Jeremy Tate's List: Business/Social Networking

The Line Between Social and Professional Networking

 That line between social and professional gets blurry and I'm not sure how, and when, you should draw it, especially when you're job searching. If you're careful, and use your connections wisely (on LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace), however, you can use them for whatever you want - helping build your career or figuring out what party you want to go to or movie to watch. 

 The key is to be careful. Tiffany suggests, "College students and young professionals who are using Facebook for professional networking need to be aware of the amount and type of information they are sharing. That said, many young professionals I know prefer using it for professional networking namely because it showcases you as a whole person. This is definitely an evolving issue, and since the opening of the Facebook world to outside developers, it will continue to be interesting to monitor." 

 Kay Stout, Executive Advisor at Oklahoma Professional Job Search and the author of the Another Point of View, blog, also has good advice, "From my perspective as an executive adviser/career coach, Facebook/MySpace are electronic diaries that you’re willing to have the whole word look at, any time, any where. And, remember people can download your image, comments and save them for later distribution."  

 Tips For Using Facebook for Professional Networking

 If you do decide to use the social networking sites for professional networking, and, a word of warning, some experts I spoke to suggested that Facebook and business don't mix well, here are some suggestions on how best to utilize it: 

 
• First, make a decision whether to keep Facebook social or expand your use.  
• If you decide to use Facebook for professional networking, take a close look at your Profile and decide what you want business contacts or prospective employers to see - and what you don't. 
• Create a simple profile (or clean up with your existing one) with minimal graphics and widgets. 
• Limit the photos you post. 
• Post content relevant to your job search or career. 
• Use Facebook email to build relationships with your Friends.  
• Choose your Friends wisely. Remember your Friends can see information about your other Friends in your Profile. 

Finally, advice from Kay Stout for all of us who use Facebook, "To be taken professionally, be very, very careful what you share with the world on Facebook/My Space (reminds me of 'The Emperor Has No Clothes' story). People seem to forget that everyone can see what you’re really not wearing."