Web 2.0 Balance

Posted under Marketing, Tools, Work by ltruex

I really like Web 2.0. As a work-at-home mom, sitting in a quiet house can be great for productivity but lonely too. Web 2.0 gives me the camraderie as well as support, encouragement and even recognition I need. But Web 2.0 applications can do much more. They offer ways to market your business, network with others, get advice, find resources and much more.

The problem of course is that its too easy to get swept up in Web 2.0 overload and end up wasting time. Part of the problem is that so many applications are “recommended”,  others are just cool, some are designed to support others … and so on and so on until you belong to more programs than you can effectively use.

To be honest, I’m still trying to find Web 2.0 balance. Right now I belong to MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, WorkItMom, and Self Growth (I also have a Ryze acccount but I don’t use it and can’t seem to get it cancelled). I visit MySpace every week day to post the blog there. I don’t visit Facebook daily, but much of what I do online (blog, Twit, etc) shows up there through its feed service and FriendFeed. The other three, I don’t visit very much at all and end up feeling guilty about it. I also use Twitter to which my blog and Squidoo lens send updates. I use Del.icio.us to save sites I want to view later, but I also have ClipMarks and LaterThis accounts both of which allow me to share information that I save, but I don’t use them for that. I use them for productivity not socializing.

Even though I’m overwhelmed with Web 2.0, I’m easily enticed to check out more applications. I visit Biznik today and although I decided to pass on it for now, it does look like an interesting site. Then there is YouTube, Flickr and many more.

Here are some tips and tricks that I’m using that do seem to help in managing my Web 2.0 life:

1) Don’t overdo the social networks. Most people recommend the main three (Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn), but if none of them fit your goals, then its a waste of time. Choose social networks that are in your niche, focus on your goals (ie networking, finding a job, etc), and have the audience you want to reach or get to know.

2) Automate what you can. FriendFeed will gather all the posts and feeds from your Web 2.0 efforts into one place. I use it on Facebook. My Facebook is updated several times a day even though I don’t go to Facebook hardly at all. (Of course, by not visiting my page I miss on what others are doing…sort of the point to social networking). I use a Twitter plug-in on my blog and Squidoo page that automatically sends a Tweet to my Twitter account. I even make it easy for people to Tweet about my blog posts with a plug-in called “Twit This”. Anytime you can make multiple posts with a single entry can save you time and keep your Web 2.0 projects fresh and current.

3) Make sure your settings are set to send you an email whenever someone does something on your network sites. If someone wants to be a friend, sent you a private message, or posted a comment, you want to know about it so you can respond to it in a timely manner.

4) Set up time each day or week to focus on your Web 2.0. Most people who blog have a schedule for posting, but not usually for when they visit their social networks to make friends and network. Its easy to forget to do it AND its easy to waste too much time doing it. So schedule it in. That way it will get done, but you’ll have a time limit.