With the outburst of social media in recent times, many people still want to know how they can utilize them effectively. There are so many options available to people that it sometimes hard to know where to start. In this article I will talk through two key social networking sites and explain their uses and how you can get the most of out them.

Facebook and LinkedIn are online social networking sites where people interact with each other virtually. Facebook was launched in 2004 and now has 500 million users worldwide. LinkedIn was launched in 2003 and has around 70 million users worldwide. They are both free to join and user friendly.

The key difference between the two sites is LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site whereas Facebook is a traditional social networking site focusing more on the 'social' aspect of networking. A simple comparison could be that LinkedIn represents your resume whereas Facebook represents your personality.

The purpose for the LinkedIn user is business related so you can network with likeminded people, look for new career opportunities and add contacts who you trust in business. The purpose of Facebook for the user is to socialize and keep in contact with friends. However you can use Facebook for business purposes and networking with likeminded business people.

There are some similarities such as having a personal profile and posting your photo on the sites. You can use both sites to add friends or contacts and adopt a similar approach to find them. If you already have friends on the sites you can view their friends and add them to your network.

LinkedIn allows you to add your full resume detailing your career experience and your achievements. Once you have completed this you can add contacts that you work with or have worked with in the past. You can follow companies and join networking groups that are relevant to your field or that you are interested in. One of the key benefits of LinkedIn is that many headhunters use it to search for talent. It is important to spend time updating your profile so potential employers are impressed by your resume. You can also ask for and give recommendations of current or former colleagues or business partners. This is a great example of social proof confirming that you are a talented individual.

Facebook allows you to add a profile and has a simple step by step process. You can add unlimited photo albums to your site and up to 5000 friends (if you are very popular)! You have a wall where you and your friends can post updates and the option of sending private messages. The great benefit of Facebook is you can connect with people worldwide regardless of geography. So if you are passionate about a certain country you can easily make new contacts there.

From a business perspective, both sites allow advertising to generate revenue so you can take advantage of this option depending on your target audience. Facebook also allows you to add a business page for free linked to your personal profile. These pages are ranked in the search engines and can be advertised from your blog or website. Both sites allow you to link in with Twitter and post updates onto your site. The key to social media is linking all your content so it is easy for your friends and contacts to see your activity across a number of mediums.

This was a brief overview of the key differences between Facebook and LinkedIn, click on my profile below and you will see an example of a Facebook page and a LinkedIn profile.