The war between MSN and Google will be ramping up again for sure on this one.

Twitter Your Way to More Traffic

If you are not using Twitter you may want to strongly consider giving it a whirl. My Twitter site is http://www.twitter.com/mccordweb

I have been having fun with Twitter for about the last 30 days. I went from posting all the time to posting every day or so and include interesting links in my posts.

Twitter is like a mini-blog. I like it, it is easy to use, and I am using it to keep on top of the NOW news on the Web. I have found more really cool applications using Twitter and links from other peoples Tweets than taking the time to read a full blog.

What I like is also the ability to subscribe to Twitter Feeds of others in my industry and real celebrities in my industry as well like Matt Cutts (Google engineer) and Danny Sullivan (SEO guru). I find it hugely interesting to see what they are watching and even seeing their mundane day Tweets as well.

If you are looking for a bit of fun, check out Twitter, you may become addicted too.

The Web is Atwitter Over Twitter

Twitter is in the news and if you have not tried it, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Twitter is a new social networking site. If you click my post title, you will go to my Twitter home page and there you can see what I am doing and who I am following.

I think Twitter is easy to use and fun. Once I have gotten over the novelty and deleted people who were posting every five minutes drivel on their daily lives, I have actually picked up a few interesting tips and applications that others in my industry are checking out or watching. I have found out about Fire Eagle, Twitter Map, Twitter Feeds, just to name a few.

Although I have now gotten tired of seeing what someone posted for lunch, I am watching Twitter to see what others are watching and looking for. I am also using it to point to interesting articles and also as a platform for my blog. So once you get past the initial thrill, you can put Twitter to work for you as a social media tool.