How to Make Your Social Networking Efforts More Productive Forget flavor-of-the-month social sites. Find the community that works best for your company.

Pinterest. It's the it social media site. Or, at least, it was back in March. There have probably been four other it sites since then. Feeling pulled this way and that by the latest and (supposedly) greatest social media channel? Remember: While you don't want to miss out on the action, don't waste time with the Next Big Thing unless it's also The Right Thing. With that in mind, here are some guidelines for making the most of your social media minutes.

Snoop. Ignore the chatter about how much web traffic a certain site is receiving each month, and take a look at what your competition is really doing. Poke around online to find out which sites work best for others in your industry. Spend time observing now, and you'll spend less time backpedaling from the latest social fad later.