As much as we want to be connected to others or desire to market our works, we also want efficiency and simplicity. It seems as if every day a new or improved social networking site or tool appears on the scene to compete against Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Keeping up may be overwhelming and at some point we ask ourselves how tuned in should we be to a new means to network.

Try a few of these solutions to manage new and old social networking trends and avoid social media overload.

Allocate a Set Amount of Time to Social Networking

Consistent time spent at social networking will help build your online community. Set aside so much time each day or so many days a week. Start small, but just get started. Similar to bringing in search engine traffic, bringing in social networking traffic takes time. It might be a while before you see results so don’t give up.

Build Your Social Media Profile

Build a social media profile with relevant public content you intend to share. Use specific buzz words to get others to your profile. Add friends and colleagues to get rid of the new feel to your accounts, then find niche specific groups to join or search for potential contacts by the keywords related to your business.

Expand on What Works

If you already participate at networking sites that bring traffic and profit to your blog business, allocate the same amount of networking time or more to that site in a continuing effort to bring traffic. If you are successful at a social networking site find new ways to improve your business' presence there. Facebook, for instance, allows groups and fan pages for promotional purposes. LinkedIn also allows groups and the ability to answer questions, a great way to get noticed by other professionals with similar interests or business needs.

Find New Social Networks

Research networks that complement your blog niche or business needs. There are many social networks and forums that could meet your needs whether looking for personal networks or business to business networks. The best advice is only taking on new social networking avenues as time allows. Only do so when it does not negatively affect your current social networking efforts that are working.

Use Social Media Tools For Promotion

Use reputable tools and make sure that social media tools used do not break the rules of any site you’ve joined. Find tools to review communications with your various social networking communities or allow you to post automatically (Seesmic, SocialOomph, TweetDeck, HootSuite, etc.). Many sites also allow third-party apps that assist in lead generation and managing promotional offers. Blogs have tools and plugins to broadcast posts to various social networks as well.

Know Which Social Networking Sites Bring Traffic

Know where your blog traffic comes from. Check your traffic stats on a regular basis and set milestones in Google Analytics for your social networking efforts. If a site does not bring you traffic on a consistent basis or show continued growth over a period of time then maybe that network isn’t right for your business or blog’s niche.

Follow the Rules and Have Fun Sharing

Basically, act professional, have some fun while remembering not to break the rules and not to spam. Share what you know and respect the voice of others. We all have something to contribute and each contact may have the means to help in the success of your business.