It’s June, and that means that students everywhere are hanging up their backpacks and bidding farewell to their classmates until the end of Summer; or, in the case of graduating seniors, maybe farewell for good. I recall as a student that I used to partake in the practice of passing around yearbooks and exchanging written words of encouragement (or insults) with my friends. “Good luck,” “You’re a nerd,” and, of course, the ever-popular “K.I.T.” or “Keep In Touch.”

The problem is that those scribbled words in a yearbook were the last interaction I had with many of those classmates. Let’s face it – without the regular exposure to others that a classroom setting brings, the likelihood that I’m going to pick up the phone and start calling all of my old classmates for the sole purpose of keeping in touch is pretty slim. Enter the Internet and Social Networking.

Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, email, IM, SMS… so many options these days for keeping in touch. It’s amazing how many old high school and college friends that I’ve reconnected with on Facebook. From a business standpoint, these tools have become a lifeline between me and my professional network. Nowadays, when you get an email from me, you also get a link to my Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. If I were to write in your yearbook today, instead of “K.I.T.” I would probably write “@ajwhitaker” or maybe “FB-Engipreneur.”

What’s remarkable is how many people in business fail to take advantage of these low cost tools that make staying connected with your network so easy. Last week, I heard of a position opening for which a former colleague of mine would be perfect. I knew she was out of work and looking for another job, however, when I went to check out her profile on LinkedIn, it still listed her as working at her old job with no current contact information. I spent the better part of two hours trying to hunt her down!

C’mon people! There is information about you on the Internet, whether you like it or not. Why not be proactive and take control of what impression you’re making with your online presence? Why not use this “modern yearbook” to your advantage? -Stay cool and K.I.T.!