I say that because I'm an extrovert I agree with what you said. You and Jim are wise to recognize that we can get sucked in, only to come up hours later to ask ourselves, how have I benefitted from the time I've spent. I am reconnecting with old friends from school, work, and life. I'm meeting great new people whom I'm getting to know, like, and trust. I want deep, meaningful conversation online just like I do offline. We all need to find balance which is dynamic making it a bit tricky to plan.

That's where your second tip comes in. Listen to your inner guidance... follow your heart. That goes for who to connect with and follow. I'm imagining myself an introvert and thinking it also depends upon my energy level and mood. I may want to connect... after I recharge from within. Listening to that inner voice is key here. Oh, that applies to me as an extrovert, too, now that I'm thinking about it.

Another tip is to put social networking into perspective with everything else on your plate, personal and professional. How often I start my day with email and social networking, only to find the business mission critical tasks and projects have been untouched. Social networking is, as one of my mentors Bonnie Dillabough, The Web Woman, says The Internet isn't instand pudding. That includes social networking. Make sure you're putting important, though maybe not so urgent tasks and projects on your plate and spend some time every day working on these, too.

Bottom line, whatever you're doing, if it's aligned with your vision, mission and purpose, if you're enjoying the work when you're doing it, if you're showing up and doing your best, that's what really matters. All roads lead to Oz as long as you're looking toward Oz and moving in that direction.

What do you think? What's your experience been? Do you have any other tips that have helped you manage your social networking? Please share them with us. We're all learning in public and can use all the support, encouragement, and guidance as we co-create this new world of Web 2.0.