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If you’ve been following my blog or know anything about me, you know I’ve become a convert at the altar of social media, particularly LinkedIn.  Now, the industry I serve has many strengths.  Its professionals are loyal, hard-working, detail-oriented, and tend to value traditional relationships.  However, it’s not always a cutting-edge industry when it comes to using technology.

 

Needless to say, when I first joined the social networking sites, I found that about 25% of my professional contacts had even bothered to join.  Well, that seems to be changing in a hurry.  Every day, I’m pleased to see old friends and colleagues finding their way onto the good ole’ Web 2.0 (When do we get to Web 3.0, by the way?).

 

Many folks are also figuring out that LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, et al, can be used for more than posting college pictures we never knew had been taken, much less saved for public review.  With that in mind, and spurred on by a nice conversation with my brother, the design genius who assembled my professional site, it may be time for a primer on the dos and don’ts of social networking.

 

Suggestion:  Your network should consist of people you would actually talk to in person…and who would talk to you in return. 

 

Why, Brian?    Look, we’re all trying to build our networks.  It’s critical in this economy, in this day and age.  But, as my brother astutely points out, part of the credibility of working an introduction in your network is knowing that the person introducing you actually…knows…that…person.  I know I’ve received plenty of invitations from people I don’t know.  Hey, build your own list!  Or, at least use the introduction function!

 

Suggestion:     If you are using your status, Q&A, discussion or similar functions to find a job, pitch a product, etc….for God’s sake, put some thought into it!

 

Why, Brian?    Lately,  when I go to a discussion page, I tend to see 4 or 5 badly-worded pitches.  “I’m looking for a job.  Will you help?”  “My product solves your needs!  Call 555-555-5555!”  Ok.  I can sympathize with the jobless.  But just repeating that you’re unemployed makes you look, well…needy.  You’re a solid professional and a bright person, no?  Then tell us what you ARE doing, rather than repeating over and over that you need a job.  Tell us you’re volunteering for a local non-profit, that you’re working on a formula for cold fusion, or whatever.  Frame a positive conversation that focuses on your skills and talents.  Being unemployed, and repeating it as a mantra, only makes you a number.

 

As to the pitches, I myself am trying to sell a service.  But, despite being a marketing and PR guy, I am turned off when I go to a discussion zone seeking value and content,  only to get a one-sided pitch.  Funny thing is, the same people do seem to understand that, when presenting a pitch in person, the seller needs to LISTEN.  The seller is trying to solve the NEEDS of the prospect, and provide something of value.  So why wouldn’t that rule apply when posting something on the social networks?  If you want to pitch something, don’t just write a one-sentence ad.  Instead, discuss something that the reader wants to see!  Assume your audience is bright, and that they can connect the dots.  Give them a natural segue, and let them do the math.  If you’re seeking to sell car wax, ask how many people in your group get their cars washed professionally, and how many do it in their driveways.  It’s a social networking site, not Craig’s List.

 

Suggestion:     If you’re using Facebook, remember, you’re being Googled by clients, recruiters, job prospects and, if you’re unlucky, old, jilted boyfriends or girlfriends.

 

Why, Brian? (and, BTW, I don’t HAVE any exes!)    This one doesn’t need too much explanation, and my apologies for those of you without old flames.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in posting pictures and funny tidbits on sites like Facebook and Twitter.  If your profile is highly visible to anyone searching for you, that picture of you taken in college at 3 a.m. on a Saturday you can’t quite remember…well, that’s highly visible too.  So if you’re planning on showing your face in a professional manner, try not to show us anything you wouldn’t in the conference room.  You may want to keep this in mind as you start to post photos, comments or videos of a more unseemly nature.  Get familiar with privacy settings, too.

 

Remember, using social networking for purposes other than, well, networking, can be acceptable.  But when you turn your status into a pure advertisement, you may find the people you’re trying to reach fleeing in terror.