You’re an employee of a company. You’re on LinkedIn, you’re blogging on themes of professional interest, you’re Twittering. Suddenly, your boss “gets it” (yay!) and wants to do the social media thing also.
Great, right? But then you get the connection requests. And suddenly you realize – your transparency on social media networks could become a double-edge sword.
It can be very uncomfortable to be an isolated individual – a social media leader or practitioner – among those who don’t “get it.” But perhaps it can be even more uncomfortable when your thoughts can be read by those who sign the paycheck.
One blogging friend asked me about this a couple days ago, and I had to confess that it’s a issue (as a solo entrepreneur) that I don’t have to deal with. But I can imagine how this might be quite awkward for others, and might inhibit free expression. I believe that Chris Brogan has written on this topic before, and others have as well (if you have specific links to posts on this topic, please add them in the comments!)
What is your take? Do you feel comfortable “friending” your boss, or is this a matter of uncomfortable obligation? How do you deal with the potential cognitive dissonance of being both an employee, and creating your own personal brand? Any advice on navigating this choppy waters? Add your comments!
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I’d create a separate account for my work social media/networking activities. Or perhaps a new personal one for none-of-boss’s-business stuff.
I just think that this is one of those things that we are all going to have to get used to in terms of whatever we publish is fair game. I mean HR, school admissions and I imagine customers are starting to plug-in social media profiles into their decision making. I would like to hear from someone who has denied a boss or client access and then what they told them?
I have been friended by higher-ups in my company, and I definitely reciprocate. I appreciate when we can both contribute to a conversation.
Are there things I say that they don’t need to hear? Yes. But nothing should shock or disappoint them. As a matter of personal and professional branding I always try to moderate what I put out into the ether.
If you have something personal to say, use a direct message, email, or IM. If you have something to say that you are uncomfortable with them seeing, then you probably shouldn’t say it. Whether or not your current boss sees it, a client, prospect, or prospective employer may.
This is so timely. I personally feel it’s a bit of an invasion to have your own boss on your FB etc. – a colleague of mine added her bosses as friends and then suddenly they were analyzing when she was writing comments, and asking her if she was “really working” – along those lines. In a case like that, it can become very Big Brother-ish. I agree with the previous poster about then possibly having 2 accounts.
Just a thought.
Steve, last week I posed the question to my twitterverse because a friend is/was struggling with getting his boss to see the value.
I typically don’t stick my own links in the comments, but you or your readers might find this interesting.
http://blog.vibemetrix.com/2008/10/13/convincing-your-boss-the-conversation/
The answer for me is still becoming clear. I have my own brand but also work for Vibemetrix as the company’s social media evangelist. Working out each brand is more mentally challenging than I realized it would be!
I think of my social networking presence as something that should enhance my work competencies. I’ve been assuming future, and current employers will be reading all along. It’s surprising how rarely that’s been true.
This has been an ongoing issue for me personally and also for colleagues, and I see it only becoming more of an issue as we move toward customizable feeds like FriendFeed, Dipity 2.0, or even something as basic as the Facebook Feed.
In my experience, it has always been best to separate out your personal branding profiles and company affiliated ones. This also means keeping your “friend list” tailored to the purpose of the profile. Luckily many of the platforms enable this through the use of groups or inter-profile linking. Def interested to see what other people are doing to tackle this gray area…
I think that it can be challenging to maintain or create a personal brand while your coworkers and bosses are participating in the social media outlets as you. Let’s also be honest with ourselves and say that the only reason its an issue is that you are most likely doing it for your future career (in a lot of cases anyway). Whether you “friend” your boss or not on something like Twitter, you should be looking out for what you say online. After all, Google can find your tweets and blog posts most likely.
Creating dual online identities can be challenging as well. I have not went down that road, and instead opt for not being too personal on things like Twitter.
My rule is that I won’t post anything on facebook that my 12 y.o. cousin can’t see.
That level of appropriateness should be OK for employers/employees too.
It is a bit nervewracking. I wrote a post where I didn’t use names but threw out a question about how to handle a situation, and my boss was fine with it, kind of, as he figured the situation out. It was a bit awkward. We survived with no harm done, but as others have said before, it is something that we’ll have to work out and get used to.
I’ve not only had my boss see what my personal stuff on the web is, but also the entire eLeadership group of my parent company. I see part of my job as a Social Networking Evangelist as not being a dork online. I don’t do something I wouldn’t be comfortable talking about in public. It’s the way that I get around my persona. Just be who I am, and ask the question, “Would I want this to come up in a discussion in the office?” I don’t see a problem being who I am everywhere… I just try to ratchet back on my snarkiness some days.
At this point, my boss doesn’t really “get” social media and networking, so the only interaction we have in that arena is LinkedIn. I’ve somehow become the expert on social media/networking by default, as I’m the only one I know of in the company who’s doing anything with it.
At this point, my LinkedIn is my most professional front, Facebook is almost entirely for friends and my personal life, and Twitter is an amalgamation of the two. I follow people of professional interest, but I also tweet about what I watched on TV last night. I like my “persona” on Twitter, if you want to call it that, because it feels the most true to me. I’m not putting on a professional face (I don’t really feel like I’m all that professional) on LinkedIn, and I’m not nearly as goofy as I am on Facebook. I’m still careful of what I put out there, though, regardless of whether or not my boss can see it.
It’s just about being responsible and thinking through your online actions… it’s too easy to be inappropriate if you don’t think anyone’s watching. I just figure everyone’s watching, so it’s best to be careful.
I use LinkedIn strictly for business and Facebook for friends and family. During this initial stage of social media, one needs to be cautious, as anything posted can come back to haunt you.
The more open and transparent our lives become, the more vulnerable we also become as privacy wanes. My philosophy is simple, don’t write anything that can bite you in the butt later on – whether in an electronic or print format.
Steve: I think it’s fair to say that if you’re blogging about your home team, you’d better make sure you’re clear on how you do it. If you’re the appointed “blog face” of the company, you probably already have these guidelines laid out; if you’re not, and have a blog “brand” separate and distinct from your W2, then my advice is that you should steer clear of specifics on what your company is doing – unless you’ve agreed otherwise. Know that your boss, your direct reports, and that snivelling weasel in finance who whispers poison in the CEO’s ear all read your blog. Tread confidently but carefully.
Steve & Chris – I believe personal brands and the corporation have a long way to go. It requires a change to corporate culture, individual maturity and commitment, and perhaps even pay structure. I commented on this issue on a blog written by Business Week reporter Stephen Baker who called my comment out in an article. http://culld.us/1928467
Great input by all! I think we all agree that we can’t be stupid in our on-line profile – being profane, idiotic, or out-of-control is definitely a career-limiting move! But assuming that you’re being professional, are there still “issues” that you sense when your boss/bosses are connected to you – and, particularly, how does this impact your ability to socially network regarding other potential career opps?
I’m completely open, with plain name anywhere (except ebay). And I accept the risk of being misunderstood by boss et al. It’s O.K., would be more tedious to do it otherwise. But it’s not an approach that I’d recommend to everyone.
Unlike Vegas what goes on the web stays there for everyone to see. So don’t do anything you don’t want people to see.
I agree with Christian, an open policy is best, because it keeps you from doing those things that are not for public consumption.
Like many others who’ve commented, I don’t keep work/personal separate on social media – I am who I am everywhere. I think the lines between work and personal time are blurring together, and who you are at work and who you are in your personal life is blending together too – eventually I see the majority of us living ‘transparently’ as Elaine put it. I personally like connecting with work colleagues through social media, getting a glimpse into their personal lives allows me to get to know them a little better and in turn form better working relationships. As for visibility with boss/bosses …. I think too much activity on Facebook or other social media tools, especially during work hours, could be a red flag that you aren’t focusing enough on work. And I agree it might be difficult to network for potential career opps …. but I guess that’s what the direct message capability is for.:)
Well, this case is one reason not to “friend” your boss on Facebook! http://tinyurl.com/5bxaa9
Your boss doesn’t have to friend you to find out what you’re saying in social media. A simple GoogleAlert will do that for her, and you have no way of knowing. If you use your real name, or make yourself obvious to someone who knows you, or you blog/comment about your company, you have to assume that everyone else in your company is going to see it.
That includes your boss.
Always assume that everyone who knows you will see everything you write.