I was all ready for my OneWebDay (in Columbus, Ohio) presentation / discussion last week when something from underneath of my car was pulled into the wheel and I got stranded from this event I was so excited about. The one day all that can go wrong happens on "One Web Day"!
In celebration of "One Web Day" I created a blog about the topic I was going to discuss - Transitioning from Personal use to Professional Use of Facebook.
Employees beware - employers are savvier than you think
Be it for pre-employment or for making sure their companies image is being properly represented by their employees; employers have most likely checked out your web presence or, found someone else who can.
I have been contacted by large and small organizations to help with the pre-employment process. One photo, one statement or even a wall post can make a grand impact - because this (not your resume!) is their first impression of you. When an organization does not have the resources to implement "web screening" or when employers do not have a profile themselves, I have even seen cases of employers using their children's account to find you. This means if you happen to be friends with your potential new boss' kids, even if you have your profile access limited to your friends, you potential new boss could be looking at your profile!
Items to think about:
- Have you ever googled yourself (name, email, user names)?
Your employer and general business contacts likely have.
- Would your Facebook profile be a positive first impression prior to a meeting, sales pitch or other professional business to business activity?
Many professionals now search out the list of those they will meet prior to the first meeting to learn more. Your profile could circulate around another company prior to even meeting.
Privacy settings and social intelligence
First, if your profile is public, change your privacy settings. Don't make it easy for folks to get to your profile.
Whenever we enter a professional job, as soon as we walk into that work place, the majority of us change our demeanor, language and appearance. When we leave for the weekend and prepare for a night out on the town, a tailgate or any other personal activity, most of us will again change our persona to fit the atmosphere that surrounds us. Facebook has now entered a realm that merges both environments:
Personal - keep in touch with friends, plan parties and look at the results of the night before.
Professional - build relationships, business leads, plan events and build community around your brand.
Facebook's solution: Lists
Organize your friends, family and business associates into Lists. There are many great benefits with facebooks Lists- you can set specific privacy settings for a List and view only the News Feed of specific Lists you have created.
Privacy How To:
1) Hover over "Settings" and click on "Privacy Settings".
2) Click on the "Profile" link.
3) You will see the sections to apply privacy settings to. Start at "Basic Info".
4) For each section click on the "Customize" link.
5) Within the bottom of the dialog box type which List to apply privacy setting to.
6) Network with confidence!
Note - You have to first create a List from the "Friends" page before you can apply a privacy settings for that List.
I have been a scholar of sorts on the topic of social intelligence. My goal - translating this study into application for the social web. In Karl Albrechts book "Social Intelligence - Intelligence Theory to Human Interaction" a specific dimension to his theory labeled Situational Awareness has had the greatest impact on my web presence today. In a nutshell, think of it like your social radar - having the ability to read and understand the environment in which you interact in. In the case of Facebook, I often explain it as a coffee shop type of environment.
At first: It was just a hang out with friends. No worries.
Then: I started to see business contacts visiting and I would hide from them.
Now: I see real value in visiting both networks. I can leverage benifits of both through privacy settings.
Who could ask for better platform to ask questions and dialog about Facebook and the social web than on ShinyDoor's website! I look forward to your questions and comments!
