The Nielsen Company announced today that people are now spending 25% of their online time participating in social networking sites. According to the report, we spend about a third of our online time communicating and networking across social networks, blogs, personal email and instant messaging.

It is little wonder with so much activity happening online that many are struggling to find what is proper and not proper in this new highly connected real-time environment

There is little doubt left that the ability to share so much so easily can enable ones personal brand and or business. The sharing of articles, photos, random thoughts via a variety of sites can empower good things however it can also lay the ground work for misunderstandings, rushes to judgment and hurt feelings.

Now much has been written about the etiquette of social media however Nicole Jordan and Melissa Rowley’s recently posted an article on how to prevent Social Media Entitlement Syndrome which illustrates some classic misunderstandings that are happening.

Ultimately networking, social or professional, is about creating and nurturing relationships. Ones authenticity and willingness to give and not just receive is critical however not everyone is interested in networking for the right reasons.

Some people are out to collect connections with people who will be of sure value or who would be a valuable introduction to trade. They are never interested in what they themselves can do for others only the commodity of the connection.

There are other who one would call the fast friend. In this case the invitation to connect on Facebook and Linkedin is in your mail box almost immediately after they get your business card. They presume that a relationship exists before there is one and will be just as quick to try and leverage the non-existent relationship.

Some people employee the fake it till you make it approach and launch themselves into a situation as if they had always been part of a given group or network. They will presume to show up where they are not invited or claim to be something they are not in order to facilitate getting what they need.

Unfortunately many will view these poor examples as reasons to shun social media and even worse networking in general as a waste of time. This is very unfortunate as there is no better time for networking then now when there is so much opportunity and potential in the tools and platforms that exist.

The key is to be authentic in your interactions and upfront about your goals. Don’t assume you know the person even if they have a public presence. Also realize that everyone can be of aid in your reaching your goal the key is developing a relationship such that they want to be of aid.

Targeting the alpha elite of networking might seem the right approach but is probably not the best method of networking. Likewise being an influencer yourself is not what many would think it is either since those people are often besieged with people who want from them and are not looking to really be of aid to the influencer other then for their own gain perhaps.

Networking done well is when you have real connections with people who will happily interact with you because they know those interactions will be authentic and will build on the the relationship rather then tap the relationship.

The key to networking in a world where instant connectivity is just a tweet away is to cultivate real connections with a diverse group of people who you like. You never know who you can help and how they might return the favor.

Join us as we explore networking and how to avoid the entitlement traps while really developing a deep and valuable network that will serve you well.

As always, there is no better way to meet and connect with other executives then over dinner and conversation. $21 in advance via PayPal or $25 at the event gets you a full dinner, drink and the best networking around.