Striking the right balance in your daily dose of social networking can be a tricky thing to find. But following our Magic Rule of Thirds might just help you on your way to proving some value.

Social networking. You can't avoid it these days even if you want to.

It's everywhere. People are tweeting, posting videos of themselves drunk at a party, businesses are seeking ways of gaining new customers and developing relationships, Britney is sharing her latest exploits and you can even keep in touch with long lost family members without picking up the telephone or getting out of bed.

For many people though the idea of social media is still a distraction. For others it's an intrusion and for many they feel as though they aren't hitting the right balance of time for value returned. For some others it's also a case of feeling "that's just for the kids".

Much of the problem lies in having a reason. A reason for socially networking online in the first place. Afterall you could pick up the phone, you could talk, and you could really meet up face to face. But think of the breadth and depth of what you can also do online. No it's not a replacement for a real hug, a real shared smile and laugh and a real conversation. But what it's great for is watching, listening and contributing. Adding additional conversations to your day. The ones you would never otherwise have time for in your busy schedule and perhaps for making just one extra real life appointment per week.

Striking the balance though is certainly a key to getting this right.

This is why we preach the proven balance of remembering the Magic Rule of Thirds:

When socially networking online you should communicate -

One third about YOU - what you are up to, what you are thinking, what you aren't liking, what you are seeing and how you are feeling

One third about SIGNPOSTING - sharing with others what you have seen in your online travels from favourite videos, images, news clips and blogs

One third about the SELL - your products and services if you are an organisation or what you want your friend or colleague to do as a result of listening to you

Follow the simple but Magic Rule of Thirds and your social networking will never be quite the unnecessary distraction again and you'll start to see some real value and benefit very very soon.

(For more details about how to do this in practice, check out the Social Media and Digital Marketing Day Courses at ( www.marketingcollege.com)