Ever wonder why some professionals always seem to know what's going on in their profession? One good way is to be part of a virtual community that shares information and ideas.

The concept really isn't all that new. Before computers we did things locally and in person. From group meetings we moved to email lists. Social media has just continued that trend.

For those of us who are not really joiners or don't have time to attend a lot of meetings, social media offers the opportunity to network with your peers in a way that can be adapted to suite your needs. The trick is to not let your self get drawn into reading every single posting but to look for trends. For example, when I see the same header on mulitple postings, it signals that my colleagues are involved in a dialogue on some issue and I check in to see if it is of interest,

I have built a good part of my virtual professional library from documents or links to documents shared by colleagues in virtual communities. I hear about major events many times before they hit the news and often from colleagues involved in responding to them. I have shared and received work products and have given and received help and advice. If nothing else, you'll get a sense of what is of concern to your peers.

Anyway you look at it, it's better than sitting alone in your office wishing you had help!