I was invited to join a women's marketing organization. It is a group that helps female consultants to better their business through collaboration and lead exchange. I am not a fan of leads exchange, but I enjoy collaboration. If all the members are pros in their field, I am very eager to learn. Then, I will be on my way to becoming a Superwoman Marketer.

This group came highly recommended, so I immediately went to their website. Who wouldn't, right? I wanted to see what the organization is all about and how I can benefit from joining.

There are 24 hours in a day. You have about 8 hours of discretionary time spent on family, driving, shopping, cooking, movies, friends, social media, and reading. Do you have time to read all the blogs you want to read and all the news you want to follow? I do. I used to spend about 4-5 hours a day reading. I condensed it to 2 hours a day and get the same result. I created a more efficient process of reading news. And I am going to share it with you today.

Here are the tools I use: Google Reader, iPhone, iPad, Flipboard app.

I love to read. If I could, I would read every interesting blog post ever published. I realize it is impossible, but I still attempt to do it. Frequently I found myself drowning in articles. It was hard to prioritize what to read until I discovered Flipboard.

Flipboard for iPad - Your Timesaver

Flipboard is an iPad app that aggregates you Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Reader feeds. Flipboard's home page is a place where you bookmark your content. You can not only add your main feed but Twitter lists and Facebook groups. That way you can use a shortcut to get to the content you want.

Flipboard for iPad is a more visual way to read the articles your friends shared with you. The content is easy to share (with attribution to the original poster) and post between your social accounts. But most importantly, it is an incredible time-saver. I like Flipboard much more than competition (Zite, StumbleUpon for iPad, Iinstapaper, etc.) because of the very good integration with social accounts.

There is a huge number of reviews written about social media tools. Google it and you will find enough information that will keep you occupied for at least a month.

Instead, I am going to talk about how to pick your tools based on the functionality you require. Make your tool selection based on the way you work - you will save a lot of time and will enjoy using the apps. I will list all the apps I use at the end of the post.

Do not try to be everywhere. Just look at the number of available social networks and weep: Knowem.com. Pick just one or a couple networks and find the tools that work for you.

To keep your sanity, find the most active network in your area of interest and join. For example, my Twitterverse is for my SEO friends. I talk about SEO topics, share SEO-related articles and get mostly SEO advice. If I want to share a picture of a cute kitten - that's what my Facebook is for. Well, it's just me.

Ready? Let's get started.

Social Media is not just Twitter and Facebook. Don't forget LinkedIn and blogs. It is also social bookmarking services, like Stumbleupon, Digg, and Delicious. It is picture sharing (Flickr, PhotoBucket, etc.) and video sharing (YouTube, Vimeo, etc).

Many people get into Social Media and quickly get overwhelmed. Many proudly proclaim that Social Media is a waste of time and there is no point to it. Those who do not practice are quick to judge.

For some, indeed, Social Media is a waste of time and they should not be doing it. You have to like it to be a part of the community. You have invest in it, like you spend time on relationships with your friends. You have to contribute and help others. Also, it might not be for you. You have to decide for yourself.

To help you decide, here are tips on how to get a head start with Social Media and do not let it take over your life.