Notes from the Payroll Prof.
by Roger A. Smith, CPP, Payroll Management Consultant

Happy New Year! This time of year is always a good time to step back and reflect on how we are doing in a number of areas. Are we making progress toward our career goals? Are we achieving a proper work-life balance? Are there more efficient ways to do things other than what we’re doing because “we’ve always done it that way?” Social networking sites can contribute to all of the above!

Networking has been defined as the exchange of information among individuals, groups, or institutions in order to cultivate productive business relationships. Are you currently networking with others in your profession, or in your personal life? Have you used the social networking sites?

As with most things related to technology, we’re learning a lot from the younger generation. They have been using social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook for years. Now business people are using business-oriented social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Ryze, and Xing.
So what exactly is a social networking site and what do they do? These sites provide the ability to exchange information and learn from business or personal contacts, and from their contacts as well.

How do these sites work? You initiate a membership (either free, or a more powerful “premium” version) and enter your personal data by completing an online form. For the most part, it’s up to you to decide what information you want to share with other contacts and with your “public” profile. You can then search for people you know, or people with common interests, and get their permission to be connected.

You will, of course, enjoy connecting or reconnecting with these people, and will have your initial level of a network. The real power of these sites, however, is that you will now be able to connect with people that you may never have met otherwise. You can easily connect with the people your connections are connected to – the “friend of a friend” phenomenon. In addition, you can join groups of people with common interests – either people you currently know, or complete strangers who may turn out to be great networking partners.

As we begin the New Year, I urge you to devote a couple of hours of your time to get involved in an online social network. These sites won’t completely replace traditional networking, but they are a great way to expand your network and interact with people you may not otherwise meet.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, my email address is Roger.Smith@PayrollProf.com.