I may hit a nerve with someone in this post, but at this point in my life I know what I want and I’m super keen on protecting my time.  See if this looks like your Facebook or other favorite social networking page…okay, but especially Facebook (and I’m not even counting the hundreds of Ning groups out there)…

You open your page and have 50+ notifications telling you who posted, what new event is coming, that next best link to truckloads of riches.  And you’re expected to respond to every one of them because at least 10% of the notices were messages making you feel guilty about not participating even when you didn’t sign up to join in the first place.  After you spend 2 hours going through all of it, you reflect on that book you read…when was that again?…that said you can “do social networking in 15 minutes a day”…yeah right.

You get where I’m going with this.  Now – let me be real here.  There are certainly times I have intentionally signed up to be part of a group or social networking site, and I have every intention to deliver value there.  In those cases, I really DO deliver.  But the problem is when I’ve joined as a favor to a friend, just because I like you, to get the page more “likes”, etc.  And the big one lately for me is being automatically joined without my permission (yes, on Facebook).

Guhl, What the Problem Is?

(for my cousins who know me, that’s my super slang over-the-top southern voice right there)

When most of us, as normal human beings, become tied to an obligation (voluntarily or not) we react one of two ways – 1) try to handle it all, or 2) shut down and get nothing done.  Social groups are obligations by nature of being SOCIAL.  You can’t really be social if you are not interacting with others, reciprocating contact, sharing and learning.

Sooooo….if that is the case, why not set up some criteria just as you would for your business or other projects at work?

I’ve decided to take back ownership of my time and social space.   This list of criteria is now being added to my Personal Policies Manual to help me decide when to get off the ride vs. when I will stay on with my hands up in the air screaming “whoo hoo!”  If parts of it work for you add them to your own list!

My Top 10 Criteria For Joining Any More Social Networking Sites and/or Groups

The group or network I join has at least 70% of the following:

1. An active, engaged community – e.g. regular posts, not spammy, conversation, and respectful debate
2. An audience with my target market
3. An audience where my industry peers or potential joint partners hang out
4. Easy for me to submit posts (e.g. fast, no long drawn our process, no lengthy approval, or undecipherable password to recall)
5. Potential for me to serve a broader audience through connections I make there
6. Reciprocal knowledge sharing – it’s not just me giving, I’m getting valuable information too
7. No haters – e.g. people bad-mouthing other people, nasty, rude remarks, people stealing others’ ideas
8. I can share my services/offerings reasonably (of course, no spamminess)
9. Aligns with my values – I’m all for diversity of thought, etc. but if something is in direct conflict with who I am I have a choice to make
10. Fits within my budget or it’s free to participate

Well, that’s it for my list.  What would you add to your own?  What would you take off?  I’m interested in hearing how this topic impacts you.

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About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist and coach specializing in showing service based entrepreneurs like coaches, consultants and freelancers how to save time & money with simple, yet profitable systems that engage leads and clients.  Her company Be Promotable provides fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote business owners as power players in their market.  Claim your instant access to a free 12 point checklist at: www.bepromotable.com.