Social Media Groups: Taking the Good with the Bad

Monday I wrote a post about The Joy (and Pain) of Social Networking.  Another opportunity/challenge that social media presents is joining and participating in groups.  I have joined a few groups on Linked In and Facebook, and so far I've had mixed results.  I've found several excellent articles from these groups (like this and this).  But as with anything online I have to sift through the scam-my stuff to find these gems. 

This sours an otherwise enjoyable experience.  I tend to put off checking my group discussions until last: I'll go through my email, catch up on blogs in my Reader and updates on my Tweetdeck, then maybe I'll look at a group or two if I have time. 

Are you having a similar experience?  Am I joining the wrong ones, or do they all have their share of junk posts?  Is there a better way to approach groups?   Please leave a comment if you have any thoughts or insights.