The Professional’s Guide to Social Networking
None of us want “Mrs. Bigshot CEO” scrolling through our Facebook wall posts that are lambasting the onslaught of memos, Monday morning meetings and mandatory overtime of late. Nor do we need her seeing photos and videos from karaoke after happy-hour last Thursday…
From keeping up-to-date with long-lost schoolmates and relatives to the awkward ‘friending’ of that random accounting person we met at the company picnic, these sites have experienced a meteoric rise from just a few years ago.
[1]
This graph illustrates the myriad ways people can be connected, but keep in mind that we may not necessarily want John “Karaoke” Galvan to cross realms with Pauline “Mrs. Bigshot CEO” Houston, or vice versa for that matter…
Ø According to internet marketing and publicity expert Kathleen Gage, it is imperative to determine the purpose of your social networking use.[2]
If using for personal networking, keep your work life out of it. If using for career reasons, maintain a controlled and professional profile.
Use a current picture in a formal setting.
Upload a current CV/Resume to your profile
Maintain a professional tone to your communication.
Ø Manage and keep your privacy settings updated warns Slate Magazine’s Reihan Salam in his popular “The Facebook Commandments” article.[3]
Allow only close friends and relatives to see your full profile.
Allow colleagues and random friends to only see your limited profile.
By simply following these guidelines we’ll hopefully avoid the embarrassing gaffes that lead to those awkward watercooler moments we are all trying to avoid.
[1] “Facebook Social Network Graph.” http://infosthetics.com/archives/2008/03/facebook_social_network_graph.html. 25. March. 2008.
[2] Gage, Kathleen. “Social Networking Etiquette…Why Should I Accept Your Invitation?” http://www.greatmanagement.org/articles/429/. 11. Nov. 2008.
[3] Salam, Reihan. “The Facebook Commandments”. Slate Magazine. 25. Sep. 2007.
