How to NOT get overwhelmed with social networking sites

This is a more refined illustration of two previous posts that I made on the topic of social networking. It is kind of long, but please read it and save it as I think that you'll find value.

Do you have a set schedule for visiting and participating in the conversation on social networking sites?

Some of you have expressed how daunting social networking sites are and that you don't know where to start

This article may give you some ideas on how you can be both efficient and effective.

[Sidebar: With social networking sites, start with Twitter.com as it is quick and easy to manage]

Also, for the record, here is my disclaimer:

This is a written from a totally subjective perspective. I have a very busy, demanding job *** and *** I am growing a my event planning, promotions, and education company. This is not necessarily intended to be a model for you to follow, but rather to provoke thought and to push you to find out what works for you.

I don't think that most people even think about scheduling time, but if you don't you'll do one of two things: nothing at all; or become overwhelmed and unproductive -- spread too thin.

I just figured that I'd let my business partners know how I go about managing my time while remaining active on social networking sites.

I have a day job that is quite fast-paced and demanding, so I only commit one hour, fifteen minutes during each work day (Mon-Fri) and that is done in five separate 15-minute. increments - no more than that.

[Sidebar: All of this takes the back seat when I have an appointment, conference call, or other productive potentially revenue generating business endeavor to tend to.]

This is my schedule - it works for me. It may or may not work for others but it keeps me active while avoiding becoming overwhelmed.

Monday through and including Friday

9:30am to 9:45am: LinkedIn.com

I check to see what my 'connections' are up to and see if any questions have been asked or answered that relate to my interests. I will chime in if I feel moved to do so. I also search to see if a new contact of mine has a profile then I'll invite them to
connect.

2:00pm to 2:15pm: Facebook.com

I check to see what my 'friends' are up to and see if any questions have been asked or answered that relate to my interests. I will chime in if I feel moved to do so. I also search for people from my past (e.g. high school classmates, and Army buddies) to see if a new contact of mine has a profile then I'll invite them to connect.

5:15pm to 5:30pm: FastPitchNetworking.com

I check to see who clicked on my profile, and if they seem impressive, I'll reach out to them to connect. I also search for new people of interest in a given geographical area (e.g. NYC) to offer an invitation to connect.

7:00pm to 7:15 (during subway commute home): Twitter.com

I let my 'followers' know what I'm doing or what is on my mind. Also, I answer questions that one of my followers may post.

9:45pm to 10:00pm: MySpace.com

I search for 30 to 35 year-olds in NYC who are interested in networking. I send them a 'friend' invitation.

* I don't participate in BlitzTime or Meetup events every day so I don't schedule a set regular time for them.

** I tend to update my Blogger.com and YouTube.com accounts during the early morning hours after excercising and before my family wakes up, or during the weekend when I have new material add.

I recycle (i.e. copy and paste) articles from my Blogger.com page and put them elsewhere like Meetup.com mailing list distributions, BlogTalkRadio.com posts, and MySpace.com blog posts.

I tend to use my YouTube.com videos in conjunction with a Blogger.com post, and of course, I recycle (i.e. copy and paste) the video and text for posts to other sites (e.g. BlogTalkRadio.com blog, MySpace.com blog, FastPitchNetworking.com discussion board and mail the link to my network, Meetup.com mailing list and discussion board, and Facebook.com discussion boards).

Again, I have a day job that is quite fast-paced and demanding, so I only commit one hour, fifteen minutes during each work day (Mon-Fri) and that is done in five separate 15-minute increments. That is 75 minutes - no more than that.

Thank you for your time and attention.

"That's all folks!" ~Porky Pig

Kind regards,

Tyrone Turner

P.S. I also suggest that you go with about 5 social networking sites at a time. You can always change up. Take your time and don't overwhelm yourself.