The professional/personal divide for social networking is a big deal for a lot of people. It’s a question we’ve been asked at just about every single event, presentation, or workshop on social media we’ve delivered, during in-person networking sessions, and heard as attendees at other social-media-related soirees.
Personal privacy concerns play into it. A company’s legal liability and reputation also play into it. And the media highlights incidents of people who either aren’t using common sense or don’t know how to control their privacy settings properly.
You may have heard about the Philadelphia Eagles part-time employee who complained on Facebook about a trade the Eagles didn’t make, and was fired as a result. D’oh! Or the person who lost a job offer from Cisco for tweeting about the choice of taking a good paycheck but hating the work and the commute.
Things like this happen all the time, and happened well before social media ever came along. Stupid emails accidentally sent company-wide, inappropriate remarks in meetings, bad behavior at office parties…the list goes on and on.
So rather than limit the professional/personal conversation to social networking, let’s look at it in terms of networking in general.
When you go to an “offline” networking event, do you ever, only, and exclusively talk about business? Of course not! You talk about the weather, baseball, traffic, kids, movies, and all the other water-cooler-type topics that ultimately become fertile ground for creative collaborations, engaging services, and even striking business deals.
It’s an open secret that, at its core, business is not about “business.” It’s about people and relationships. People want to create relationships, and do business with people who they enjoy, respect, and feel comfortable with. For that to be at all possible, mixing the professional and the personal – in a way that feels comfortable for you, demonstrates professionalism, and respects the tenets of respect and human decency – has never been easier, or smarter, for your business success.
As a result, when asked about “professional versus personal,” we add a third category to the conversation – “private.” You don’t talk about the unexpected blemish that’s developed in your bathing suit area. You don’t talk about how you want to tell off your boss with every four-letter word you can think of. You don’t put anything online that you would be embarrassed to see on the front page of the New York Times.
In fact, asking yourself that gut-check, common-sense question, “Would I be okay if this was read or seen by millions of people, including my neighbors, colleagues, and grandmother?” before you share your thoughts online is all you really need to do to manage the professional/personal/private divide.
Your clients, prospects, partners, and allies all want to know there’s a savvy business mind at work when they connect with you. They also want to know you’re human. As business becomes ever more competitive, the personal connection becomes ever more vital. Social networking tools allow you to mix the professional AND the personal with confidence and your own unique flair, for maximum value. So dive in and start sharing!
