What Social Networks to join ?

The options are plenty. No one has any time to maintain a consistent presensce and up-to-date information about themseleves on all of these networks. So it is very important to choose what social networks you will join and maintain your study presence and actively participate to build your brand (personal or business).

• A social network with large volume

Facebook has over 110 million users, MySpace has close to 200 million users, LinkedIn has over 30 million users, and Twitter has over 5 million users. It’s safe to bet that joining a social network with millions of users is the way to go because there will be many people you already know on them. Also, a large volume gives you the ability to share your brand with many people, instead of just a few.

•  Credibility – If the people on the network aren’t credible, then you won’t get anything out of it.
•  Relevance The largest social networks, with millions of users, are always going to be relevant for you because they target the masses and not a single niche. Any smaller network that you join must be supported by an interest that is relevant to your brand. Aside from the main topic of the social network being of importance to you, the users on that network (credibility) are just as important.

   

•  PageRank of the social network sitePageRank is extremely important for your personal brand because it allows you to command your Google results. This is great for promotion and protection in the digital world. If you sign-up for social networks that have a high PageRank (see volume), you can block any bad press you may receive over your lifetime.

   

•  How much they are funded to last – If you don’t believe a social network will withstand this economy because it’s not funded or because it doesn’t have a business model, then don’t bother.

Dan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success and publisher of Personal Branding Magazine and the Personal Branding Blog.

 Read his very informative Story about what Social Networks should we choose  to become a member and maintain a presence.