It’s taken me a while to enter the blogosphere. Two months after creating a new site, I’m finally getting going. Similar to the weekly business etiquette column I wrote for a few years at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, I plan to get etiquette experts and other business professionals nationwide to weigh in with comments to questions.
With today’s troubled economy, there’s no better time to offer tools for business success. I’m looking forward to sharing smart career moves and business communication mistakes.
My goal is to blog once a week. Check back frequently or subscribe. I welcome questions and comments.
My first post is about social media. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are blurring the lines between business and pleasure today. For some people, virtual tools are proving to be a great way to meet and greet other professionals. For others, missteps are happening. No doubt we need to have more conversations about how it can affect jobs and careers.
Q. How do I ensure that my virtual private life doesn’t interfere with my professional career?
A. Don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want your mother or father to read. That advice should bode well for employers and future employers.
The bottom line is social media is going to continue to play a role in the way people build reputations and attract clients. That’s why the first thing cautious folks do is check out privacy settings on Facebook. That way some photos and information is for certain people’s eyes only.
But my theory is, if it’s online, it can be made public. Who knows, one of the people in a private group might decide to share.
Business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter said there’s a learning curve that comes with using new technology. Rarely does she have to remind people anymore to turn off cell phones in meetings, avoid all caps in e-mail or speak slowly when leaving phone messages. These technologies have been around for a while. But mistakes are rampant online, from posting offensive photos and videos on Facebook or YouTube to criticizing employers.
“One woman recently posted on her Facebook page, “Attending another stupid work meeting. Can’t wait to get to the bars!” People are still posting negative comments about their company or boss on social networking sites. You can get reprimanded or fired because of it. Why would you bite the hand that feeds you?
Excellent blogg…. I am sure this will work out for you. Congratualtions!
Great blog… Your theory (with a suggested change) is absolutely correct, “if it’s online, it is already in the public domain.” I would go further and say once information is put on a computer, or any computer media, it can never be really be expunged. I always advise clients to use computers only for data that can be shared with the world. In respect to privacy and the social networking sites, people need to understand that these sites are not replacements for the water cooler or back fence. Venting orally over the back fence or at the water cooler provides for ‘plausible deniability.” One can always claim that statements were taken out of context, or simply misinterpreted. Another truth is that writing is much more deliberate than speaking, so the level of believability is enhanced. Finally, data placed on an electronic device is easily, and sometimes automatically ,replicated. I hope your blog helps people realize the public nature of electronic media.
Anything your parents might read….?
What is their editorial gold standard and why is that the benchmark?
Rather than a basis of embarrassment, how about a proactive personal brand framework? Your advice to keep in mind the act of posting is opening the door to your life. What do you want the world, yes the world to see, read, hear about you? All of your posts create a public persona, a personal brand message to any reader. This is: who I am, what I stand for, the behaviors and beliefs which are important to me.
What an individual posts is keen insight into their judgment and values.
Joseph P. Murphy
Shaker Consulting Group, Inc
Developers of the Virtual Job Tryout®
It’s true! That’s why I set all my profiles to private and, even then, only share info I wouldn’t mind getting back to my clients. Social networks can be a great way to interact with clients and—as a journalist—chase story leads, but you have to use them correctly. Great advice, and excellent blog post.