Abstract

The primary research objective of the study was to investigate the perceptions of the social networking practices of businesswomen. A non-probability purposive voluntary sample, followed by snowball sampling, was used to select businesswomen (n = 31) living and working in the Gauteng province for in-depth interviews. Various perceptions of businesswomen of social networking practices were identified. A number of networking challenges that businesswomen experience in their social networking efforts were also identified, as well as the resources they may utilise in order to cope with these challenges. In addition, characteristics essential to successful social networking behaviour, such as respect, integrity and confidence, were identified. Recruiting businesswomen to participate in the study proved difficult owing to their typically full schedules. In addition, it was difficult to ensure a representative sample for the study. Furthermore, owing to the need for a central interviewing point, a coffee shop was selected for this purpose. The nature of such a venue though resulted in disturbances during the interviews, which was disruptive to the process. The study demonstrated that a better understanding of social networking will aid businesswomen with regard to success in their work and personal lives. The study information further provided insight into the specific approach of businesswomen to social network building in the business environment with the objective of excelling in their careers. From a personal point of view, it was concluded that, businesswomen can gain insight into achieving work–home balance through the utilisation of social networks.

Key words: Businesswomen, networking, social networks, social networking, social support.