New Media on Ulitzer

A recent study run by online business networking service www.MeettheBoss.com shows that executives are spending an extra 11 hours a month online sharing their professional experiences and learning from their peers.

The survey asked its executive users what direct value they gained from spending time running blogs, writing tweets and connecting with other executives on sites such as LinkedIn, Xing, MeettheBoss, Ryze, Facebook, Ulitzer and Twitter.

The answers revealed that executives proficient with online activities are spending an average of 11 hours more per month online than this time last year – and over 90% of respondents said they felt their time online was ‘very valuable’ to their daily role.

Professionals are rushing to the Web for immediate answers to their most pressing questions. “I find online business networking very useful,” says MeettheBoss member Oliver Bruns, Head of Polyurethanes at Bayer Material Sciences. “It allows me to create or join a discussion and get immediate answers and experiences from like-minded professionals on issues such as regulation or technology.”

Finding answers for your business is one thing, but most executives have spotted more ‘individual’ advantages to this new phenomenon.

“Everyone knows that building contacts in the industry can strengthen your career prospects, but sharing your knowledge with the world is a very effective personal branding exercise,” says Adam Burns, Editor-in-Chief of online business channel, MeettheBoss.TV.

Many thought leaders agree with him. Manfred Fitzgerald, Director of Brand & Design at Lamborghini, Vinton Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, have all shared their expertise on the site.

“Sites like MeettheBoss are a great help as they aggregate all the information I need to start my day. It is a new, modern, convenient networking and information platform,” says MeettheBoss member, Detlef Guenther, CISO at Volkswagen.

Though most experts agree there is no substitute for face-to-face networking, using social media tools correctly can bring substantial return on your time investment. You can become a thought leader in your niche environment overnight and even pull business to your door. The challenge is finding the best one for you.