I have been seeing that a lot of people get involved in groups, and say afterward- I don't get it. How is this going to help me? 

For instance, the user return rate on twitter is pretty sorry. According to the Nielsen Wire, "more than 60 percent of U.S. Twitter users fail to return the following month, or in other words,... Twitter’s audience retention rate is currently about 40 percent." This just accounts for those that do not return at all- those that bebop in for a couple of tweets are counted as active.

I was speaking with someone who was involved with venture capital and setting up startups. She mentioned that one business women's group had a 20% retention rate over the course of a year. That's a lot of people who are joining something that they apparently think will not be useful a little further down the line.

I guess the first thing to ask yourself is this: Why am I joining a group? Is it for pleasure, for business contacts, to grow a consumer base? And don't think for a moment that these motives are mutually exclusive. If someone respects you for your knowledge base in, say, your hobby, that respect will roll over to your professional personna.

Then match the groups to your goals. This narrows your choices even before you begin so you aren't spread so thin that you can't be a valued member in any of them, and makes the communities a joy rather than a burden to be part of. And really- this is what it is all about: joy! Happiness and a true positive attitude attract people- business contacts, consumers, people who share your interests.

For more information about to get the most out of a group, click here.