Facebook has captured a sizable global audience and many professionals have been using Facebook to reach their audience or broaden their network. One of the ways you can use Facebook is to leverage a personal Facebook profile, connecting to business colleagues and networking contacts.  However, if you are worried about getting sucked into a time-drain, here are some tips to help you leverage Facebook without it taking over your life.

1)Set aside the amount of time you are able to spend on Facebook and stick to it.

One of the secrets of Facebook’s success is that it is addicting. You are instantly in touch with many people you may not have seen or heard from in years. Resist the urge to immediately respond to messages and comments. An easy way is to modify your account settings (under notifications), so you do not get an email each time your friends send you a message, posts on your wall and performs other actions. However, you may want to receive notifications if you are tagged in a post or photo, so you can make sure the post does not compromise your online “brand”.

2) Update your status with positive and engaging comments.

We all know that misery loves company, but if you plan to connect with business associates, keep your status updates positive. If you are having a bad day, stay away from the keyboard. Likewise, don’t post anything your “mom” shouldn’t see. Facebook is a public forum and everything you post reflects upon you and your business, both good and bad. Do share a funny story about your pet or kids. Feel free to share your personal and business successes. Not sure what to post? Try updating your status with an inspiring quote from a famous person you admire. Make an effort to update your status once every two days to keep you in the forefront of your friend’s minds. If you have a Blackberry, Droid or iPhone, you can quickly update your status “on the go”, which will be easier than logging into a computer. You can also update your status through SMS text by activating your mobile phone from your account settings.

3) Share links to informative articles that are relevant to your business.

One easy way to remind your Facebook friends of what you “do” is to share links to informative articles. Many media websites make this easy by providing a “share” button on their content. If the website does not have a “share” function, you can copy and paste the URL link into your status. Roll over the text bar to update your status, below are four icons: photos, video, event and link. Click on the links icon and then paste the website URL you want to share. You can also share events and upload photos of networking events, seminars and trade shows.

By using the three tips above, you start social networking without taking up a lot of extra time. In only 5-15 minutes a day, you can keep you and your business relevant in your friends’ (and associates’) minds without draining your personal and professional time.