Interesting press releases ...

At work, I get some interesting press releases. I can't use many of them because the newspaper I edit concentrates on local issues. However, sometimes, I blog about the things I get.
Here's an interesting one from NFI Research here in New Hampshire, about the use of social networking in the professional world:

When it comes to social networking for business purposes, Twitter has entered the office.

It also turns out that Twitter is being used by those with higher titles, based on a new worldwide survey.

Almost a third of senior executives admit they use Twitter for business purposes compared to nine percent of managers.

Overall, 18 percent of senior executives and managers use Twitter, according to the survey by NFI Research.

When it comes to personal “twittering,” a fourth of senior executives tweet compared to 15 percent of managers.

In addition to Twitter, two-thirds of senior executives and managers use LinkedIn for business while 26 percent use blogs and 22 percent use Facebook.

“It’s clear that many in business take social networking seriously and are engaging to figure out ways to make it work for them,” said Chuck Martin, bestselling author and CEO of NFI Research.

The survey also showed that more small companies than large use social networking services for business reasons.

Five times more small companies than large use Facebook for business purposes.

“We know that we need to develop more connections to our business through these web-medias, but we feel a little safe behind the leading edge on this one,” says one respondent. “I am concerned that too much investment too early in the manpower needed to monitor them all may cause the leading to become bleeding edge.”

The majority (58%) of business leaders also use Facebook for personal uses, based on the survey of 178 executives and managers. LinkedIn and blogs were the next most popular social networking services for personal purposes with 50 percent using LinkedIn and 22 percent using blogs.

No significant differences exist between company size and social networking services used for personal purposes.

NFI Research surveys 2,000 senior executives and managers globally every two weeks. It has chronicled the transformation of business and countless workplace issues for more than nine years. NFI's Chairman and CEO Chuck Martin is a best-selling author of seven business books and frequently presents NFI's findings to businesses. Martin also teaches at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire, where he teaches Consumer Buying Behavior and Marketing Research.

Chuck Martin is the author of the best-selling book SMARTS (Are We Hardwired for Success?) (AMACOM/American Management Association).

Chuck Martin is working on a new book dealing with high performing individuals. It is slated to be published by AMACOM/American Management Association.

To provide some equal balance, if you will, here's a article which reflects a bit of worry about journalists involved in social networking: ["Newspapers Tweeting Like Crazy -- But What Are the Rules?"].