Quick show of hands: how many of you use LinkedIn for professional connections and networking and believe Facebook is only for personal use?
No matter what you answered, you’re not wrong. I know people who keep their online “presences” separate and those who merge the two. I’m a proponent of merging…within reason.
We work with people we know and like and one of the ways we can get to know them is via social media. I’ve often said that social media is like the water cooler (or coffee maker for those younger readers!). As we spend a couple of minutes there, we exchange snippets of information about ourselves—what movies we watch, books we read, sports teams we like and other “fun” things about ourselves. In doing so, we learn more about others and decide whether or not we want to associate with them, personally and/or professionally.
Social media accomplishes the same thing. I’ve made business connections with Friends on Facebook who like the same TV shows, Followers on Twitter who like the same sports teams and Connections on LinkedIn who went to the same university I did.
For those of you who say that Facebook is only for personal use, I’d argue that you never know when one of your Friends might be a good business lead. I’ve also seen careers sabotaged by posts on Facebook when someone posts something negative about their job and they are “friends” with a co-worker.
I’m a big supporter of posting a “bit” of personal information on Facebook. On my personal page, I post about what’s happening in my life, both personally and professionally. My business Page only contains business-related posts but I do try to add in a bit of my personality.
I think it’s also good to post a “bit” of personal information on LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is much more professional, it’s OK to talk about the Volunteer of the Year Award you received from your church or the latest book you’ve read (business-related or not).
Note that in both cases, I’ve put a “bit” in quotes because no matter why you’re online, there is definitely the potential for Too Much Information. We’re all connected with people who seem to post every tiny little detail of their day. Unfortunately, I tune them out and may miss the really important things.
Be cautious about thinking you can keep your online personal and professional lives separate. I worked with a young woman who was using LinkedIn as part of her job search. She had a stellar profile but wasn’t getting any interviews. I looked at her Facebook Profile, where her Privacy settings were wide open. She’d posted all about being newly engaged. There was nothing wrong with this and it was even a bit endearing. However, she also posted that her fiancé was in a different state and she’d be moving once they were married. Hence the reason for no interviews!
It truly is up to each individual to determine “how” they want to use social media and what they are using it for. There is no right or wrong, no good or bad, just personal preferences. However, just keep in mind that just because you think one way, others may not use the sites the same way.
Thoughts? Do you try to keep your professional and personal lives separate?
These days I don’t think you can keep a separation between personal and professional. This is the world of social media, where everything is ‘on record’. Therefore, even when you are having fun on Facebook connecting with ex-boyfriend, childhood friends, etc always remember you are being seen by many people that could be your future employer or project. As yourself, I have gained a lot of clients from my Facebook. As a matter of fact my last 10 new gigs have come from Facebook as well as my blog. It is good to stay connected; but make sure you edit and sensor what you are going to post. You never know who is watching. LOL
Elizabeth – you’re a great example of how to mix personal and professional! I keep thinking of the old saying that a secret is only a secret if just one person knows it. Once it’s told to even one more person, it’s no longer a secret. The same thing goes for social media. Once you’ve posted – even in a private message – it’s no longer private. You cannot control what the other person does with the information.
Deb, you make some really good points! I guess it’s not all black and white. To Elizabeth’s point, I think very few master the art of posting in moderation because of the seemingly natural volatility of “status updates” and “tweets”.
For me, it gives me some confidence knowing I can post somewhat freely on my FB because of who I accept or decline as friends. In addition I do keep me LinkedIn and http://www.studentgenius.com accounts strictly professional.
Thanks!
Aaron – thanks for commenting! What’s really nice is that we have numerous options when using social media, so we can have one platform for personal use and another for business. And, there’s really no right or wrong way to use the sites. I encourage everyone to find what works best for them – as long as they keep in mind that those they are connected with sometimes may feel differently. We’re all used to seeing a mix of business and personal posts on Facebook, but it would be a bit weird for someone to post “what I watched on TV last night” on LinkedIn, especially if it was a program that didn’t pertain to business. But, you never know – someone might read that post, love the same show and because of shared interests, find a new business partner!