Blurring the lines between social networks
We hear it over and over again: Nothing is truly “private” on the Web. But with the ability to set our profiles to “private,” we still tend to feel invincible and post photos/wall posts we’d never want employers to see.
With the continually-changing interconnectedness of the Web, social networks continue to let down their walls, and that sense of “privacy” starts to diminish.
So my New Years resolution proposal to you, from one student to another: make your Facebook page more professional. And after you’ve done that, make more industry connections in whatever your field is.
- If you’re active on Twitter and LinkedIn, your professional and social networks will begin to mesh
- Be ready for the day when those lines begin to blur so you don’t have to clean up after yourself
- Untag photos that may get you in trouble
- Delete wall posts from nagging/gossipy friends with profanity etc.
When Myspace and Facebook were new to the Internet, they were competitive (and certainly still are today). But more and more, networks are finding ways to work together instead of against each other.
Examples:
Twitter application for Facebook
Plugging Flickr, YouTube, Yelp, Last.fm, Hulu and more to your Facebook page
Embedding your blog, Slideshare onto LinkedIn
Traditionally, social networks have been organized as follows:
- Facebook = personal, social
- Myspace = personal, social
- LinkedIn = professional
- Twitter = a mix of both
But those distinct lines are now blurring. When a professional LinkedIn connection added me as a friend on Facebook, I was momentarily baffled about what to do. Decline the friend and risk losing a connection? That would make it as though I have something to hide.
It became obvious that eventually, it would come to the point where I have to push aside privacy concerns and start opening my Facebook up to the rest of the world. As recruiters turn to social media, I can’t risk being anything less than professional.
Now I’m starting to mesh my networks: my Twitter status is linked to my Facebook status — something I’d resisted for a long time because I didn’t think any of my personal, real-life friends would care about the same things as my Twitter followers.
As my Facebook expands beyond college and high school friends to include family (yes, the older generation is catching on), professionals and industry connections, Facebook is no longer about being social, but about maintaining and online identity and a personal brand.
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4 Comments
I agree, but it sure is hard. Being a social media kid, it’s hard for me to upgrade my thinking. I mean, we grew up in the Xanga/LiveJournal generation, right? Broadcast your feelings, right? As we grow older we have different feelings and emotions and isn’t there an urge to broadcast it?
I understand the professional level that you’ve mentioned, however, there’s a line on the horizon between being professional and being a human.
This is what worries me. Where is that line? I don’t want to limit myself in some media (Twitter, Facebook pictures), but I understand the need to clean up your act on Google.
You know, one thing that made me want to write this post was when I did a Google blog search for my name, and a result from my freshman year of high school came up. It was a post on my livejournal that mentioned a bit about a terrible boyfriend I had at the time, how much I “hated” school and “life sucked.” Of course, I was just being a silly high schooler and broadcasting my “feelings” at the time, but now, when an employer does a blog search for me, is that what I want them to see?
I understand the need to broadcast yourself. There’s nothing wrong with writing a passionate post about your crappy week or having personal photos on your Facebook.
But as I look through my newsfeed, I see photos of 19-year-olds posing with Jose Cuervo bottles, pictures of girls making out with their boyfriends, and wall posts that say, “Hey you were so crazy at that party, do you even remember it?”
You can maintain a personal network without appearing like a drunken slob.
Spot on!
I agree quite completely. What blows my mind is how someone born today will ever be able to run for president. The press will look back and find those cached pages of that night they were just too drunk to remember.
This is certainly opening my eyes to the content we put on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
It’s a very good New Year’s Resolution!
kid size chairs…
I can give you a piece of advice
Live fast, die young and don稚 care!…