Making the net work for you

A few days ago, I received a message via one of the many social networks I belong to. It simply said: "See you on Sat. in Basle."

And so what? Lots of people get messages from their friends about social meetings they have arranged, don't they?

But this message wasn't about a social meeting. It was work-related and referred to a conference that will be held by the English Teachers Association of Switzerland (ETAS) in Basle this weekend, at which I am giving two talks.

So what again? Lots of people use business-related social networks such as Xing or LinkedIn. Well, I am registered with both those sites but the message didn't come via either of them.

Instead, the work-related message came via Facebook, which many people still think of as a network for friends rather than business contacts. In fact, it can be both and that's why it's the only social network I use actively.

I registered to Xing and LinkedIn — and even to StudiVZ, although I am not a student — a few years ago when we at Business Spotlight were doing an article on using social networking for your career.

I still receive requests to link up with business partners on both Xing and LinkedIn, but I am not active and don't pay the monthly fees for extra services.

I'm also registered at Twitter but posted only once, so I'm amused whenever I get a message telling me that someone is following my posts there (don't bother, I'm unlikely to post anything else).

Facebook, on the other hand, allows me to do all the things I want to. I can send messages, post short thoughts (sometimes profound, usually not), rediscover old contacts and make new ones, and share photos, weblinks and bits of information — both work-related and private. And I can decide which of my Facebook "friends" sees which information.

Like more than seven million others in Germany, I've made Facebook my social network of choice. Worldwide, Facebook is now the fourth biggest website, behind Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, but ahead of Ebay and Amazon. And it is completely free for users.

Non-believers, who think Facebook is a waste of time or purely a trivial pursuit, will never be persuaded by believers such as myself. And they will never persuade me.

I find Facebook a valuable tool that takes up just 15 minutes of my time per day on average. So I'm going to stick with it — at least until the next, better social network comes along.