Lela Davidson
I like Facebook. I like the way it helps me turn acquaintances into friends. I like the way it allows me to stay connected to acquaintances I would otherwise lose track of. And perhaps most important for my future as *famous author* (a girl can dream) I like the way it allows strangers to get to know me enough to want to part with some of their disposable income to buy my book – or for now, part with some of their disposable time to read my blog.
In my quest to use Facebook to grow my readership, I have been slowly make the change from personal Facebook use to business Facebook use. But that’s not entirely true. I’m still using it for personal. Now I’m ALSO using it for business. I’ve looked at the issue of location, ie. letting the general public know where you are every moment of the day. I’ve also covered the ‘message’ that goes out on personal vs. business social media. But what about the message your ‘friends’ are giving others?
Is That Guy Really Your Friend?
In response to the last post in this series, Kevin Montgomery stated his practice:
“If my boss or clients follow me, I want to be careful about what I say about work. I always want to be careful about what might slip from me about my friends.”
That’s a great policy, but how many of us actually do that? And even if we’re pretty careful most of the time, there’s just something about the nature of social media that makes you feel comfortable enough to share things you maybe shouldn’t. It’s sort of like drinking that third margartita in a crowded Mexican bar and then telling the waitress all about your fling with the pool boy. Except that the waitress is actually the pool boy’s wife and you just left your confession in oil-based paint on the diving board. It’s going to be there for a while.
Considering there’s nothing we can do to control what our friends (actual and the online variety) say about us in social media, I feel like there are two alternatives. Either hide in a shack and turn off the electricity or embrace the technology wholeheartedly.
Can we really enjoy the positives of social media while keeping the negatives to a minimum?
