When we mention Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social networking platforms in meetings with clients we often hear “Who has the time?”. Indeed, who has the time to maintain a profile, post updates, keep tabs on colleagues when the benefits are so nebulous. There have to be better reasons than altruism for individuals or businesses to participate in online social networks.

Here’s an example of why someone might participate in a social network: A former client wrote an unsolicited recommendation for me on LinkedIn today. When I accepted his recommendation to be displayed on my profile I was immediately presented with a prompt to provide a reciprocal recommendation. I wrote a few sentences about the person right there on the spot.

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