A study run by online business networking service www.MeettheBoss.com shows that telecom executives are spending an extra 10 hours a month online sharing their professional experiences and learning from their peers. MeettheBoss surveyed 15,000 of its 200,000 executive members to understand more about what effect Web 2.0 has had on the business world.

The survey asked its executive users what direct value they gained from spending time running blogs, writing tweets and connecting with other executives on sites such as Linked-In, Xing, MeettheBoss, Ryze, Facebook and Twitter.

The answers revealed that the telecom executives proficient with online activities are spending an average of 10 hours more per month online than this time last year – and over 90% of respondents said they felt their time online was ‘very valuable’ to their daily role.

Professionals are rushing to the Web for immediate answers to their most pressing questions. “I find online business hugely beneficial,” says MeettheBoss member Jacob Lee, Project Director at Vodafone. “It allows me to create or join active discussions and get immediate answers and experiences from colleagues and like-minded professionals on a range of issues.”

Finding answers for your business is one thing, but most executives have spotted more ‘individual’ advantages to this new phenomenon.

“Everyone knows that building contacts in the industry can strengthen your career prospects, but sharing your knowledge with the world is a very effective personal branding exercise,” says Adam Burns, Editor-in-Chief of online business channel, MeettheBoss.TV.

Many thought leaders agree with him. Ed Candy – Group CTO for Hutchison 3G and Dr Felix Wunderer – SVP Fixed Mobile Convergence for Deutsche Telekom, have all shared their expertise on the site.

“Sites like MeettheBoss are a great as networking and information platforms that aggregate all the information needed to start my working day,” says MeettheBoss member, Joseph Perry, Communications Director at E.ON UK.

Though most of these executives agree there is no substitute for face-to-face networking, using social media tools correctly can bring substantial return on your time investment. You can become a thought leader in your niche environment overnight and even pull business to your door. The challenge is finding the best one for you.