Social networks are online communities where people that share common interests can engage one another. Social networking is therefore the act of engaging people that share common interests with you via the Internet.

What sites are the best and why?

Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are some of the more popular social networking sites that you should be using. You can use these sites for connecting with the public and joining groups that people are members of who share your common interests. For instance, Twitter allows you to use 140 characters to tell your followers what is on your mind. That allows you to leave a link to whatever your product of service is.

Who should be social networking?

In a word - everyone. Social networks give you the opportunity to reach out and "touch" so many more people than you would normally be able to reach. Because of this, they are growing exponentially.

Why should I be social networking?

Because it is the most cost effective way to engage potential customers right now. The Internet allows you to receive instant feedback from your customers and prospects. It also allows you to instant publishing and in many cases also gives you mobile phone access.

Example - A writer publishes a note or poem on Facebook and tags 25 people who are instantly notified via their Facebook applications on their mobile phones. Each one of them can now read and comment on the poem as they see fit. The writer is now able to see what people think of this particular piece of work and ask if this is something that his/her readers want to see more of. In short, the writer is now in a position to ask his/her readers what they want and then give them exactly that.

How should I be social networking?

You need to understand that social networking is all about full engagement. If you are a writer, you should be taking pieces of your work and publishing it via your social networks at least weekly. This will allow you to create a dialog with other people that have shown an interest in the type of work that you are producing.

You also need to participate in group discussions and networking. This will allow you to discover a constantly growing supply of people who are interested in what you are doing. Once you find people who share your same interests, you simply add them to your friends list and start communicating with them just like you do with everyone else on your list. The goal here is to let your work speak for itself.

What Should I Do Next?

Use the information provided in this article to evaluate what you are doing on the social networking sites that you use. Get involved with relevant groups and start networking with people that share the same interests as you (or your business) and add them to your friends list.