I think you guys are on the right track although I would suggest some alternatives to the tools you have mentioned.

1. Like myself, many people don’t have time for a BNI group which seems obsolete with a working knowledge of the net.

2. Facebook is great for socializing and any other benefits are a random byproduct.

3. “Linked-In” is an unpredictable tool and it seems throngs of bloggers have taken on the duty of unnecessarily promoting it.

As people matriculate from one Social site to another and trumpet the glory of “the site of the year” to no end I remain steadfast and results driven.

Being a member of all three of these groups I can tell you none fullfill’s it’s hype.

I own my own practice and socializing is not my bottom line, it is revenue. And while “buzzword” addicts have exhausted the glory of Linked-In it’s ambiguous benefits have expanded my contacts but have done little for my bottom line.

I guess would prefer 10 trusted associates versus 3,000 Linked-In contacts.

It’s the ol’ add friends conundrum my kids have been doing on MySpace for the last 5 years.

When I want to reach real goals I turn toward a new breed of tools. These tools require that you actually add “real” contacts(which seems intimidating now a days) when signing up but the results are more “real”.

Even at a recent national convention (the name slips my mind right now) Myspace, Facebook, and Linked-In CEO’s discussed the lack of loyalty of their members and the future of their volatile industry. Their plans for a few years down the road look more like some innovators of today.

http://zolve.com/(real estate focused) http://www.referralkey.com/(all service professionals)

Please take a look at my blog. I cover some of the tools that will become next year’s standard.

Cheers,
Garrey Goodman