Now is not the time to turn a blind eye and hope that this social networking hysteria will just go away. If you are not engaging in some sort of social activity online, you are not going to get it when the internet world moves on from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0. And trust me, if you are running a business, you will not want to be in that space.

We fear only the things that we do not know.
Up until about 2 months ago, I was not an active online social networker. I was always putting it off, with excuses like “I don’t have time”, “I’ve got too much to do”, blah blah blah! It wasn’t until I found out that half of my family was on Bebo that I realised that I was seriously out of touch. (A person who considered herself very much on the pulse).

After that I went mad, digging out my passwords for MySpace, FaceBook and YouTube. I joined Bebo, Squidoo, StumbleUpon, Weebly, Lemonade, LinkedIn…and more.

And then a funny thing happened. Friends, family and business associates found me. A friend of mine in New Zealand, posted a welcome greeting on my Bebo wall. I had only just joined and been logged in for 15 minutes. It was incredible! Suddenly my email box had email notifications from people wanting to be my friend. I felt really special.

Since then I’ve written on friends’ walls, poked people, left gifts, shared photos and videos and laughed with them online. I’ve also become a Squidoo lens master, joined forums and met new people with similar interests around the globe. It has been a fascinating adventure and I’m so glad that I took the big leap into the unknown.

So how about you?… Which social networking groups do you belong to?
If you haven’t joined a group yet, then I urge you to make an effort to join one very soon. Don’t put it off with a blah blah excuse. Social networking is liberating. It gives you an opportunity to connect with friends and other like-minded people and to find your own voice online.

Yes, you have to invest time into it. But if you are serious about finding ways to improve and expand your business online, this is a small price to pay for the satisfaction that it can bring. As your online experience grows, social networking encourages you to express your unique story in different ways. Helping you to lighten up, have fun, and enjoy the journey.

Something to ponder upon:
“The Internet is a rich and compelling resource; jam-packed with billions of different stories from around the world. It is the ultimate business marketplace - colourful, vibrant, engaging and very competitive. Ideally suited to the brave and fearless.” MAF