Do you feel as though you're not keeping up with the changes in internet marketing?  Are you ignoring social networks?  I believe we are at the point where 'Web 2.0' and 'social networking' is converging.  There is no way to isolate one from the other.  If you ignore social networking, you are making yourself invisible to your customers and your own professional community.

But why are these networks so popular?  Millions of people have added their name to the roster of participants.  If you don't 'get it' but feel you need to join for the sake of your business then here are some essentials:

All social media channels open a line of communication between you, your audience, colleagues and friends. When you are creating a marketing strategy, you need to think about the response of all of these constituencies across channels.  There are people who will see you across blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. All your branding and content needs to be consistent.  Everything works together (or it doesn't).

Here are five questions you should ask yourself when building your strategy:

1. What can I contribute that will be of real value?

2. How can I share what I'm doing without a 'hard sell' ?

3. Is this channel a place I am connecting with colleagues, friends, customers or some mix? 

4. How can I make sure each of the groups above is served?

5. What will make me stand out as a member?

Jump in by signing up for one or two networks and see what benefit you can derive. You can lessen your concern by going slowly and learning the ropes first.