billwixey.com

Social networking is more than a way to connect with friends and family online. It's also becoming a way for job seekers to market themselves.

Maybe you're like I was: Not interested in Facebook. Didn't know, didn't care about this Twitter thing. "I have enough to worry about in my life", I thought.

But once I gave it a shot, and learned a bit of how social media works, it has changed the way I engage with friends, and also the way I approach my job, the way I gather information and research stories. It's completely changed the game for me, and it can do the same for you, too...if you give it a chance.

"It's a mistake not to be involved in (social networking) in some capacity", says social networking expert Chris Pirillo. "The conversation is happening, you might as well be a part of it."

Pirillo would never admit to it, but he is a bit of a social media superstar. With nearly 60-thousand followers on Twitter, he's a nationally-renowned technology expert.

After connecting with Chris online, I caught up with him at what's called a "tweet-up", this particular one was sponsored by Social Media Club Seattle.

"I think a large part of what makes social media so wonderful is the serendipity of it. You don't know who you're gonna meet, especially online. Sometimes you share affinities with them, and other times you never would have met them in the first place", Pirillo says.

For a job seeker, social networking is not only a burgeoning job field, it's also a valuable tool to figure out where the jobs are.

If you're out of work, you can go online, and by revealing a bit about yourself-- honestly discussing your situation-- you are expanding your business network, and that goes not only for job seekers, but business owners as well.

"If yours are the only lips moving, it's not a conversation", Pirillo says. "So, people are talking about your business. whether you want them to or not. They could be saying good things or they could be saying bad things. Either way, the onus is on you, the business owner, to engage-- to actually communicate and start that conversation or continue that conversation whether it's positive or negative."