I’ve recently taken to urging my friends, professors, co-workers and fellow classmates to get involved in the social media scene (not counting their obvious rampant usage of Facebook and Myspace) for their personal and professional development. I get a lot of blank stares from these people…
I understand why it’s weird to hear someone talk about “following” people (Twitter) and “adding people to your network” (LinkedIn) if these aren’t concepts you are familiar with. Especially following. Really, Twitter, could you make people feel MORE stalkerish?
But you want to know what “following” people got me? I found out about an internship (unpaid, fail) through Twitter, by @’ing (if you’re not familiar, you @someone to reply to them) the person who was hiring about the potential opportunity for me, having someone else who worked for a different company who needed someone in a similar capacity see that “Tweet” (these words all sound super lame, I know) and follow my profile links to my LinkedIn (essentially your online resume and professional contacts) page, realize I’m THE BOMB (like tick… tick.. Lil’ Wayne reference? Inappropriate? OK… moving on) and meet up with me to discuss my skillset, career interests, et al., and then getting me in for an interview and, eventually, having said company create a position, just for yours truly 
I’m not even afraid to story top myself in my own blog post, so here it goes: HALFWAY THROUGH WRITING THIS POST, I got a phone call from someone I met through Twitter, then Facebook, then Linkedin (I’m a social media SLUT)Â offering me the position of Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations with a newly founded interactive agency in Indianapolis. Oh, and hi, $125k salary FTW. I won’t elaborate on this at this time, it’s just fabulously good timing for my blogosphere inspiration.
Social Media Epic Win?
BUT YES. Building a strong professional network takes a lot of time. And “following” someone on Twitter or persuading them to accept your LinkedIn invitation (OMGZ I LOVE UR JOB PLEES BE MY FRIEND) does not, in itself, make them someone you can expect a job from, expect to become your client, expect to even sit next to you at a social networking event. If you stop the relationship there, well, der, the relationship stops there.
BUT! And this, my friends, is the title track of the album that is this blog post (The B side?):
Electrozicution from lite bulb + mouth = t-minus 5 seconds
In Defense of Social Media Networking
You have to foster these relationships. If someone posts that they need an article on a topic, you need to take 5 minutes and be the first person who finds them one. If someone creates a Facebook page for their company, you need to take 30 seconds out of your afternoon to invite all of your friends to “Be a fan” of that company. If someone posts a blog (AHEM) that you find interesting, helpful, stupid, has hot Cheryl pics, et al., you need to post that link for YOUR network to see. This is how this crap is supposed to work, people. There are people I “follow” who I will probably meet this Wednesday at the Columbus Tweetup (Twitter + Meetup… geeks are clever.) and feel like I’ve known them for years. And there are lots of other people who I will initially feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable around because there is no feeling of a personal relationship from our connection, just an occasional kudos on a link share or a beverage choice. So if you send me a Facebook friend request and don’t introduce yourself or tell me why you’re being a social media creeper… I’m just going to think you’re a real-life creeper and the potential connections are lost. Finito.
So post your work history on LinkedIn. Tweet about the news article you just read (Tabloids don’t count). Don’t just use Facebook to track down the girl you thought was cute at the party last night to learn her “interests” (”BOIZ, cuddlin, gettin schwasted and lovin life! lol!” Oh, and she’s only 17, BTW, and Chris Hansen is en route), use Facebook to share links, pictures, blogs, events, MAVERICKINESS (to be explained in a minute.) Oh, and uh, don’t use Myspace at all. KTHX.
In conclusion, because that’s how we are taught in 5th grade to end things, social media is what you make it. And if you’re reading this, you likely figured that out already. Or you’re a Facebook creeper. So I’ll direct this comment at my Facebook creepers:MAKE MORE OF IT!
OHÂ and, uh, I vowed early on to not make my blog political, because I want you to like/hire/want/etc me despite my political ideology… but I CANNOT resist sharing my Halloween maverickiness any longer:
Costume Maverick.
shpef says:
I’m still a n00b to SM networking myself, but have been using Twitter and do enjoy the interaction. I’m not sure at this point what it may or may not be able to do for my career at this point (not using it as a ‘networking’ tool in that sense), but it’s certainly an easy way to interact with people in a wide variety of occupations and interests.
Perhaps I’m just too old to ‘get it’ (or rapidly approaching that point), but the whole LinkedIn thing also doesn’t seem to hold a lot of value to me. Perhaps I’m becoming one of the ‘dinosaurs’ that even I joke about? I’m quite sure any future job I hold will come about due to my knowledge of someone from inside, and not some Monster posting, but not yet comfortable fully embracing all this new push for social media/networking.
Reminds me of back when they tried to talk about “the new math”. LOL
Oct 21, 2008, 10:27 amTennille King says:
Loved this post Cheryl - well said and funny as always. And I will fulfill my social media obligations and retweet this link and post it on Facebook.
Oct 21, 2008, 10:43 amJenny McCutcheon says:
Thanks for the entertaining post Cheryl.
I wanted to comment about your recommendation to not use MySpace at all. I still keep a MySpace profile mainly because many of my younger family members use MySpace exclusively. Although I don’t meet new people, or professionally network in this space, I know I would lose contact with many people I care about that refuse to expand into other SM networks if I deleted my profile.
Again, great post!
Oct 21, 2008, 10:45 amBob Cannon says:
Thanks for the post. I am a newbie and still trying to figure this all out.
Oct 21, 2008, 11:22 amAndy Markle-Desjardins says:
Aww, Cheryl! You did post it! I like it.
Oct 21, 2008, 12:39 pmJohn Wyatt Edgar says:
Good post, young padawan. An old shrew like me can actually learn something from this.
Oct 21, 2008, 10:50 pmPam says:
Hi, Cheryl, I’m gonna follow you! Great blog post. I use all the networks you mentioned and am having great fun with it. Meeting people, twittering and all that. Is this Columbus “tweetup” a real-life face-to-face thing? I wish I could go, but I work on Wednesday nights. In some ways it’s fun to stay anonymous, but it would be cool to meet people you’ve been chatting with. Great post, I’ve been seeing more posts with this theme lately. It’s a whole genre unto itself I guess. I got artwork published in a book recently only because the author of said book saw my work on Flickr and emailed me to ask if she could include it in the book she was working on… I said “sure,” sent her the file, and now my art is published! So there you go! That’s what I call doing it the easy way. Thanks for a fun blog, I’ll be back to see more.
Oct 21, 2008, 10:47 amPam/aka dieverdog
Dane says:
I dont know whos a bigger dork - you for writing this, or me for reading it. just wanted to check in- glad your as well and spirited as ever! (youre more passionate then you ever let on, just not for brodway…) be well,
Oct 21, 2008, 1:16 pm-Dane
Lauren says:
Hey, Cheryl!
Oct 21, 2008, 7:27 pmI’m a new follower and so far, I’m loving your blog. You came highly recommended by my PR teacher, Dr. V (@prprof_mv). I love this post on social media. I have to admit, I used to be one of those people that didn’t understand social media, and still today I’m not completely open to it, but yes, I do have a blog, I follow others’ blogs through my RSS feeds, and I am on Twitter (@lgaulin). Your blog is eye opening, and it does actually make me want to be a little more open to social media, and believe me, if you can persuade me, you can persuade anybody, because I’m one of the most non-technologically, non-social media advanced people, you’ll ever meet (or tweet). Kudos!
-Lauren
Comment on Cheryl Harrison’s blog post “In Defense of Social Media Networking” « Lauren Gaulin says:
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Oct 21, 2008, 7:54 pmHow Knowing People That Know Other People Works | I'minlikewithAndy says:
[...] Cheryl Harrison, a marketing and PR guru (and now self-proclaimed maverick), says in a majority of her blogs about social media, it is a requirement to “follow” people. It gets you places… and most notably in [...]
Oct 21, 2008, 5:36 pmDaquan Langley says:
AWW LIL WAYNE WAS SOO DECENT THEN!!
Oct 21, 2008, 9:08 pmKeven Hahn says:
Lil wayne is still going hard, nuthing changed, he still releases a crazy amount of songs! compare to other rappers.
Oct 21, 2008, 12:18 amErina says:
Hi, I just add your site in my rss reader. Keep it coming
Oct 21, 2008, 1:27 pm