Why bother with Linked-In or Facebook?
- 3 Comments
- October 8th, 2008
Yesterday I got an email from a brilliant friend I haven’t seen in years. He’s the mad-scientist of video engineering who I remember as always drilling holes in the back of $100,000 Sony decks to make “just one more modification.” We re-connected via Facebook (or was it Linked In?) and after the regular email volley of catch ups and pleasantries he asked:
I’m going to ask for some free advice (beers on me for this one). Colleagues and friends (including yourself) have invited me to join them on linked-in, facebook, etc…
As an avowed Luddite and someone who a) does not feel I have the time to maintain relationships on these sites and b) simply does not trust the security and intent of these sites; please explain to me why using these or similar services is good for my career or otherwise.
I do not want to avoid these sites if there is a real benefit to my career, but I have always had a fairly high bar for what is a real enhancement, and what just adds more maintenance.
Please also explain how the etiquette of not accepting someone’s invitation works. I do not want to offend colleagues by ignoring their invite. If I do sign up, there may be people for whom I would not write any kind of endorsement (also a high bar for me) also an etiquette dilemma.
When Did Noah Build The Ark?
Answer? BEFORE the Flood. You build your network before you need it. And that takes time. How much time? Well I joined Linked-In back in 2003 when the company first started. It seemed like a good way of keeping in touch with far-flung friends. I haven’t put much effort into it, maybe an hour a month and I’ve got about 225 connections.
Ditto for Plaxo . I use the service to sync my address books between multiple PC’s and Macs, and see who’s up to what. Since the company was bought by Comcast Cable – known for their customer service and high privacy standards – I’ve backed off a bit. Maybe 20 minutes a month.
Facebook was a bitch of a stretch – “Isn’t that just for College kids?” – but I’ve found I rather like it. While I have in fact reconnected with high school friends and college sweethearts, most of my Facebook friends are people I would hang out with on a regular basis. Especially if they were buying the beer. Time investment: 30 minutes a month. Frequency that I check it: much higher, especially with the new iPhone app.
You Talking to Me?
There are in fact some people you just don’t want to talk to. I’m no Roy Will Rogers (“I never met a man I didn’t like”) but I’m close enough. So I tend to accept most invitations except from complete strangers who have not been introduced through a mutual friend (which Linked In handles for you). And in the awkward instance where someone sends you an invitation to “be a friend” and you’re thinking “Oh no you didn’t just do that did you?” there’s only one thing to do. Ignore it. It feels rude by my “Southern Gentlemen” standards but this ain’t the South, it’s digital.
This also applies to you not seeking an online “friendship” with your kid’s profile on Facebook and your direct reports on other social services. Etiquette demands that you give them space and not put them in an awkward position in the first place.
Liquor? I Hardly Know Her!
Endorsements are a tough one. I’m rather picky and I’ve never understood their role on these sites. But some people volunteer them and others ask you to write them. My policy is if they were genuinely helpful and talented it is my pleasure. I endorsed my mortgage broker on Linked In. Someone I haven’t worked with in a decade.
Why? Because she helped me arrange financing for my first house with an elegant and complicated package of a first and second trust. Several years later she helped me refinance again below market rate. And she took care of my local clients’ needs giving them personal service. Would I endorse the guy who prints Group 8020′s corporate schwag? Probably not.
Privacy and The Bottom Line
I would encourage you to sign up for two services, probably Linked In and Facebook. Next, I would strongly encourage you to go to Account Settings and navigate to the Privacy Settings. Some default to settings that are too open for my liking. For example, on Linked In I don’t share my information with their “affiliated sites including New York Times” but I do allow people to browse my network. Why? I don’t want spam from the NY Times but I do want to send new business to members of my network. Just tweak as you go along.
In the end it’s like Chance Gardener said in the movie “Being There“: “This is just like television, only you can see much further.”
Jason Womack Nov 5
Brilliant post, indeed. When asked “why” I am a member of Facebook, have an account with LinkedIn or maintain two Twitter feeds, my “up-to-new” response has been:
“I don’t know if I don’t need them.”
Thanks for giving me a few more ideas of what to think about when I go back to updating my status (or is it statii?)
Pat North Aug 2
Helpful article, but any “Southern Gentleman” would know it wasn’t Roy Rogers (an Ohio native) who said “I never met a man I didn’t like”. It was WILL Rogers, from the Claremore area of Oklahoma.
Mark-Hollander Aug 19
Right you are Pat, and thanks for pointing that out. Just goes to show you, “never blog when hungry”.