Facebook: Business or Pleasure?
I have this little theory that social media (e.g., blogs, forums and social networks) open up a whole new behavioral change where it’s acceptable to be a little personal, a little less professional and more “off the cuff” with thoughts, comments and ideas. Facebook is the “great experiment” in which we are all now trying to figure out how much of our personal lives to share with who we allow to be friends.
It comes back to the transparency element of social networking in that you must be transparent and real about your level of communications. If too contrived or too rigid, it just does not work.
So, my conclusion is: it’s about time! We all have enough stress in our lives and really do not need any more when it comes to communicating amongst peers. So, let’s be ourselves, be comfortable with that, recognize every once in a while that we’ll have friends post things that are less than appropriate and all accept it for what it’s worth.
Do you agree?
Aaron Kahlow is managing partner of BusinessOnLine and chairman of the Online Marketing Summit. He is a regular columnist for Electronic Retailer magazine.
Tags: aaron kahlow, businessonline, Electronic Retailer, facebook, online marketing summit, social media, Social Networks
March 12th, 2008 at 10:55 am
When I joined Facebook in the fall of 2004 as a junior in college, it was a website for students to interact with each other. In fact, you needed a “.edu” email address to even join the site!
That being said, people in the professional world should understand that for Gen Y, Facebook is a place for us to interact with our friends first and foremost. If seeing me on a beach with my friends in Acapulco during spring break holding a beer is something that would be offensive to you, then I suggest adding me as a friend on LinkedIn instead. I’ll promise to keep it clean!
March 13th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I joined Facebook a couple of months ago so I could understand how the industry uses it. Or so that’s what I told myself. Before long however, I was posting pictures, renewing friendships, and making new ones. It’s been a great experience. Unfortunately my sons aren’t so sure! They think it’s weird that there mom is using “their” generation’s communication vehicle. They especially hate when I “poke” them…and God forbid when one of their friends asks me to join their book as a “friend”.
Oh well - perhaps I should really embarrass them and post some racy photos!