Facebook. Twitter. Blogs. Social media is everywhere and some producers feel obliged to be a part of the movement. Whether this is smart business or mere bandwagon jumping depends on your business strategies, prospects and commitment. Hopefully you have a business plan (if not, please check out my February column).

Let's assume your plan calls for you to engage with social media. What platform to use depends on your prospects and your commitment. When considering joining the rush to Twitter, Facebook and blogs your first question should be, “Will I reach my prospects and clients there?” Communication, after all, requires both a broadcaster and a receiver — the right receiver.

Any medium can be used, but if your target audience is not on the receiving end, you're wasting your time. For me, my health care reform blog (www.AlanKatz.WordPress.com) is very worthwhile. The blog helps me stay in touch with brokers, policy makers, reporters and others across the country and has resulted in several consulting and speaking engagements. The platform I use, WordPress.com, is free, boasts a terrific spam filter, and is easy to use.