Devoted to WAHMs -Work at Home Moms

Laura, maybe we should call it social nightmare for all the new people getting involved with home based internet businesses. However, being a part sure helps the alexa rating!

I agree with you. I think way too much time is wasted on this stuff. It's not that it's worthless, but we all have limited time, so we have to choose wisely where that time goes. Creating great content for a blog is far more important than gathering friends on Facebook!

Randa, thanks so much for your response and thanks for participating in the survey. I have a Facebook account, but I haven't had time to do much with it.

Hi Chris! I'm not sure it's a social nightmare. I'm just not sure how effective it is for home business, and that's what I'd like to explore. Thanks for taking part!

I don't run a home business (although I provide consulting on the side) so I can't speak specifically to that issue.

What I can say is this: Social Media (and more specifically Blogging) is the single best way of building up a sizable Personal Brand online. And if your business relies on developing an online profile, online sales channels, etc. then you need to strongly look at blogging and other social media.

The onslaught of options is overwhelming, there's no question. You need to figure out which ones make sense for you. It's not easy but it also doesn't require hundreds of hours to do. And your poll has prompted me to think about writing something more on social media sites, and which ones might be of value...

Hi Ben! Thanks for participating in the poll. Since your post is the one that prompted this poll, I'm glad that you came by.

I've signed up on a couple of these social sites but I simply don't have time to participate and get everything else done. It's overwhelming simply handling all my e-mail (and I'm not talking about spam, just the business e-mail). However, if someone is mainly building their business online, it probably will be imperative that they become involved in some of the social networks, perhaps choosing just one or two. I've been involved in a number of online writers' groups for years and they've been very instrumental in networking among colleagues and helping one another. So I suppose participating in these newer groups is a matter of taking networking one or two or three steps forward into the current, and future, cyberworld.

Thanks so much for your insight Mary Emma!

I would like to add that the very concept of a social network implies a level of interaction and shared common values, likes or viewpoints. When we approach social media as a means to an end (traffic?), we essentially lose the essence of it. THAT is why it is so hard to "keep up" with them "all". Think of this, do you feel stressed keeping up with the neighborhood gossip, the grapevine at the club, the latest "news" at the water cooler or the chatter of your aunts? So, why are we struggling to keep up with a few "social networks"? Could it be that we simply didn't belong in the first place?

Great point Calvin! I think that many folks approach social networks simply as a means to build traffic.

I have had success helping others through LinkedIn almost daily for over five years. Note: I think LinkedIn is more permission marketing than the category social networking it is in. Other networks have helped me self learn some simple technical issues on my various websites (I am far from a techie or web-guy).

The key is to attach yourself to online networks that fit for you and where you can add value, just like offline networking. You might find info helpful on Your Brand Forums - Click my name to go directly to the networking forum.

Thanks David for your feedback. I actually haven't tried LinkedIn for myself.