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Social Networking sites such as Pownce, Twitter, and Jaiku are all “Presence” networks. They are a way for you to let everyone know what you’re up to, what’s on your mind, or even where you’re heading off to.

The problem is, there are so many of these services out there now, it’s becoming impossible to keep up. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I use Twitter quite a bit, and it has served me well. For instance, if I know I said something but couldn’t remember exactly what, I can google it… and usually find it on Twitter. Either I’ve posted it myself, or someone else did. I may even find it on one of the other sites mentioned already, or Facebook or maybe even Linked In. Another way I’ve found it useful is when I need to find out information fast. The other night, I had a “Comcraptastic” experience with my Internet. I couldn’t get to Google, or to Ustream.tv. So, I sent out a Twitter and said “hey… is anyone else having issues with Comcast right now?” Lo and behold, a couple of minutes later I heard from a friend in Colorado having the exact same issue. He sent a Twitter, saying that he has Comcast, and couldn’t get to Google either. Hmm. Interesting, eh?

Kat is on Ventrilo with me tonight. She has a different mindset about these Presence networks. She likens it to having too many business cards stuffed in your wallet… you can never find the right person from the right place. She feels it’s just too overwhelming, and makes it take even longer to accomplish than what you set out to find in the first place. This can put you further behind, and cause disarray in your work flow.

Allan is here, as well. He is a Pownce fan. He loves the fact that he can set friends up into different groups. When you send a message, you can decide whether it should go to everyone, or specific groups of people. This allows him to control who finds out what information, which is something very important to me.

I have different levels of friends… contacts… whatever you’d like to call it. I have those I am closely and personally associated with. I have those like Kat and Allan, who work with me and are also friends on a personal level. I have people I’ve met in the past at various function, and have kept in touch with. I have all of you who watch the videos and swing by our chat room. There just is no way I could assign the same “level” to all of these various groups. There are things about myself or my life that I may want and need certain groups to know… but not want others to be privy to that type of information. As these social networks evolve and more are launched, I will become pickier and more carful about who I add as friends. It’s not that I don’t want all of you to be part of my life, but the videos and the work I do at live.pirillo.com is only one part of my life.

At any rate, what do you think? Do you use these Presence network sites? Do you use more than one? What do you love and hate about them? What do you think needs to happen for these to evolve into a necessary and positive thing, instead of the albatross they could become if not used properly? Let me hear from you. Leave me a follow-up comment to this video, or send an email to me at chris@prillo.com

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