Social Networking

This week, I'm reviewing some of the goals I set for my writing in 2010. I've already discussed finishing up a project, starting a new project, and trying to outline. Today, I want to talk about my 4th goal, which was to expand on social networking. I started blogging in May of 2009 without a clue as to what I was doing. Over the next few months, I started to get the hang of it and realized what a wonderful resource it is. Through blogging, I've learned a lot about writing and the ins and outs of the publishing business. More importantly, though, I've developed some strong connections with other writers. I've watched other aspiring authors climb the publishing mountain to success. I've cried with some over their setbacks and celebrated with others when they've signed agents or sold their first novels. Best of all, I met my crit partners here. All that being said, I decided that I wanted to get even more out of social networking by expanding my use of it. I did, in fact, join Twitter and Facebook, and I kept up with my blog. One thing I realized, though, was that social networking has its place, and writing should always come first. This realization took a whole lot of pressure off me. I don't feel guilty anymore if I can't blog. I don't feel guilty if I don't tweet one day or update my status on Facebook. So, despite the fact that I take frequent breaks and haven't kept up with social networking as much as I intended, I'm calling my efforts toward this goal a success. I'm doing what I can, when I can, without sacrificing my writing. To me, that definitely spells success. How much time do you spend social networking and which site is your favorite?