Making the Most Out of Social Networking Page 2

Putting Your Best Face(Book) Forward

There are a gajillion social and business networking websites – including MySpace, Classmates.com, LinkedIn, Plaxo, just to name a few – but in the interest of space, we’ll look at the one that’s getting the most buzz these days: Facebook. Facebook lets you post basic information about yourself, photos, send instant and email messages and has fun games and quizzes to suck up your time. Want to know which Smurf you’re most like? Your hillbilly name? There are applications for those and much more!

But the real draw to Facebook is the vast number of people who are now on it, and the ability to post to people’s “walls” – users’ main page where users in their network comment on postings, photos, etc. More about that later.

You simply sign onto Facebook (again, it’s free), and try to see how many people you can find. Once you find someone you want in your network, be it a friend, relative, colleague, former classmate, you send in a “friend request”. Make sure you have the right person, as there may be many people with your requested friend’s name.

Once they confirm that they indeed want to be connected to you, they are now one of your friends.  From just a few friends, you can see who they are connected to, and send in more friend requests. And chances are, those friends will recommend friends to you. And so on, and so on. Like networking in the “real world”, you never know who knows who, so why not connect to as many people as you can?

Do you need to confirm all friend requests? Absolutely not! Do you need to make friends with everyone in the real world? Of course not. Similar to what we teach our kids, if you don’t recognize someone in a friend request, ignore them. Mr. (or Miss) Stranger Danger is lurking on the Internet, and you don’t want to be a victim. You can also remove friends if they get abusive or obnoxious.

One reason people find Facebook more appealing than blogging is there is less commitment. At the top of your “wall”, you can post a short message. It’s a box that says, “What’s on your mind?” This can be anything you want: A recap of your day, what your kids are doing, or, literally, what’s on your mind. It posts as YOUR NAME your comment, and looks something like:

“Karen Fagen-Moss is writing an article about social networking”

Why did I include my former name hyphenated when I don’t do so in the real world? I still have friends and colleagues from years ago who might not know I remarried, and still know me as Karen Fagen. If you’re a woman and have married (or remarried), or if you’re either gender and have changed your name at all over the years, it’s a good idea to include your former names (unless you don’t want to be found under those names).

Facebook can be really fun and useful. Like many Facebook users, I’ve reconnected with people I haven’t seen or heard from in decades. And it’s a good way to connect, reconnect or stay connected to business colleagues. And as mentioned earlier, Facebook is also chock-full of posts, games and quizzes that may actually render you dumber.

Some may disagree with me, but I have no problem with business colleagues sharing personal information about their daily lives (to a point!). Let’s face it – since the dawn of networking (real-world and virtual), people prefer to do business with people who share common interests.

But be aware of how much personal information you share. If your “friends” include social friends and business colleagues, the latter group might not be as impressed about how wasted you got over the weekend. On the other hand, conveying an “all business” attitude could be conceived as being boring.

What is the best way to get the most out of Facebook? Like blogging, it’s more interesting to try to start a dialogue among your friends. Ask questions to get opinions. Instead of just posting, “We’re going to Disneyland,” ask your friends for suggestions about special deals, hotel recommendations, etc. If you’re angry about what’s going on in local politics, say so. You might learn something. But remember to play fair, and be aware that free speech goes both ways!

If you’re looking for a new job, mention that, too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, especially these days. Instead of just saying, “I’m looking for a new job,” be specific about what you’re looking for – industry, location, etc. The more specific you are, the better your friends (and maybe their friends) might be able to help you.

If you’re a business owner looking for new clients (we always are!), by all means, share what’s happening with your business. Did you just start a new project? Share as much as you can. Did you go to a really good seminar? Mention it on Facebook. While your potential customers might not understand what you learned, they will at least know you’re improving your skills. Sharing this information costs you nothing but a few seconds of your time, and could pay off in the long run.

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