(Driving east on I80 – somewhere in Central Nebraska) My post about social network marketing a couple of weeks back, sparked a lot of comments on my blog and my social networks. One of the biggest concerns expressed about SNM is that it consumes more time than it’s worth, so I thought I’d pass along a trick I use to help me with time management.

When Microsoft developed Windows, they included a feature that allowed you to create multiple profiles. The profile feature was intended for families with one computer to set up work spaces for each family member. I use it to create virtual work spaces dedicated to each of my primary responsibilities.

I configure each profile to support specific tasks by placing shortcuts on my desktops for the tools and file folders I will need. This keeps me focused on the tasks at hand.

I use Skype for the majority of my voice communications but for some tasks, calls are a distraction. If a profile requires “Do Not Disturb” concentration, I simply don’t install Skype. That way when I’m logged into the related profile, any incoming calls go to voice mail and my virtual phone doesn’t ring.

To minimize distractions I set up relevant favorite sites in my browser that are profile specific. This helps me control my impulse to access my social networks when writing my blog and vice versa.

To visually set each profile apart, I select different “wallpaper” for each desktop and customize the wallpaper file with the name of the profile. That way if I walk away from my computer for a few minutes, I know where I am when I sit down again.

Here’s the big one. I enhance each workspace by creating a separate Outlook account with its own “.pst” file. Each account is configured with a unique email address that I use exclusively for communications relating to the tasks I perform in that space. This is a big help in terms of eliminating the overload that can happen when you are an active social networker.

When people complain about social networking being a time killer, I think the real problem is input overload. Most of the communication between contacts, incoming RSS feeds, discussions and Q&A’s takes place in the form of email. The arrival of email traffic tends to divert my attention in the same way a ringing telephone would. There is an urgency to email traffic that demands my immediate attention and I suspect that’s true for most people. The volume of SN traffic can be overwhelming. If it were mixed with my other email, I’d probably never get anything done. By isolating my social network traffic within a profile dedicated to this activity, I can respond to arriving emails in other profiles with the knowledge that they will relate to the tasks at hand. The volume of incoming traffic in each profile is dramatically reduced.

My day is divided into a series of tasks that I need to complete or move forwards. I allocate specific amounts of time for each task and stick to the plan by moving from profile to profile within my computer. By having separate workspaces I can limit distractions and concentrate on the scheduled task without interruption. My time is far more productive.

I spend between 2 and 3 hours each day on my social networking activities. I don’t consider this to be unreasonable considering that it is currently my only form of marketing. That being said, many people may define social marketing differently than I do.

For my purposes, the end goal of social marketing is to establish direct relationships with individuals that I can add to my regular audience for this blog. This includes interaction with my connections outside of the groups in which I’m involved, using direct email exchange, Skype or newsletter subscriptions.

To reach my objective I scan incoming questions quickly, flagging the ones which seem to relate to issues where I have knowledge, experience or a point of view. Then I read each flagged question, selecting from 2 to 5 for a response. This whole process takes between 60 and 90 minutes.

Over the course of a week, based on the questions and answers I’ve worked with, I try to develop 2 or 3 questions of my own to pose within my groups. I always try to make my questions thought-provoking in order to generate the maximum number of responses and I always include a link to my blog to generate page views. This takes a couple of hours each week.

I run my questions for about 1 week. Then I compose a response and reply individually to each person who commented using copy/paste and add individual remarks focused on the specifics of a comment when it is warranted. When responding, I frequently ask to connect and I always invite the contact to visit my blog. This process takes about 1 hour 3 times per week.

As a result of this activity, I usually make a direct connection with 20 or 25 new contacts every week which I consider to be an excellent ROI. It’s certainly far superior to the cold calls I made “when the chuck wagons roamed wild in the streets” as my kids used to say.

Once my social networking tasks are accomplished, I log out of my SN profile and move on to writing in my Blog profile or administrative tasks in my Company profile without fear of distraction from my social network activities.