With so much going on in "online social networking", I find it difficult to know just where to spend my time online. It's one more thing that has been added to my list as a B2B marketing tool.
So, I found this article in the NYTimes helpful. It gave a perspective on the sites that will most likely have staying power in the months to come. Although the audience was meant for IT professionals, I found it applicable as a market researcher, or anyone who wants to keep up with the latest business trends.
Carolyn Duffy Marson, Network World, IDG wrote the article on December 31, 2008, titled: "Nine Web sites IT pros should master in 2009."
She claims: "Master these Web sites, and you’ll prove you can innovate during the most trying economic times. And you’ll do it more efficiently than your 20-something employees, who waste too much time chasing the new, new thing on the Internet that may not survive the downturn."
Top of the list was LinkedIn while Facebook was discounted. If you're interested in seeing the full list, you can view it here at the NY Times site.