This post was mentioned on Twitter by innovateAR: INOV8 blog: Entrepreneurs and Social Media http://bit.ly/8t9kZ4...

Huffingtonpost had a great list of “ultimate game changers”, and mashable was featured:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/huffpost-game-changers-yo_b_363624.html

I live in the Internet space as an entrepreneur 24/7 and I can’t say enough about social media. The only issue is that while the platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc…) are free there is a considerable cost in time and labor in executing your business’ social media plan. So make sure you are using your time wisely. But it is worth losing some sleep over. And a word of caution, we’ve seen several businesses step out into social media and make mistakes that harm their brand more than help it.

All things equal, I think the best places for entrepreneurs to be in social media are Twitter and LinkedIn. But please remember, on these platforms people don’t want to know about how your day is going or if your children sleep walk. They want you to add value to the ongoing conversation. Ask yourself, do you read, watch and know things others would like to see if they knew about? Tweet that. Participate in LinkedIn discussions, not from a sales perspective, but actually offer value/help – no strings attached.

If nothing else, use social media as a resource for yourself. Since I am high on it right now I want to pass along this video I watched on YouTube. It is from the Stanford MBA program (the founders of Google are alumni). Jim Goetz, a partner at super VC Sequoia Capital, presents on how to think through issues in your business plan if you want to raise investment capital… http://bit.ly/79O5eu. This is the best stuff I’ve ever seen on the topic.