How to Separate the Personal From the Professional in Social Networking
by Lani & Allen Voivod, aka The Content Lovers™
The professional/personal divide for social networking is a big deal for a lot of people. It’s a question we’ve been asked at just about every single event, presentation, or workshop on social media we’ve delivered, during in-person networking sessions, and heard as attendees at other social-media-related soirees.
Personal privacy concerns play into it. A company’s legal liability and reputation also play into it. And the media highlights incidents of people who either aren’t using common sense or don’t know how to control their privacy settings properly.
You may have heard about the Philadelphia Eagles part-time employee who complained on Facebook about a trade the Eagles didn’t make, and was fired as a result. D’oh! Or the person who lost a job offer from Cisco for tweeting about the choice of taking a good paycheck but hating the work and the commute.
Things like this happen all the time, and happened well before social media ever came along. Stupid emails accidentally sent company-wide, inappropriate remarks in meetings, bad behavior at office parties…the list goes on and on.
So rather than limit the professional/personal conversation to social networking, let’s look at it in terms of networking in general.
When you go to an “offline” networking event, do you ever, only, and exclusively talk about business? Of course not! You talk about the weather, baseball, traffic, kids, movies, and all the other water-cooler-type topics that ultimately become fertile ground for creative collaborations, engaging services, and even striking business deals.
It’s an open secret that, at its core, business is not about “business.”
It’s about people and relationships. People want to create relationships, and do business with people who they enjoy, respect, and feel comfortable with. For that to be at all possible, mixing the professional and the personal – in a way that feels comfortable for you, demonstrates professionalism, and respects the tenets of respect and human decency – has never been easier, or smarter, for your business success.
As a result, when asked about “professional versus personal,” we add a third category to the conversation - “private.” You don’t talk about the unexpected blemish that’s developed in your bathing suit area. You don’t talk about how you want to tell off your boss with every four-letter word you can think of. You don’t put anything online that you would be embarrassed to see on the front page of the New York Times.
In fact, asking yourself that gut-check, common-sense question, “Would I be okay if this was read or seen by millions of people, including my neighbors, colleagues, and grandmother?” before you share your thoughts online is all you really need to do to manage the professional/personal/private divide.
Your clients, prospects, partners, and allies all want to know there’s a savvy business mind at work when they connect with you. They also want to know you’re human. As business becomes ever more competitive, the personal connection becomes ever more vital. Social networking tools allow you to mix the professional AND the personal with confidence and your own unique flair, for maximum value. So dive in and start sharing!
Lani & Allen Voivod, The Content Lovers of Epiphanies, Inc., help Imperfect-preneurs, Global Brands, and Mission-Driven Organizations use social marketing & success strategies to ramp up visibility, competitive edge, community, and profits. Get their fr.ee Special Report, 37 Easy Ways to Boost Visibility, Revenue, and Results With Twitter, which reveals how to the leverage the power and potential of the world's fastest growing social network.
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Changing the Way People Find Help
2-1-1 is an easy to remember telephone number that connects callers, at no cost, to information about critical health and human services available in their community. 2-1-1 is now available in 41 states including all of New England.
www.211nh.org
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www.mass211.org
www.vermont211.org
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Obama Signs International Treaty on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Acknowledging the 19th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, President Barack Obama recently signed the
United Nations convention promoting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international treaty
protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. According to the United Nations, more than 10% (or 650 million)
of the world's population lives with a disability, and often is unemployed and living in poverty.
With this action, the United States joins 141 other nations in signing the first major human rights treaty of the
century. The United Nations convention urges equal protection and equal benefits under the law for all citizens,
rejecting discrimination, and calling for society inclusion and participation of all persons with disabilities. (A
recent poll by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that 14.2% of individuals with disabilities are among the
unemployed in the United States, as opposed to 9.5% of able-bodied persons.)
Also in attendance was William Kennedy Smith, a United States advocate for several groups representing the rights of
the individuals with disabilities. According to Smith, the President's action signifies "a profound shift and an
engagement not only in disability rights, but with the international community in general that has happened since the
change in (US) administration."
The President is soon expected to present the treaty to the United States Senate for a two-thirds vote ratification,
binding the country to the treaty's provisions.
[Sources: The Americans for Civil Liberties Union, Associate Press, CNS News]
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Americans with Disabilities Site Relaunched
In conjunction with the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the US Department of Labor has
revamped, renamed, and relaunched its Web site as Disability.gov. The site offers comprehensive information about
programs and services to better serve more than 50 million Americans with disabilities, their family members,
veterans, employers, educators, caregivers, and anyone interested in disability-related information.
The redesigned Web site integrates content from 22 federal agencies and will be managed by the Labor Department.
Formerly DisabilityInfo.gov, the site was revamped with social media tools to encourage interaction and feedback, and
new ways to organize, share and receive information. Visitors can sign up for personalized news and updates,
participate in online discussions and suggest resources for the site. New features include a Twitter feed, Really
Simple Syndication feeds, a blog, social bookmarking, and a user-friendly way to obtain answers to questions on such
topics as finding employment and job accommodations. Additional tools will be added during the months ahead.
“Far more than just a directory of federal resources, Disability.gov is a meeting ground for Americans to learn,
respond, and communicate about a wealth of critically important disability-related topics,” said Secretary of Labor
Hilda L. Solis. “The new site has been vastly enhanced to provide more information in as efficient and interactive
setting as possible.”
The Web site is organized into 10 subject areas: benefits, civil rights, community life, education, emergency
preparedness, employment, health, housing, technology, and transportation. By selecting a category, visitors are
directed to useful information on federal and state government programs and services, news and events, grants,
funding opportunities, and more.
“The Department of Labor is pleased to be the managing partner of Disability.gov and to help advance the independence
and full participation of people with disabilities in the workforce, the classroom, and their communities,” said
Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary for the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).
Disability.gov contains thousands of links to reliable information from its federal agency partners, as well as
educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and state and local governments. (source:
http://www.rehabpub.com/RMN/2009-08-03_06.asp)
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NETRA is now on Facebook!
Look us up - we're a group called New England Therapeutic Recreation Association. We hope you'll join us!
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