During a social media presentation last week the president of an organization and business executive said, “sure, these are great tools but it takes so much time.” Absolutely it does, communicating your message through any outlet or tool you are currently using offline takes time as well. Facebook statistics show the average user spends more than 55 minutes a day on the site.

With everything in life big and small – personal relationships; business communications; learning a new language; achieving goals; organizing behind a cause; learning to dance; raising money; organizing your closet; financial planning – you get out what you put in.

Companies, small businesses and organizations have to make the decision about where their time is going to be most effectively spent to meet overall goals. That may mean establishing a presence on Facebook , Twitter , Google Buzz , LinkedIn , and YouTube , or on 1-2 but not all, or none of the above.

The decision shouldn’t be about succumbing to pressure, but what is right for moving the ball down the field. I'm not going to make an investment of time, resource or finances into something for my business because ‘Suzie-Best-Friend’ did or says I should. Nor would I if all of the media said it was the latest and greatest thing to do or that if I didn't do it then I would be left in the dust of those who do. After all, time is our most valuable resource. To our personal selves, our community selves and our professional selves. Short and long-term benefits and implications in business decisions, including and perhaps especially those that are a commitment of time, should be carefully considered.

Social media is indeed a commitment of time. It is particularly in the beginning to let people know you are there, learning all of the basics such as privacy settings, how, what and when to communicate and the differences and uses of the many different digital tools.

If the decision is to utilize social media tools, the good news is once the initial investment is made it gets more familiar and easier. Established guidelines, time management, use of tracking tools and planning can keep the social media time and brain drain at bay.