COMMENTS
Great article, Ellie.
Very valid points.
I have no problem being very transparent (I blogged my son's birth in crazy detail while in the birthing room). Authenticity (although really a judgement call by people observing me) is not a problem either. I lay out my triumphs as much as my challenges.
However, I think that the mixing of biz with pleasure is more natural for your generation (not that I'm that much older). But, hotmail was the new things when I was in college. You're native to facebook, which is growing up with your generation (for lack of a better word).
This is kinda why I (and people older than me) like LinkedIn. However, it's a much more sterile and impersonal world.
I think you might have just convinced me to get more involved at facebook. It's probably much more of the future, as much as old folk want to keep private and business lives separate.
Ellie,
You make an excellent point about relationships being relationships. As a boomer in public relations I actually prefer Facebook over LinkedIn because being able to share photos and fun applications actually strengthens relationships. Although older people have a greater comfort level with LinkedIn, I think it's because of its blandness. As I recently explained to a colleague, pics on Facebook don't typically show people wearing business attire.
Great post Ellie. I agree that the black and white lines between business and personal relationships is becoming much more gray. And I think that will continue over time.
To the above comments- do you think LinkedIn is going to continue adding features to be more interactive like Facebook? Or do you think that would turn off some of the "older generation" users?
As a member of both FaceBook and Linked-in, I think they both have their places and serve a purpose. I use Linked-in for the expertise of the members and the credibility. I haven't been able to get beyond socializing on FaceBook, but I feel this is necessary, too. It helps me to relate better in the other social networks that I am in.
I was touched the other day when someone invited me to a concert at the school where we attend. She told me she had invited over 200 people, most of whom committed to going.
I have not seen anything like this take place on Linked-in.
Nice post. I agree with you, and I'm glad you emphasize authenticity. That's really important.
This reminds me of Chris Anderson's discussion of "
radical transparency." He's talking more about transparency in professional media, but he does a good job laying out some of the tradeoffs you're getting at.
Very interesting point. I am working on our business's fan page on facebook and I would for you to check it out and let me know your thoughts! Stanton Glass Studio
Great article Ellie!
First, I use social networks for business! My goal is to promote my clients and business! I wrote an article about how Barack Obama is using social networks. Check out my article: http://www.smartadvantagecoaching.com/pages/home/commentaries.php
Let me know your thoughts!
Second, I created a social online network for entrepreneurs for business.
www.mybusinesscommunity.ning.com) Also, I developed another for business owners who want to mix business and pleasure (for friendship and more)
So Ellie, my answer is it can be used both ways! You can have your cake and eat it too! (smile)
Hello, Ellie and welcome to my radar! I've believed this forever! My insurance man is one of my best friends. His wife and my wife went to nursing school together. His kids call my kids cousins. He was one of my first sales. I was one of his first sales. He refers clients me. I refer clients to him. 30 years like this and he's only one of my relationships. Yesterday, I met a guy in line at Dunkin Donuts. We had a sales conversation two hours later. If you are a professional, shouldn't you be the same persona whether it's 7AM or 11PM, whether you're on line or face to face?
Thanks everyone for all the great comments.
@pete - I actually think there's not as much a generational gap when it comes to this concept, because I see it as a different way of approaching relationships in general (biz/pleasure). The use of the technology to develop these relationships, I agree, is somewhat more natural for some of the younger folks. But I have actually found it easier to develop these "mixed"/fluid relationships as I get older, because it's easier for me to relate on the same level to different people in my life.
@Katie - I almost added in a question about that at the end of the post... it's interesting to see how Facebook has slowly taken over the business world as a new social network. LinkedIn is lagging far, far behind in terms of its networking capabilities and I actually think a lot of these "older" LinkedIn users are slowly migrating to Facebook...
@Rick Glad to meet finally (albeit virtually)! I think that point is absolutely huge - you should always be your authentic self, whether you're at the office, a networking event, or out fishing.
I think a lot of people are coming here to understand what Social Networks do for Internet Marketing, and how to utilize them properly to actually make money. But this didn't go in depth enough. If any of you want to go further in depth I suggest visiting http://3rd-marketier.blogspot.com. It has free guides that go as in-depth as you can possibly get.
As a member of Facebook, there is one observation I agree with. If a profile is "impersonal" and has a company face, I am less likely to read their messages or interact with them. On the other hand, I have some Facebook "friends" who put a "personal" touch to their profiles - hence I am more likely to interact with them and possibly do business.
Dilemma to be sure. What is needed is a code of cyberspace citizenship or code of behavior; in short, what is or is not expected when one freely logs on or gives out their contact info. All social media must address this issue because by the nature of Le Machine matters of both control and freedom are at stake. Hate him, love him or ignore him at your own expense but Carr's BIG SWITCH is a must read and must think. Good points made by all respondents and kudos to Ellie.
This is a very relevant topic for me. I was in college in 2005 when I created my facebook profile and now my life is much different from the life of a college student. I feel the purpose of social networking is lost when people opt for a private profile. I have ‘cleaned up’ my profile and make everything public. I just use my personal discretion when it comes to what gets on there.
I have found that building relationships through personal interests does lead to better networking successes in business.
Many times people I chose not to specifically "Market to" have been the ones to buy my products!
In general I agree with the 'transparency' sentiment... however - there are a number of things to consider..
The main one being - do you really want your colleagues, customers and employers to know as much about you that your best friend and mum knows about you..?
There have been a number of cases where employees have been dismissed because of the data they share on social networking sites. I believe that some degree of separation can be a good thing. I know that you can tweak the privacy settings on Facebook etc as well as exercising editorial control on your profile... what you can't do is stop other people uploading photo's and tagging you in them, or discussing you and your private life/business life in an open forum.
There is also the small issue of you no longer 'owning' the data you publish, once you have published it.
"All of your profiles belongs to us"
@rommo - You bring up a great point. A lot of your profile and the data you publish is public for employers to see and you want to make sure to not make it inappropriate or reason to dismiss you from your job. This speaks to my first point above - social networks calling for both authenticity and transparency. You can't very much lie about being sick one day to skip work and then go partying and post pictures of it online.
On a side note, I'll add that facebook has done a great job in letting you hide pretty much any data you post on your profile - even photos tagged of you that others upload. I think the only thing you can't hide from your connections on facebook is your profile picture.
Ah see, I haven't looked into the facebook tagging settings - I don't let people take pictures of me generally - and especially not people who post them on facebook ;-)
I have been thinking about this a bit more. You may may notice I am using a nickname - nommo - that represents my online identity and individuality more than my first name. I use my first name to post things relating to work, for which I am accountable - full disclosure - I am transparent in that regard. I never use my full name, and certainly don't reveal my physical location. Having two 'personalities' a work one, and a personal one works for me. I am not myself at work, not 100% - I am being paid to act in a certain way.
Facebook in its default state is way too 'transparent' for comfort. Except that you may not know how 'transparent' it is at first...
Not only is it a great tool for identity theft - it is a great stalking tool! It can also give the authorities a great set of data to explore and utilise. I read in cosmo mag in the hairdressers recently about 'coke poking' and the fact that CID (Criminal Investigation Department) are now using it to track down drug users who are overly transparent, also people who buy fake branded goods and tell their friends about it and so on. Not that I have been doing either of those - it is the fact that you are being watched, and they are certainly not your friend.
You may say "If you have got nothing to hide, you have got nothing to worry about" - but that's like saying "Why pay for an envelope if you have nothing to hide?". Privacy is a good thing.
Personally, I have been contemplating deleting my facebook profile, almost since the day I set it up. It feels too much like voluntary surveillance to me... but then I hear that once you set one up - it can be difficult to remove - if not impossible (your account only seems to get deactivated).
Jeremy Bentham would be proud. Be careful out there folks. Read the Terms and Conditions for Facebook and other sites carefully...
What social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace do is that they give us a platform to build relationships with people - including our prospects. Our prospects are used to being the targets of anonymous advertising. They are bombarded with advertising messages each day, yet they don't 'know' the people behind them. There's no rapport or trust there. Anybody can pay big money for an advertisement...but typically somebody needs to see an ad seven times before they really pay attention, let alone do anything. By building relationships, we're getting to know people. We are building trust and creating a place in the hearts and minds of other people...who may very well end up becoming our customers. Social networking works! I know it does! It's worked for me and it will work for you guys too if you put a bit of time in each day.