I have not been too fond of Social Networking sites for some time. As I recently joined Twitter, I started wondering why I have come to dis-like such networking sites. I found that there were several reasons why I stopped networking and why I never signed up for facebook or myspace: I lost control. I’ll spare you for my deep thoughts (they can be both scary and boring) and just give you some pointers that might help you avoid the mistakes I have made and maybe you will become a happier networker:

Kick, block and un-follow!

Don’t allow persons who are just networking for fun, or even networking because they have nothing better to do, to take up your time or poison your network. A person who is not networking in a proper manner can have a negative impact on your reputation. Kick, block, un-follow as soon as possible. Don’t feel evil when you do, feel good that you have eliminated a treat to you and your fellow networkers

Restrain yourself.

Do not join to many networks or sites. If this happens you will constantly be to late for joining conversation and discussions. It will just lead you to feel stressed because you have to spend too much time checking for new posts, and keep up with the discussions you have become a part of. You don’t have to join sites like twitter, just because so many else does. If you have no time for it, it won’t do you any good, but it will steal time from your other network activities.

This also goes for commenting on posts and joining discussions: Don’t just post a comment because you can. If you have nothing interesting to say, then don’t. There are plenty of things to discuss, so find something you actually want to comment on. This way your contribution to a discussion will actually be a contribution. Also keep in mind there is a reason God (or evolution) has placed two ears and one mouth on a human face, so before you get into a conversation make sure you have “listened” to the entire post (including comments) or the whole conversation. If you don’t, your comment or posts will have lesser impact, or even worse: make you look like a fool.

You may have more time for networking that I have or many more interesting things to say and share with your fellow networkers, so these four steps are just some things to consider and can only be judged by yourself. So go out there and share your opinion.
Happy networking.

Casper Christensen
http://www.mymoneyblog.info (Marketing, advertising and forex blog)

..Thanks Chris for this opportunity. It has really motivated me to write new articles!