Recently I received a friend request on Facebook from somebody expressing an interest in knowing how I use social networking.  I thought that this topic might make a good blog post.  Sometimes, the plethora of available social networks seems a bit daunting and overwhelming.  I've complained in the past that I longed for a means to update them all simultaneously.  After spending some time with each however, I've changed my tune a little bit.   As it turns out, I have come to use different services for different reasons, which is why at this point in the game, I'm glad there are so many services!  I tend to stick to a select few, even though I have accounts on many.  I'll try to highlight my reasoning and describe what value I gain from each. 

How I Use MySpace

I primarily use MySpace as a "friends-only" type of service.  There are very few professional contacts in my friends list there.  This is the place where I let my hair down, post off-color jokes if I wish, create a dorky theme for my page and post my music playlists, etc.  The tone here is 100% personal in nature and I'm not as choosy about portraying a professional image.  I kind of view it as an "anything goes" network.  I'm a little more willing to play with some of the applications (although I still don't really get the point).  I exchange silly stuff with my kids and friends here.  It's more of a place for people who know me well or share common non-professional interests.  I do not post links to MySpace on my blog or anywhere else for that matter.  That is something I share on an individual basis.  I only sign into MySpace 3-4 times a week. 

How I Use Facebook

I've come to really appreciate Facebook as a professional level social networking site.  One might say I use this in the opposite fashion of how I use MySpace.  There are very few personal friends on Facebook.  My friends here consist mostly of people in my industry (developers,social media, etc) or who have a focus on technology.  I generally deny friend requests from people who are not involved in the industry.  While I'm not quite as laid back on Facebook as I am on MySpace, I definitely let my true self shine through, but I stay away from anything that could be misunderstood or paint me in a poor light.  I post photos of myself and my family, and am willing to just be myself there.  I will say that I loathe most Facebook applications such as buying people as pets, etc.  They're just plain stupid.   The value I get from Facebook is definitely different from that of MySpace.  I learn about the things that interest my peers.  I find opportunities to explore new products, concepts, technologies, sites and blogs.  I get to join groups based on a particular technology and network with other members.  I also like that I get to know a little about about the people in my friends list on a personal level too.  It definitely builds a sense of community.  I check Facebook about twice a day.

How I Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a purely professional networking site in my opinion.  I focus my persona here on potential clients, employers or other industry related people.  Friends on this site are almost 100 percent past and current coworkers, or other developers.  I look at LinkedIn as something of an enhanced online resume.  The main points are who I know, who knows me, what I've done, and what I'm capable of doing.  I'm 100% professional there - I want this to be a place a potential client or employer looks for information about me. 

How I Use Twitter

Of all the social networks, I have to say that Twitter is my absolute favorite.  There is a lot of power in having to communicate in 140 words or less!  Most of the people I follow are people in the technology, SEO, or social media industry.  There are several personal friends I follow on Twitter also, although I've found that most "normies" don't really see the value of the service.  I love the ability to kind of get a glimpse into who my followers and followees really are.  People share parts of their life with me and vice versa.  We rant, praise, share links and kid one another.  I'm amazed that though the communications are small in nature, I feel MOST connected to my Twitter peers than any other network.  Following somebody on a daily basis makes me feel as though I really know them well.  I've learned so much via Twitter.  I've been able to help other developers with problems as well as receive help when I need it.  It's been a great source of getting opinions on things with which I'm unfamiliar.  It's really helped on a professional basis as well.  Following other peers in my industry, I'm able to stay current, and let MYESELF be known in the industry as well.  I use TweetDeck as a desktop client for Twitter, and it stays on most of the time.  I do however, have to turn it off sometimes just so I can get some work done!

How I use FriendFeed

Most of the people to whom I subscribe on FriendFeed are also people I follow on Twitter.  The value-add here is that it's a HUGE source of knowledge.  I see updated blog posts, tons of links, updated photos, everybody's tweets from Twitter.  I often spend a couple of hours just going through FriendFeed and exploring the shared URL's.  This really helps me to stay current in my industry and learn about new trends.  It also provides me with many new bookmarks!  I love the ability to comment on the things my friends have posted, and I enjoy reading the comments of others as well.  Friendfeed doesn't quite have the same community feel that Twitter has, but it's a wonderful aggregate of content that I enjoy.  I generally check FriendFeed once or twice a day.

For the purposes of this post, I've listed the networks which I use the most.  I also have accounts on others such as Tumblr, Jaiku, Plurk etc, but I honestly don't use these very much.  I've just not found the same value-add that I do in the ones I've mentioned in this post.  I'd love to hear comments about how others use these networks (or networks I've NOT mentioned)!