Are you on Facebook? What about Twitter? Ning? hi5? Bebo? FriendFeed? Delicious? Blip.FM?

The sheer number of available social networks can be overwhelming, especially when you’re a busy journalist already trying to meet your daily reporting deadlines. A question I get asked often is “how can I possibly keep up with it all?”

We’ve developed a simple list of steps to help you maximize your social networks while still maintaining your sanity:

1. Do you know which social networks you’re on?
First thing’s first. Which social networks are you a member of, and do you remember all of your usernames and passwords? If you’re like me, you’ve probably joined at least one or two networks and never logged in again. I suggest that you make a quick stop at CheckUsernames.com. Try entering the username that you’ve registered most recently to see if you also used that name on a different social network. If you’re concerned about preserving your brand identity, CheckUsernames.com will also serve as a nice research tool to help you see where else your name is being used.

Now, make a quick list of all the networks you belong to as well as your usernames and passwords. Don’t forget to include the URL of the network. Keep this list somewhere handy, and make sure that you update it every time you add or remove a network.

2. Prioritize the networks.
Evaluate the networks you’re on...there may only be a few, or you may have subscribed to a dozen or more. On a sheet of paper, type or write the name of each social network in one column. In the next column, try to describe the purpose of that network (examples: to ask questions, to find sources, to connect with friends, to market my work, etc). Now, in the last column, put a check next to those networks which either you think are really necessary to your work or which you simply enjoy using.

My suggestion would be to focus on those networks you’ve checked and indicated as priorities. You can tune out of the other networks temporarily, but I don’t recommend disabling them. You never know when you might want to try a particular network again in the future.

3. Adopt a new social network workflow.
Now that you know which networks you want to focus on, let’s create an easy way for you to use them. I recommend checking your networks with the same frequency as you check your email. If you look at your inbox every morning and then once an hour while at your office, I suggest that you also make a point to visit your networks. Do a quick glance to see who’s posting what and reply if necessary.

It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re on a social network - the entire day can get away from you if you’re not careful. You can certainly schedule time for exploration, but to make effective use of your social networks, you need to impose some self-discipline.

To be sure, there are times you may want to keep your networks up and running. For example, if you’re covering a breaking news event, you may want to have Twitter and Facebook up simultaneously to aid in your reporting.

4. Make time to listen.
Journalists do a great job of letting others know when a new story has been published to the Web, but they can be lousy listeners. I recommend scheduling time in your day, every day, to listen in on your networks.

There are wonderful new services such as Tweetdeck (http://www.tweetdeck.com) and MicroPlaza (http://www.microplaza.com) which are amazing tools to help you track emerging trends and stories. You don’t necessarily need to send a Tweet out, but it can be enormously helpful to listen to what others are saying.

5. Evaluate and purge.
Lots of us are digital packrats - I’m certainly guilty of collecting too much information and never discarding it in my computer’s trash bin. It’s important as you use social networks to evaluate their effectiveness to you on a fairly regular basis. And don’t be afraid to clear away some of the clutter. You can delete previous posts and messages. Get rid of those Facebook apps you don’t use anymore. Clear out your LinkedIn inbox. Keep only what you need so that the networks you do use seem less overwhelming.

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Amy Webb is a digital media consultant and head of Webbmedia Group, LLC. Find more multimedia tips and ideas at her blog, http://www.mydigimedia.com. You can also follow Amy on Twitter and delicious. Webbmedia Group is a vendor-neutral company. Any opinions expressed about products or services are formed after testing, research and interviews. Neither Amy Webb nor Webbmedia Group or its employees receives any financial or other benefits from vendors.