I recently posted a discussion on LinkedIn asking how many people first heard about the Hudson River plane crash on Twitter. I had recently written a post on this blog about how I saw the story break on Twitter and was amazed to see the story develop and (and somewhat resolve) in real time on this relative new social media service.

While there were a handful of responses agreeing that Twitter provided an amazing new way to witness news, I was surprised by the number of people who either didn’t understand the gist of my point about Twitter or didn’t know what Twitter was in the first place.

The more you use social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, the easier it is to think that everyone else is also. The more you get involved, the more you network with others the easier it is to quickly believe that social media has become the norm.

However, step back into the offline world for a moment, it it doesn’t take long to realize that using blogs, Facebook, Twitter, or any of a number of social mediums for business purposes is not the norm. Take a moment and ask your friends or neighbors what social media sites they use. Sure, a couple may enjoy sharing pictures on Facebook and many have LinkedIn profiles but chances are, the majority of them are not actively using these sites for business – yet.

And while these sites are growing fast, there is still time to be an early adopter. Now is the time to not only establish an online presence but to be sure that the presence is up to date. It isn’t enough to have just a “website” today. Customers want to interact, they want information, they want to see a company actively engaged in the community.

By getting in now, you not only learn what is expected online, you can refine your presence or brand and be there waiting as more and more customers join the party.

Social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter are taking on many of the functions once completed by email. In the same way text messaging changed the way we use cell phones, Twitters and “status updates” are changing the way we communicate online.

Here are seven reasons social media will make email obsolete.

7. Email takes too much time

Nothing like opening the morning email to find 100 or more emails awaiting your attention. Just sorting them can take up the better part of a morning – least bit reading and responding. While email has made communication easier, it has also made our lives much busier.

6. Email Etiquette demands are greater then with social media tools

Email etiquette stems from traditional letter writing. Salutations and signatures are somewhat expected – at least upon first contact in an email string. Tools such as Twitter, with it’s 140 character limit, don’t allow for such formalities.

5. Email discussions can be hard to follow

Email discussions can often become so long and unwieldy as they get passed from one participant to another that those late to the discussion have no chance of catching up. Add to that the failed “reply to all” and you are soon missing important elements of the discussion.

The basic structure of a forum with the topic posted at the top of the string makes the conversation much easier to follow. Remember how the email user group used to be so popular? Now the discussion takes place in forums.

4. Social Media allows quick communication to the group

Social Media sites make it much easier to broadcast messages to the group. Instead of emailing pictures of the children to each and every family member, they are now easily posted on Facebook pages or Flickr albums.

Businesses are using social media to broadcast content to massive audiences in ways email does not allow.

3. Email can’t accommodate larger files or group access

Ever try to send a video by email? Video hosting services such as YouTube eliminate the bandwidth constraints of many email servers. Forums also allow users to post files needed by the entire group. No need to email each document individually.

2. Social Media Tools are quick and to the point

When you are limited to 140 characters (Twitter), you’ve got to be concise. Get to the point, respond, move on. Twitter also has the advantage of both broadcasting to the group or responding to the individual.

1. NO SPAM!

At least not yet. Spam is one of the biggest reasons many dread opening their morning email. Even with the best filters, it still gets through. Worse yet, spam filters often block the messages we need to see.

Unlike email, social media sites allow us to choose who sends us messages. While social media makes it easier to broadcast to the group, it also makes it easier not to listen.

So while email will always have it’s place, many are finding social media tools filling in for the shortcomings of email.

Take a quick tour of the discussion groups on LinkedIn and you’ll soon see someone announcing that they are accepting all requests to join their network. It is as though they are in a competition to add the most names without regard to value of the contact.

If you’re looking to build a giant list for direct mail or worse yet, spam purposes, then yes, this is one way to build a list. However, in doing so, you are losing one of the most valuable resources of social networking sites – a strong network where you feel comfortable asking for introductions, updating contacts about projects and sharing information that may be of interest. A network filled with complete strangers is just that, a network full of strangers.

So how do you grow your network?
First and foremost, by participating. No, you don’t need to be up close and personal with each and every contact in your network. A short discussion about a shared interest can go a long way. Ask a question in a discussion group, follow up with a thank you for the best answers, and all of a sudden, you’re building relationships you can add to your network.

When you meet people and network in person, ask them if they have a LinkedIn account. If so, send them an invite the next day with follow up note about your meeting. Once in your network, you’ve created an excellent way to stay in touch with your new contact.

While the power of LinkedIn lies in the network you build, without a strong profile, you will not get the most out of this powerful tool. Before you start building your network and making connections, make sure your profile is in order and presents you in the best possible light.

As you build your LinkedIn profile, consider what you want it to say about you and the image you wish to portray. A finished LinkedIn profile can serve as an extensive resume complete with references. LinkedIn also provides a number of options allowing you to customize how you utilize your profile.

Let’s begin (click on actual images to see full size w/notes):

1. Enter your basic information on the LinkedIn welcome page.

2. After entering basic information, you can choose how you wish to use LinkedIn. Note the options below:

You can modify these settings at any time

3. You should now see a page offering to import contacts. LinkedIn will allows you to import contacts from any of a number contact management programs. It will then match your contacts against LinkedIn member profiles allowing you to easily send invitations to join your network.

As mentioned earlier, it is suggested that you build your profile before reaching out to contacts. This allows you to finalize your profile before sharing it with the world. The import contacts screen will reside at the top of your LinkedIn home page for future reference.

4. At this point, you are registered with LinkedIn. From here, its a matter of building your profile. Let’s take a look at the elements of a LinkeIn profile below:

5. Once you’ve built your profile, start making connections. LinkedIn provides a number of ways to quickly find contacts:

LinkedIn makes it easy build your network

When you import contacts, LinkedIn will send an invitation to your contacts to join your network. You can personalize the invitation or send out a generic invite.

Once contacts start accepting your invitations, you will quickly see your network grow.

6. From here, it is a matter of refining your profile. If possible, add recommendations from colleagues or have clients add testimonials. You can also join discussion groups on any of a number of topics. These groups can appear on your profile demonstrating your interest in both professional and personal topics.

That should get you started. Feel free to browse Social Marketing 2.0 for more tips and advice using social media for marketing.

LinkedIn is quickly becoming one of the most powerful networking tools for business professionals. LinkedIn allows you to create a profile, display references and extensively network with other business professionals.

If you only do one thing to build a Social Media 2.0 campaign, start a LinkedIn profile today!