Oh and in my waffle I forgot to add - It's been no use to me academically. Though I know peopel wo recruited participants through it. I've set it so people who search for me on google don't find my facebook page, so it wouldn't be much use for networking.

======= Date Modified 17 Sep 2011 18:35:18 =======
I wouldn't touch Facebook with a bargepole for professional stuff. I reluctantly use it as a convenient way of keeping up with friends but there are many things about it that I strongly dislike.

I do, however, very much enjoy using twitter. I follow a bunch of people, journals and researchers in my field and find out a lot of interesting stuff that way, particularly things in the grey literature which I wouldn't necessarily find. I try to keep my twitter use purely professional, particularly as it is open.

Bit of a leap of logic there - just because half of UK internet users access it weekly doesn't mean it has any value to someone in a professional context at all.

If you're concerned with online netowrking I'd stick with the specialist sites other people mention. I don't use them but I'd consider them a more appropriate tool than Facebook.