There is a lot of "how to" information out there on using Social Networks.  The one thing I find missing is the "why should I?" information.

Social Networking is about building relationships.  This is done through sharing information about your area of expertise and allowing those who like what you have to share to connect with you.

Consider Social Networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, et al. as a means of developing "warm leads".  The people who resonate with what you have to say and what you do will be the ones to enter into your sphere of influence.

Example:  One of our Real Estate clients blogs regularly about market conditions in the Albany, NY area.  He posts everything from rates to housing starts to days on the market to pricing. 

We took his blog's RSS feed and imported it into his Facebook profile page so that every time he writes a blog post it automatically shows up on his profile page (and fan page).  We also set him up on Twitter Feed to import the same posts into his twitter profile. 

Write once - spread the word across 3 networks to increase his exposure.

The result:  More fans, more friend requests, more twitter followers, more activity in his business.

Why:  Because he was not just listing the houses he has for sale, but providing valuable information about the market he is an expert in.  It's a win win.  People who want to know more about the local market connected with him because he positioned himself as an expert.  He in turn received more leads from people who are interested in this market. 

The bottom line:  Share information for the benefit of the community and you will attract the people who appreciate that information.  Those people are the one's that will spread the word about you.  You will created advocates, not just customers and prospects.