Of how many social networks can one individual realistically be an active and thoughtful participant before those networks (a) completely suck one’s life away or (b) spread someone so thin that one’s attention can’t reasonably be given to all the networks?

There’s probably some kind of research on this somewhere, but my guess is that the upper limit is three.

Of course, “active and thoughtful” are the operative words. It’s no trick to be a member of a dozen or more networks, accept invitations, scan postings occasionally and so on. But I’m talking about really participating, in a way that enables you to stand out to other members, to build a real network of contacts, to be a contributor to the community, not just a member.

Yep. Three. Tops.

Takeaway for marketers: If you’re thinking of developing some kind of new online community, it better be staggeringly compelling.

I spent the last two days at conferences: Thursday it was Millennials and yesterday it was the Ypulse Tween Mashup.

If I hear one more presenter speaking in uptalk … if I hear one more misuse of the word “viral” … if I see one more PowerPoint slide where apostrophe’s are misused in words that are plural’s … if I hear the phrase “in this space” or “seamless integration” one more time …

I’m just sayin’, that’s all.

“There’s always got to be a struggle. What else is there? That’s what life is made of. I don’t know anything else. If there is, tell me about it.”
—Van Morrison

TechCrunch reports on Google getting into the virtual world thing. If they manage to build something that incorporates Google Earth and Street View and some whiz-bang cool stuff, they might just have something. Or maybe it’ll be another Orkut.

If I’m a sales rep over at Yahoo!, I’m pushing the fact that Sponsor Results on their pages doesn’t get snagged in the AdBlock net.

Then again, if I’m an AdBlock programmer, I’m trying to figure out how to snag Sponsor Results in my net.

Takeaway for marketers: And so it goes.