Social Networking turned into Business Networking?

[Shawn McCalip]

I try to keep up with what's going on out there in the world as far as technology goes, and lately, it seems as though there's been a HUGE explosion in the use of all these social networking places- but with a business twist. MySpace seems to be on the decline in popularity among us grown-ups, but places like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Plaxo seem to be all the rage right now. Not just for keeping in touch with old friends or classmates, but for generating sales prospects and project leads and all sorts of fun business-oriented things! It could be a passing fad, but who knows?

Personally, I have accounts at a few of these places. Signed up for some, got invited to others. While I think its pretty neat on one level, it seems to be quite draining and unproductive on another.

So, does anyone actually use these places from a business standpoint? Which place or places do you like to use? And if you have profiles on these sites, does it actually do anything to help you run your video production business or get more sales/prospects? Does it help give you an extra edge when applying for a job somewhere else?

If you do use any or all of these sites, what's your usage level? Do you check on your profile once a month whether you feel like it or not- or do you keep a Firefox tab open all the time and catch updates and things every couple of hours? Do you think its worth the time and effort to try and keep up with all of this stuff?

[Jacques E. Bouchard]

Originally Posted by Shawn McCalip

So, does anyone actually use these places from a business standpoint? Which place or places do you like to use? And if you have profiles on these sites, does it actually do anything to help you run your video production business or get more sales/prospects? Does it help give you an extra edge when applying for a job somewhere else?

I have a business profile on MySpace and it allowed me to contact one well-known actress for an independent short film that I am preparing. But otherwise, as you said, MySpace seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Facebook, on the other hand, is blazing with activity. I joined only a couple of weeks ago and "friended" a lot of actors, and I received well over 100 replies to a current call for actors and technicians (for the same short film) within a few days. It's proven to be a very fertile ground for business networking, although only in my role as an employer.

I almost never visit facebook for other reasons. I find the social aspect to be a lot like "chilling at the mall": a lot of people loitering about not doing anything in particular and not talking about anything of consequence. It's definitely NOT business-oriented, or for goal-oriented people.


J.