Is there such a thing as too much social networking?

This is a question I ask myself every time I read an article or see a posting about yet another social network which has been established.

From a business perspective I see the value behind social networking ... there are benefits regarding marketing and public relations contacts and introductions to prospective new clients, it allows for those who may be interested to learn about who you are as a person, you can begin to establish yourself as a professional or expert in your field etc. But how many of these is too many for one business/individual to join?

Currently I belong to the following ... Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ladies Who Launch, Blogger. They are all wonderful and fortunately I am able to 'update' and cross connect but through these connections I am learning about more social networks which are available. I question how much time in a day must I really dedicate to 'updating' all of these social networks I belong to and how much exposure needs to occur before beginning to see the rewards of these efforts?

Right now I spend about 15 minutes on each at least four days a week. We all know time is money so I am expending 5 hours a week on keeping these updated and still I feel I am not updating them enough for a real benefit to occur but knowing my personal situation of finding balance with my new son and rebuilding my clientele I feel this is all I am able to handle. I have seen an increased traffic to my blogger account over the last three weeks since becoming more active and have gotten some good feedback from my twittering but is this still enough? When does the time invested begin to return a monetary return? All these questions are churning in my mind on a daily basis.

I realize these social networks will take time for each to be established in their own way and I need to be patient and enjoy the ride - right? Well, patience is something else I am working on too but then isn't everyone?

For now I am sticking with it and have decided not to add any new one social networks until I see that I am able to be more effective with the ones I am currently using.

Each of us I believe needs to make the same decision based on our own situations. My best advise to myself and others is "it is better to do a great job on a few than a piss poor job a many."

Thanks for reading and until next time ... Embrace your inner wisdom!

Namaste,
Karen