The question of separating/merging/controlling/etc the line between “personal” and “professional” information in social media comes up a lot. Everyone seems to have a different strategy for addressing it. Some people connect with only business contacts on LinkedIn and personal friends on Facebook. Some people have a company Twitter account for their work-related Tweets and a personal account for their other Tweets. Some people refuse to post pictures of them holding alcohol (read: drinking, not drunk) on their Facebook even though they’re of the legal drinking age and thus not doing anything wrong.
And then some people connect with everyone everywhere and use bad words and post pictures with booze (ahem.)
So how do you know when it’s ok to combine personal and professional content?
If you’re not talking about:
- Something Illegal (i.e. you have committed a crime)
- Something vulgar (note: this is subjective to you + your audience)
- Something in direct conflict with your profession (i.e. violating a NDA, sharing corporate secrets)
- … (?)
If it’s not in one of those categories, then there’s absolutely no reason why you CAN’T share it. So stop asking me the question. That’s the answer. From this point on, it’s a personal choice.
There are drawbacks to being reserved and to over-sharing, privacy, safety and security concerns among them. Some people have an issue with merging their 9-5 self with who they are the other 16 hours of the day. Just keep in mind that most people in the social media space care more about who you are the other 16 hours of the day.
So no - there’s go magical formula I’m going to give you for how you should combine or separate personal and professional contents on which networks and where. There’s nothing wrong with using Facebook just for your real-life friends, and connecting with colleagues only on LinkedIn. And there’s also nothing wrong with posting a picture of you with a beer onto Twitter where - gasp - your clients might see it. But hey, It’s your personal choice.
I think Brent said it best in a comment: “That said, if it’s something I wouldn’t want my mother to see or hear, I wouldn’t post in online, either.” And hey, my mom IS connected to me on all the networks, and reads my blog. HI MOM!
Personally - I share just about everything. Everywhere. Things I try to avoid: politics, religion, and sex.
You?
Rachel Esterline says:
There is a fine line one must walk between being transparent and revealing too much that is personal. I try not to reveal too much. There are simply some things that people don’t need to know about me.
For example, I am of legal drinking age, but I would never post pictures of myself drunk.
Not only do I represent myself and my clients, but I also represent the company I work for, the agency I am interning at, my university and the other places I have worked for/interned at.
It doesn’t really bother me if other people share too much, but as a young professional, I am striving to keep a professional image while being transparent.
Oct 16, 2009, 6:00 pmChris Thiede says:
I tend to offer people glimpses, because I think that enhances the human aspect of business relationships, but am reserved otherwise. I think mainly because if you go too far and show drunken pictures, etc., it could have the effect of amplifying what is otherwise a small part of your life… And I don’t get out much (I have a 4 yr-old).
The area that really makes me nervous is politics. I’m a fairly a-political person, but I do have some opinions. But I get nervous sometimes about sharing them, even in relatively tame subjects. People tend to fly off the handle when politics are involved, and I guess I’d rather avoid that with my clients, or more importantly, prospective clients who might be evaluating me for a future business relationship.
Oct 16, 2009, 6:04 pmBrent LaLonde says:
I throw it all out there. I am who I am, and the more clients know about me, the more opportunities we have to connect on a personal level, which leads to more opportunities to connect professionally.
Oct 16, 2009, 6:07 pmBrent LaLonde says:
That said, if it’s something I wouldn’t want my mother to see or hear, I wouldn’t post in online, either.
Oct 16, 2009, 6:09 pmJulie Castell says:
I say be who you are but keep it within reason. If you talk like a sailor in real life, you might clean it up a bit. Not totally.
I wouldn’t read your blog if your funny pictures went away
Oct 16, 2009, 7:48 pmRobb Landon says:
I am not sure of others, but I personally like feeling I know a little more about the folks I have business and personal relationships with. Social media serves as a tool to this end. The more we know, within reason, about people the better understand where they are comming from and what we can expect in both personal and profesional interaction. I
I offer information about myself in the contexts of the people who might recieve it. How a SM platforms are designed requires a close look at how I might use it. Where the potty training of a 3yo might be fine for facebook, not so good on LinkedIn unless that is a profesion you ingage in.
Oct 16, 2009, 1:25 pmJulia Kinslow says:
I think it’s the premise of social media to be transparent. However, if you are in business for yourself, you run the risk of offending a potential client if you put too much of yourself and your belief system out there. I try to emphasize provocative content, or information to help clients understand my professional acumen. I save the more private stuff for face-to-face if the client is open to it.
Oct 16, 2009, 4:10 pmKarin Oliver-Kreft says:
I think that in itself, the choice one makes about the divide between your business profile and your personal profile demonstrates a lot about who you are as a person.
If you use different profiles, it says something about who you are. Same as if you just use one. I’m a dork in all situations, so I use the same ones for my professional life as for my personal life. (It’s not like I can hide being a dork - you’re going to figure it out eventually. And it’s TIRING to try to act all the time.)
One could also make the argument that people are offended by less nowadays, so you can feel safer to use language and express thoughts that would have been thought inappropriate in previous decades. That being said, it’s ALWAYS better to not talk politics, religion, or sex with ANYONE that doesn’t already know and appreciate you.
Oct 16, 2009, 8:59 pmHow to annoy me on LinkedIn | Being Cheryl: Social Media Marketing Tips from Columbus, Ohio says:
[...] when I posted it, too. Why? Because I’m pretty positive I’ve got a strong - good or bad - brand online. Google me real quick. I think I’m producing content and ranking just fine, [...]
Oct 16, 2009, 1:06 pm