How to build a brand through Social Networks

Online social networks and social media are something I play around with routinely - as a way to keep up with friends but also to keep an eye on web 2.0 and digital trends that may or may not be relevant to what I do or what my clients do.

Case in point being this blog.. I started it as an experiment to see what the 'blogging' phenomenon was all about and the best way to work it out was to start a blog myself. And here I am 383 posts and more than 2 years later still blogging away so it turned into a bit more than an experiment. Some key benefits for me have been creating my own archive of thoughts, links and stories which goes one step further than Delicious, taking part in online conversations about things mobile with other bloggers around the world and in generating business as it's a very visible resume.

But what about b2c online social networks - the likes of facebook, myspace, bebo, librarything et al? We're still making up the business models as the future is unclear, although Moblog UK seems to be doing a pretty good job around the sponsorship model.

As with anything 'social', on or offline, people move around according to where their friends hang out - whether it's a website, a bar or a nightclub. So if you want to learn more about social media and what it means in the commercial world, I have 3 tips for you..

1. Read mashable - it's a great blog covering all aspects of online social networking and is a great read (you can even get the feeds via twitter)

2. Have a read of this particular post of 'how to build a brand through social networks' from the mashable guys

3. Join Lloyd's London Social Media club which meets every Thursday in Central London where you get to do and talk about social media. And no, you don't have to be a geek to attend. Just like you don't have to be a geek to have a page on facebook.