Social networking, or just plain socializing, has become the ‘in’ thing with thousands flocking to Twitter or Plurk each day. Facebook and Myspace continue to grow along with hundreds of other similar sites.
One comment I hear on many of these sites goes along the lines of, “I had better stop wasting my time here and get back to work”. You must wonder what their employers would think if they new how much time was spent on these activities.
I do actually see these comments from individuals who run blogs or commercial websites. Social networking is supposed to be good for your business or at the very least, good for your website or blog. You can develop an image or a reputation and over time exploit that reputation to deliver traffic and, hopefully, more business.
To hear individuals referring to the social networking as a waste of time is therefore a little perplexing. Surely any type of marketing has to be good for your business – for these individuals, perhaps not.
The again, perhaps I have it all wrong. Social networking is probably not a waste of time. It would be more accurate to describe these users as ‘spending time wasting opportunities’. Now that sounds more accurate. I wonder, can I get everyone to rephrase their lines. Instead of saying I am wasting time here. I want everyone now to say, I am wasting opportunities here.
With that attitude, you may find that social networking actually brings results!
