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Hey social butterflies, wanna connect? I just sent you an invite to the coolest new social network on the internet. Will you be my friend? We’ll get to have meaningless conversations virtually all day long. Plus, we can share pictures of our cats and dogs too. But wait, there’s more. We can even share video! Sound familiar?

If you’re getting a little overwhelmed at all the social networking and blogging sites out there, you’re not alone. It seems like a new site is born every week. Should you join each one? Some people do. If you’re asking yourself how they find the time to participate on each of these sites, you’re not alone? Is it worth it? That’s what we’re trying to find out.

How do you know if you’re Social Notworking?

Good question. If you find yourself endlessly scanning every social networking site or blog network for no apparent reason, you might be Social Notworking. If you find yourself throwing pumpkins at strangers, you might be Social Notworking. Clueless about why you joined that Facebook group you know nothing about? Or joined a group by accident? Yeah, then you might be Social Notworking. If you’re not careful, it can be detrimental to you professional and personal life.

The basic challenge is twofold:

• Understand what’s in it for you - Create a plan - Find valuable information
• Find time to dedicate to Social Networking - Join the Conversation - Add value

What do you get out of Social Networking sites?

Or better yet - What can you offer? For most people, it’s about finding like minded individuals that they can relate with. This can be on either a business or casual level. Your new found friends can be great sources of inspiration and information. The key is to build a trusting relationship with someone. Once you have that, anything is possible.

As you can see by the graphic, Teresa Boardman dishes out as much valuable information as she receives. She absolutely gets it!

How much time should you spend on each Social Networking site?

This all depends on your intentions, availability and plan. It’s a good idea to understand why you’re participating on each site. Is it to learn? Will it help grow my business? If so, then great. Do you have an opinion or information that will add value to the conversation? Remember, it’s a two-way street so lets be kind and try to give as much as we take. Is this part of my job description? If not, then maybe you should do it on your free time rather than on company time. These things can help dictate how often you visit and how much time to spend in each community.

It’s important not to spread yourself too thin. By having a schedule and allocating a set amount of time to your social networking efforts, you become more effective. Setting aside a couple hours a week can help you start building fruitful relationships online.

Lani Anglin-Rosales from Agent Genius, manages a multi-authored blog as well as being a participant to a few blogs herself. She gets it!

Is it a popularity contest?

Say it ain’t so? Unfortunately, it can be if you’re participating for the wrong reasons. Some people focus on how many friends or points they have. Not that there’s anything wrong with that But what’s more important is how many people you had a meaningful conversation with. If you learned something or helped someone from that dialogue then that alone can be worth the time you have invested in social networking.

Linda Davis and Andy Kaufman are both serial contributors to and an integral part of the real estate social networking scene. They get it and most certainly add value to the conversation.

How do you know which Social Networks to stick with?

Hmmm? I think everyone has their own criteria. In my experience, it’s really been a case of trial and error. Some sites take time to grow. So being an active member early on can have its benefits. Some networks never take off. No harm no foul. I wonder how others decide when to stick and when to go?

Trulia Voices is a great place to have a two way conversation with buyers, sellers and other real estate agents. Active Rain has been a great resource to connect with other industry professionals. Real Estate Webmasters has been a popular real estate forum for many years. I can go on and on but would rather get your feedback as to which sites stick and which don’t.

Can Social Networking open doors for you?

The short answer is yes! As you begin to participate in numerous conversations on various social networks and blogs, opportunities will present themselves to you. The key is to have an open mind. Let’s take a look at some examples shall we?

There have been a few great real estate success stories over the last year or so where well known real estate bloggers have moved on to some pretty important positions.

• Dustin Luther, known to many as the real estate blogfather and founder of Rain City Guide, successfully used his blog to establish his expertise in real estate technology and was hired by Move.com as the Director of Interactive Marketing.
• Joel Burslem, founder of The Future of Real Estate Marketing blog, created a daily read for many and followed suit by joining Inman News as their Social Media & Interactive Marketing Manager.
• Frances Flynn Thorsen, founder of way to many blogs to name here, established herself as authoritative voice in the real estate blogosphere and joined RealTown as the Managing Editor.
• Ardell DellaLoggia from Rain City Guide has dropped so much knowledge on everyone that Jon Washburn made her an offer she couldn’t refuse as the Broker of Record Brio Realty.

So if your open to anything, you just might find something. I did

Any suggestions on how to be more productive?

Yes. Have a plan. Find out where the online and offline conversations that are relevant to your needs are happening and then jump in. If you feel like you’re getting overwhelmed, most likely, you are. Stop. Take a step back and evaluate the situation. There really is no need to join every social networking site in existence. Ask you friends what works for them. Get feedback. Then give it a try. Moderation is the key to everything.

Now let’s get back to work!

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