Bill would like to be your friend, Carla wants to be a connection, Ralph wants you to join his group, Phil wants to invite you to his blog show, Jeff invites you to subscribe to his RSS feed! This is the lingo of online social networking, and if I get one more invitation to recommend someone my head will explode!

The growing online communities that want me to participate are almost becoming a full time job. You can easily tell who isn't selling cars (or anything else) these days, because you will see them online replying to every post and update. They seem to be twittering away the day.

Over the last few years all sorts of social networks, blogs and feeds have been popping up online. We are all aware of facebook, myspace and others, but are they really adding any value to what we do in the auto business? While some trainers out there will say to join every one of these and start promoting yourself you need to set the right expectation for your participation. Having a facebook or myspace page will not automatically help you sell five more vehicles this month, and could end up being more trouble than it's worth.

These sites are great for reconnecting with old friends, sharing photos with your network across the country or the world but they were not built to be a commercial venue to pitch products. If you want to participate and "network" for personal reasons they are great. I entered the term "car dealer" in the search bar at Facebook and over 500 results were returned. There were a few groups, and many individuals that just had the words in their profile somewhere.

One auto company promoting their comparison functionality got slammed because their site did not work as promised and facebook users voiced their displeasure. Searching for "automotive" under the groups section isn't much better. You'll see a fragmented array of groups include ArabWheels Automotive Magazine. That's great if your dealership is in Dubai. Another group is named for a Kia sales person, but the first post on The Wall indicates the salesman no longer works at that dealership, and questions why the group even exists anymore.

Also remember that other facebook members can't see your personal page unless they add you as a "friend." How many auto buying prospects on facebook will really ask to become your friend? You also want to give some thought to what it means to be a "friend" online. How do you choose your friends in your everyday life? Shouldn't the only process be the same? To help you navigate the online waters here is my take on social network sites and other online opportunities.

• facebook: This site was originally designed for college kids to share, photos, gossip and chat about last weekends party. They do have some good groups to participate in but overall not a site where you can prospect and get leads. I use it primarily for personal networking, and accept very few "friend requests" from business associates. I don't want business associates or prospects for that matter seeing my family reunion photos or snapshots of my vacation to Boise, Idaho.
  
  
• myspace: This site is morphing from a networking site to a video sharing site and as it grows, and since it is owned by News Corp. (Fox News, Wall Street Journal) you can expect to see more commercialism creeping in. I entered the word "Nissan" in the site search box and was surprised to see job postings for Nissan sales people. Seems MySpace Jobs is growing bigger. Again this site is strongly geared to the younger hip hop set and if you hit their "Browse People" link you will see mostly young women and teenagers. I did see a number of dealers posting vehicle videos on the myspace.com video channel. And, as I used to say when I sold cars, "If it's free, it's for me!" So if you have some videos to post go ahead and give it a shot. Like YouTube you can embed the code and feature these videos on your website too.
  
  
• Linkedin: Good site for business networking, sharing ideas and looking for resources. Most folks that become part of your network will be happy to contribute feedback when you have business questions relating to marketing, advertising, or technology strategies. Entry level membership is free, so join in.
  
  
• ecademy: This is an international site and new to the United States. Base membership is free, but you will be constantly invited to upgrade your status for a low monthly fee. I see little value in it today unless you are looking to do more business oversees.
  
  
• Naymz: Similar to linked in but a bit cheesier. They are pushing a RepScore which gauges your reputation. This is not a site to reach out to consumers and I rarely vouch for someone's reputation unless I have personally worked closely with them. When I accept an invitation to connect with someone the site asks me if they demonstrate honesty and integrity. Heck I don't feel that any of our elected officials demonstrate honesty and integrity. How can I vouch for virtual strangers that want to interact with me on this site? My suggestion, take a pass on this site and just use Linkedin instead.
  
  
• plaxo: Their motto, "stay in touch with people you care about." Originally a service to keep your contact information updated it has grown into a Linkedin wannabe. Like many sites they prompt you to update your status, because your associates really want to know what you are doing right now! After I logon I can see all the mindless activities of folks in my connection network such as . . . A consultant is in meetings and traveling to Bay area on Wednesday, he also just book marked a site on Delicious, another one is touting his digital marketing products for a local network. Well you get the idea. These are folks with way too much time on their hands. The site is free, so if you are bored and have no prospects or customers to call this might be worth taking a peek.
  
  
• twitter: This is one site whose name says it all. You will certainly twitter away the hours each week by sharing minutia. Started by a guy who wanted to know what his friends were up to, he thought a simple way to send a sentence or two would suffice. Me, I just pick up the phone and call them or send a short email to say hi, here's what's going on in my life. When you go to their About Us page, you will see they admit to having no clue how to make money on this project. They do however allow you to download their logo so you can put it on your website to let everyone know you are a twitter.