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You can run but you can’t hide for long from social networking. At some point or another you will have to sign up for one or probably more social networks. But recently some early adopters have said they want out completely – the equivalent of unplugging entirely from social networking. To them I say – Get a “social” life! Take Mr. Das. He joined Facebook on a whim after receiving invitations from friends. He then tried to leave after realizing that most of his coworkers were also on the site. “I work in a small office. The last thing I want is people going on there and checking out my private life,” he said. “I did not want to be on it after junior associates at work whom I have to manage saw my stuff.” But Mr. Das is missing the point. A “social” network is about being “social.” It’s about being transparent in who you are, your likes, your dislikes. It humanizes you for the rest of us. Sure, there are things you may not want to be public, so just use common sense about what you post. Managers like you should welcome social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Plaxo into the workplace. Not only are they tools for colleagues to interact with you and build relationships with one another, but having them viewable by the public makes your company seem more approachable and engaging. To a certain extent, having a Facebook page is like allowing others to see your desk at work. No, not the pile of papers, but the “stuff” that is unique to you – the pictures of your wife and kids, the shot of you and your buddies skiing in Park City last year. You know, the things that make your space your own! If the problem is too many requests, well Facebook hears you. The site just launched a feature that will allow you to “ignore all” request made. Now I am not suggesting you go that far, but that might ease your pain. Where’s the Buzz? By now, everyone reading this should at least have a personal Facebook or LinkedIn page. If you don’t, get to work. It is beneficial to you, your company and your network to do so. Participate as much as you wish. There are no rules for how many posting you should have or not have. And be smart. Don’t post things you wouldn’t want your mom to see or read. Social networking is not that hard. But like the lottery, you have to buy a ticket to win at it. | |||||||
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4.00 (Good) Vote:
March 2008 Orwellian overtones abound in this post, so where to start.
Firstly: "Get a social life." Yes, be social, get away from your computer and go and "be" with someone face to face, physically. (Yes I know that sort of communication and intimacy is scary, you could get rejected, it's much safer to "socialise online. Get over it, be real.) An online "social" network is anything but social. It's a network, nothing more. This is another prime example of "newspeak" and misappropriation of words. Next there's a huge difference between sites like Linkedin, Plaxo etc and Facebook. One group are professional networking services and at least have some professional integrity about them. Sites like Facebook are nothing more than vanity sites. It's a fad and it will pass, especially as they are still trying to figure out how to monetize some of these sites (and I don't consider an IPO to an unsuspecting and uneducated public a proper business model, it's a scam that's been around for decades, but that's another story.) Sites like Facebook also open up all sorts of abuses for identity theft and fraud. Putting your life on the line is quite frankly a very dangerous past-time. And that's not to mention the uses it can be put to by third rate insurance salesman and investment shysters. Moving on, one of my colleagues recently posted on his blog about how tired he was of getting yet another request to join a social network, and wanted to rationalize his networks to just one service. Then, low and behold, I got an invite to join Spock, which does just that, but they want the login details for all your networking sites and every other site you're logged into. Talk about scary stuff, Big Brother is hunting on the internet. And in this day of heightened terrorism alerts how long do you think it will be before our governments pass laws allowing them to catalogue everything about you? (Yes I know some of you think they are already doing this surreptitiously.) Networking both online and offline will survive because it's what we as human beings do, however, there will be some big shakeups int he social networking scene before long. Probably this year the way the market is going, these sites will have to show a profit or the plug will be pulled. We live in interesting times.  Reply
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5.00 (Excellent) Vote:
March 2008 It's interesting to note that there are "social" networking sites for professionals and sites for "social" activity. While Facebook has made headway into attracting professionals to use their service, ultimately it still maintains focused on the social, not professional, features for its members. As this space develops it seems that niche networks are taking over for every type of topic one can think of or be interested in (surfing, work, books, entertainment, blue chip brands, etc.). While I can understand that a manager may not want their subordinates to see their private lives, I agree with phdunay that having a presence on the appropriate site is valuable; nay necessary. Given the nature of this new media, having a presence on the appropriate site, LinkedIn or Spoke.com for example, demonstrates one's ability to remain at the forefront of new business trends and a willingness to accept and use new technology to further one's position in life. Back when CRM software first emerged sales people were reluctant to use it for a variety of reasons; they didn't know how, they didn't want to spend the time, they didn't want their managers or other colleagues to have visibility into their "roll-a-dex" and daily activities... the list goes on. But what many learned throught the development of this type of software was that they could be more effective in their jobs by embracing this technology (i.e. close more deals faster at higher sales prices = more money in their wallets). "Social" networking is no different. The adpaters will continue to thrive while those who refuse to embrace this new platform and communal opportunity will go the way of the dinosaur... or at least be put out in the pasture... Reply
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March 2008 I agree with what you say, although I can see that in some professions, managers may not want their staff to see their personal stuff . MySpace is different and far more public; I recenty deleted my profile from there because I didn't like the fact that absolutely anybody on the internet could see it. Facebook is more controlled because only accepted 'Friends' can see your profile. The 'Limited Profile' option can provide a happy medium for the hesitant facebook user - participation without giving everything away.
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5.00 (Excellent) Vote:
March 2008 Facebook is a great tool - to use as you wish.
You don't have to accept friend requests. My own personal rule that I use for myself is that if I know the person in "real life" and would socialise with them whether Facebook existed or not, then they are a "friend". For people that I consider "acquaintances" - I use Linkedin. Result: 242 connections on Linkedin, 22 friends on Facebook. Am I unpopular, a realist, or just sad? :-) Reply
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