One of the big challenges when you put any kind of content or service online is getting people to actually take a look - 'page views' are the 'eyeballs' of Web 2.0.

Slideshow: Where IT pros do their social networking

Online advertising is, of course, one way to generate traffic but there’s a hefty price tag to get a big impact and initially you’re going to be rolling the dice with exactly which channels to use, what kind of ads to deploy, and how much to spend.

But while you’re burning cash on conventional Internet advertising you should also be using social networking to spread the word. Now I know what you’re going to say – “Isn’t social networking just the new black?” The answer my friend is yes, but it’s a new black that is going to be around for a long time, so capitalize upon the new channel while its fresh and relatively accessible.

Here are 10 keys for getting social networking to work for you:

1. Get on Twitter. No, it’s not just a way for people to tell you what they had for lunch, it is a true phenomena and an incredibly powerful way of getting exposure. That said, you gotta work it baby. You’ve got to study and understand the service, develop a “tweeting style”, become engaged with your followers, add value to the exchanges, and stick with it. No starting and then giving up because Ashton Kutcher has more followers than you (he’s always going to have more followers than you and you’re never going to date Demi Moore – get used to it). (Follow Network World on Twitter)

2. Spread the love. Get accounts on Plurk, Identi.ca, and all the other microblogging and Tumble-logging services supported by Ping.fm, and get a Ping.fm account because Ping allows you to post messages to all of those service as well as Twitter and do so in one go. Think of it as a social networking shotgun as opposed to a rifle – you get a lot of coverage for each shot.

3. Get on Facebook and MySpace. I combine these two services as they have great similarities while the differences, though important, don’t stop you from mentally packaging your approach to how you use both of them in one tidy strategy. And you can post to both via Ping.fm anyway.

4. Don’t worry about traditional (if something that’s been around for just a few years can be called “traditional”) blogging. While blogging is very useful it is arguably less important as a way of getting exposure. Blogging is a great education mechanism and there’s no doubt that it can, if used correctly (note the “if”), be a great brand support but if you’re just starting out on the road to social networking then you’ll only have so much time and energy available. If you insist on blogging then make sure that you do so regularly.

Mark Gibbs is a consultant, author, journalist, columnist and blogger.