Friday, April 20, 2012

Social Networking

Oh Social Networking… a blessing and a curse. In the past you had to leave your home to meet people, apply for a job, and get a date… now you just need to turn on your computer.  We have blogs to express opinions, Facebook for reconnecting with old friends, meeting new friends, and promoting businesses, Linked-In for finding fresh and helpful business contacts, Twitter for pretty much everything (including celebrity stalking), Dating Sites for those too shy or busy to get a date the old fashioned way and Myspace for perverts (because honestly that is all that can be found on Myspace these days.)

Companies once had business meetings about conferences and marketing advertisements; now discussions include webinars, Facebook and Linked-In pages, and upcoming email newsletters.

It seems the world has certainly taken off on a technology kick… and it’s a good thing. The internet has made it so simple to keep informed about, well, everything. I can now, literally, ask my phone a question and my virtual personal assistant, Siri, will scan the web to find an answer. I get updates on friends, fun and business through Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In. I can check my email and bank account while waiting in line at the grocery store. Being an informed, successful individual has been made almost too easy.

What do I mean by too easy? Despite the blessing of technology, the curse of human error will always pop up to bite you in the tush. Have you ever sent an email too quickly or to the wrong person? Have you ever posted pictures or a status on facebook that you longed to take back? Have you ever followed the wrong person on Twitter? These things happen to the best of us… and with employers, potential dates and new contacts all looking on, it makes the world of social networking feel a bit dicey.

Just remember the #1 Simply Logic Rule: Don’t share too much. It’s easy and therapeutic to post Facebook and Twitter updates on the heartbreak of your recent breakup, or to blog about how irritating your boss can be, but this information will eventually be read by the people you want to keep it from. It’s like putting your diary online for the world to view. It’s still the internet and nothing is private in the internet world. Even online, rules of interaction still apply - if not more so. So, to recap, Don’t Talk to Strangers, Be Moderate, Don’t Over-share, and, most importantly, Have Fun!