For the last 8 months or so, I have been a member of a networking group. Every week we’d meet for breakfast and tell each other about our companies and what kinds of clients we were looking for. Then we’d exchange business leads, share announcements and generally exchange witty banter for 90 minutes.

Membership fees are good for a year, but because of a change I made in my membership category, my remaining credits wouldn’t transfer, and I decided to leave the group instead of paying for another full year (plus another application fee! Really, people? Come on.). I had recently assumed a leadership position with the group, and I loved the social interaction, business connections and dang it all — just the people in general (we writers don’t get out much, you know).

The end of my tenure happened very quickly, and when the group found out that I wouldn’t get my remaining credits, “SAVE BETH” emails started to fly. (They wanted to start a fund to help pay for my new dues so I could stay with the group. I was incredibly flattered, but I respectfully declined their charity.) Many people wrote to say, “The group won’t be the same without you!”

I realize it’s taking me 200+ words to come to some kind of point for this blog, but here it goes… even though I felt the love from my group, now that I’m gone, I’m gone. In order to really reap the benefits of networking groups, social media, blog presence — anything in this time of micro-attention spans and constant bombardment, you have to be present. You have to give more than you take, participate regularly and stay front and center with the people who can make a difference to your business. Sure, members may mention my name for another meeting or two, and they want me to attend the holiday party, but by the time the new year rolls around, I’ll be just one of the many who has come and gone from the group.

Being present is a challenge for anyone who relies on reputation and presence to make a living. How can you be present everywhere, all the time? I’ve let my Twitter stream trickle to a few drops a month. My blogs have cobwebs. I pay $30 a month for an email service I haven’t used since the summer. When I try to be present everywhere, I end up getting overwhelmed and retreating. I think the key to changing this dynamic is to sit down and truly identify where being present is essential for my business. Then I can focus on really standing out in a few venues and let the rest of the areas go.

So I’ll put forth this goal: By the time I put up a new calendar (here’s a 2011 cupcake calendar I have my eye on), I want to have a list of 3 places I want to be present. Any suggestions about what the focus should be for small business folks like me? What’s working for you?