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.
Tags: Social Media, Social networking
I’m with Mr. Das on this one. If you’re to encourage him to get a “social” life, then suggest he get a real one – in the real world. I’m not sold that so-called social networks build either good friendships or good business.
Yeah, I’m on LinkedIn. Does it mean anything to me? No. I know, I know, you have to work at it, etc. But let’s be honest — does a recommendation or referral from a stranger really amount to much?
Frankly, I prefer the brute street wisdom of Jigsaw: you leave some biz card info behind, you pick up the biz card info you want. Then you make your own contact, period. No social network BS involved.
Jonathan,
The world is made up of intricate, complex social networks. Rich people have social networks; nerds have social networks; black, white, smart, stupid, everyone has a social network.
The interesting thing to me isn’t the presence of a network, it’s the size. Some people would rather have a large network of people and others prefer a small, close knit network.
Is one better than the other? Possibly.
Paul,
Like Mr. Das, I’m constantly hyperaware of my online presence. As you know, I’m on LinkedIn and have a professional blog, but I don’t have a “Facespace” or even Flickr account.
I could even make the arguement that Facespace pages have done more harm than good to society. It follows in the hedonistic and voyeuristic footsteps of reality television and celebrity gossip.
I don’t have a problem with people using social networks, I just think too many people jump in head-first without making sure there’s enough water in the pool.
Paul — This is an issue I’ve thought a lot about lately, and even posted about on my personal blog here:
In-Your-Facebook?
http://www.annhandley.com/2008/02/07/in-your-facebook/
You write, “It’s about being transparent in who you are, your likes, your dislikes. It humanizes you for the rest of us.”
I get that. I’m fine with it most of the time. But at the same time, social networks do bring up new issues of privacy and access. For me, I don’t necessarily want to offer everyone the same level of access, nor do I necessarily want to be connected to everyone in quite the same way. Yes, you can play with privacy setting, you can block, you can turn on certain filters and features. But all of that is WORK. As I wrote in my post, it’s work to manage your privacy settings and requests for access to your life, personal and professional. It’s work to think about who sees you and how they see you and who you see– and it’s often flat-out unfun.
That’s not enough to keep me out of Facebook and its ilk, but it’s an issue that we all, at some point, increasingly are.. well, facing.
Some people are private in nature. Others like to exaggerate their lives. Still others are open and willing to share. Everyone has their own motivation for being who they are. Mr. Das and people like him may try a social network, but since it goes against their sense of privacy, they get out and they should. Social networks are not for everyone.
That beginning said, as marketers we should embrace people who are active participants in social networks and earn their respect by being open, helpful and willing to interact with them. The great thing about social networks from marketing perspective is they are tools that concentrate the “sneezers” (Seth Godin) who are very willing to share their experiences- good or bad.
All excellent points on social networks guys. But we are still early days of social networking.
My point is you cant hide from this as a marketer or even as an individual.
If you want to stay on the cutting edge of marketing (which is why you read stuff like MarketingProfs!) you need to be experimenting with this on your own as more and more Mr Das’s become converts!
Here’s another really good reason for having a presence on Linked In or ZoomInfo and perhaps others that I am not as familiar with, this provides each of us the free opportunity to have and manage a profile on the Web. It is a way to “get Googled,” to ensure you have an online presence that you control, not just what the media or others write about you that is public knowledge. I’ve heard that recruiters avidly search Linked In for potential matches for their candidate searches and that being found on the Internet is a good way to be a “passive candidate”- available for the right job but not actively seeking out a new challenge by submitting resumes for openings. Any downsides to this? Sure, but for almost everyone, the benefits far outweigh any negative potential. Remember the old NY Lottery saying, “You gotta be in it to win it”? Today’s slogan is, “You gotta be on it to win [the interview, recognition, etc.]“
If my colleagues want to interact with me they can email me, phone me, chat with me. Or, if they’re really revolutionary, come into my office and see me.
I struggle to think of a bigger waste of time than connecting with colleagues on facebook.
From my reading I’m not alone. There are many other managers out ther with the same view.
Good point Paul. A well-managed personal site in social networks can do marvels to create buzz, personal brand positioning, and reach out for new contacts. Buy, but, but, how deep into your personal life you ¨reveal¨ is a tricky thing.
I actually work at SAVO, a b to b technology company,and we definately leverage social media in our sales enablement technology. We use personal pages (similar to myspace), star ratings (on documents, insights or expertise) and comments to leverage an organization’s expertise, insight and collective genius to drive better customer conversations. Untimately, we enable sales to be more productive. Check out our latest webinar, “Moving Beyond the Sales Portal — Capturing Mindshare in a Web 2.0 World” Click here to attend: https://savoevents.webex.com/savoevents/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=664757276