How many social networks can one be in? Or more precisely, how many social network tools do I need?

Jeez, I am in the following:

• Second Life - 18 Groups
• SL Bloggers Network
• Face Book
• My Space
• Linked In
• Flicker
• uTube
• MyBlog Log
• Type Key
• Twitter
• Digg
• Technorati
• Stickam
• StumbleUpon
• Yahoo Answers
• Santa Cruz New Tech Meet-up
• Hash House Harriers - Websites & Local Running

Not to mention the ones I just dabble with:

• Bitstrips
• Ask A Ninja Fan Club
• World of Warcraft - 3 Guilds

These do not include all of the blogs I read which are part of my social network. I enjoy keeping up with friends and colleagues this way. To see there interests and their concerns. I also read an enoroumous amount of tech info on Wired and CNET. The there are the sites that I dare not mention like Silcon Valley gossip on Valley Wag.

Then there are the podcast / videocast networks that are constantly being checked.

And I can not forget my personal -non-tech friends networks. “Non-Tech Friends” - you know the ones who have no clue about twitter or the metaverse, let alone blogs. Most of them have just discovered cell phones and texting. Whoa!

So I ask myself today, how many networks do I need? What is the purpose of each one? Am I waisting time, or is this making me more productive?

Over the next two months I am going to track my time on these efforts and report back.