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With a proliferation of social networking sites, how do you determine which one to use?

That’s a question I often get asked about and it’s a little like saying which offline, networking community or professional association should we join.

That’s a subject I covered in a series of podcasts on networking recently and something that we have been discussing over at The Podcast Sisters where we recently reviewed Twitter, Facebook and this next week we will be covering Second Life.

Conn and Bernie have also been debating this subject of late. Conn is not a fan of Facebook, but Bernie and I are. In fact this week we have been using Facebook to connect about the planning for the forthcoming PodCamp Ireland which we are planning for the end of September (more of that soon).

While I like the professional face of LinkedIn, Ecademy has additional functionality especially their market place and the blog feature which can be great self marketing tools to build your personal brand online.

I’ve tried MySpace, but have to admit I did not enjoy it in terms of the user interface or even the connections that I was receiving as much as Facebook.

Despite having worked in over 30 countries, lived in 3 continents and would be considered to be an international globe trotter, I still have not managed to get the hang of flying in Second Life - I had better get some virtual flying training in though as I am planning to attend the Blogher conference which they are also broadcasting from SecondLife.

I’ve come to the conclusion that we need to try the different networks and see which one works for us. All networks whether online or offline need to be nurtured and if we do not realise the benefits we are looking for then we can evaluate whether they are appropriate to spend so much time in or not.

However, given that many of these networks are available at no cost, I take the approach that why not ensure that you build a profile in the different online communities? So that if someone looks for you they will be sure to find you.

Make sure that your profile represents your unique personal brand. If you are looking for a job, recent research by Joselin Rowe in the UK indicated that:

• 20% of employers use social networking sites to run searches on job applicants
• 68% of employers use search engines to check on candidates profiles
• while 60% of recruiters explore blogs.

I’d rather be in the position that if someone went to search for me that they could find me online than not. However I do encourage you to manage your digital footprint and your personal brand online. After all you never know who might be “Googling” you.

While you might like to add a “fun photo” of yourself to Facebook or Myspace, remember it is not just friends and social contacts who are checking you out online. Potential clients or employers are there too.

It is important to ensure that you show up online in todays world of virtual networks. You just might be missing out on a business opportunity if people can not find you. I was delighted to hear that CC Chapman thinks the same too.

As an example, yesterday I went to search for an expert in Second Life for an interview for the Podcast Sisters podcast. This person had been featured in this months Irish Times innovation supplement.

But guess what? I could not find them online – there was no blog or website for their business. Now they may be in Second Life, but that’s not particularly user friendly if we want to get in contact with them here in our real first life world - I just wanted an email address or contact phone number!

Needless to say, they are unlikely to be a guest on the show.

So rather than debate which online social network you should join, why not look at social networks as an opportunity to build your personal brand online and enhancing your chance to be found in the search engines when someone “Googles” you.