I was asked recently to explain what social networking is and should we be doing it at work.

This is a good question.  Everyone reading this blog is taking part in the social networking revolution.  According to Wikipedia social networking is

A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.

A definition I prefer from PC Magazine is

An association of people drawn together by family, work or hobby. The term was first coined by professor J. A. Barnes in the 1950s, who defined the size of a social network as a group of about 100 to 150 people.

On the Web, social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter have expanded the concept to include a company's customers, a celebrity's fans and a politician's constituents 

If you are using Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, reading blogs and participating in forums you are involved in social networking.  Well done you!!

Developing skills and expertise in these social networking activities can enhance your personal life by keeping you in touch with friends and family, sharing news, photos, and other social media that interests you.  You may be able to make business contacts through them and of course they can be used to market your business, although you should do this with caution, which I will explain later.

You can join sites, blogs, forums and facebook pages that match your own personal interests, or are in the areas that you do business.  This makes communication more targeted to your needs than more broad brushed approaches.  Say you are interested in the caveman diet.  There are plenty of blogs and discussion  groups that you can join to discuss what you should be eating and when, and how to explain to everyone around you what you are doing.  

I occasionally hear the criticism made that people who spend all their time on a computer are not developing the art of communication.   I don't agree with this.  People communicate in many different ways with many different people.  In fact the internet allows us to communicate with people we wouldn't have been able to before.  People who are different from us, but also people who have certain similarities.  It's nice to have people to communicate with who are on the same wavelength especially if your friends and family think your new diet is evidence that you have joined a cult!

I mentioned earlier that you should use social networking for business marketing with caution.  You can join groups that match your businesses profile.  For example you may be a producer of caveman-friendly products (bearing in mind of course that cavemen didn't eat processed food and buy labour-saving devices).  You could join a caveman diet forum and communicate with people who might be interested in your product, however they will not respond positively to you if you try and use the forum as free advertising or if you are less than honest about your motives.  Better to do some paid advertising on the site or offer special deals to members, and be transparent about your business motives.

Here are some blogs and facebook pages that seem to work well as social networking sites:

A caveman diet forum
A polite librarian's facebook page
Super PA's Squidoo Lens

My advice would be to keep an open mind about social networking.  I do believe that it is the way of the future, and people who develop these skills will reap benefits in both their private and professional lives.  One thing that strikes me is that the ability to write well has become much more important in getting your message across.  It is worth taking some time to develop this skill.  Perhaps that would be a good subject for a post!