Getting lost in networks

Social networking is the big subject on the web today, but are surfers spending their time well, or are they potentially lost in a maze of offers?

I first started networking with ichat, and was met a networker who introduced me to Ryze, which I used infrequently over the next year.

Through surfing I found Ecademy, and wasted an enormous amount of time on a network which promised so much, but delivered so little.

I also use Facebook mainly for brand awareness.

So I would like to pose the question, are you using social networks for fun, for business relationships or to reduce boredom?