Social Media Networking & its Effects

Chris in his blog mentions that there are various benefits of social networking which have an effect and require you to be vigelant about who you are connecting with. It is also common logic that your network only increases when you have good relations with everyone in your circle. He further mentions the benefits of growing your social media network which would serve the following purposes-

- More opportunities
- Greater access to expertise, information, news
- Frequent, valuable feedback
- Accelerated growth through viral effects
- Lower cost and better quality attention

I would start believing him nowadays specially at the recessionary times. I once mentioned in my personal blog that 'Its just connecting to people', but it is worth noting a fact that new networks help you locate new business opportunities. But, to excel in the art of managing your relations online and seeking a profit motive out of it, there has to be a balance between the relations you manage and the time associated with it. The plethora of social networking sites have exploded in the last few years and there have been special social networking sites for the who's who of the society.

Chris further suggets some social networking sites which are a must for almost every netizen today. These are -

Conversation - Twitter
Bookmarking - Digg and StumbleUpon
Groups/Social - FaceBook
Business Contacts - LinkedIn
Pictures - Flickr