8 Tips for "Plugging In" to Online Social Networking

by Don Harkey

Are you ready to try this thing out yet? Are you already trying it out? Here are 8 seemingly random tips from my limited experiences.

1) Try it, but decide WHY you want to try it first. Maybe you want to stay in touch with current friends and find some old friends in the process. OK. Join Facebook and go to town. Maybe you want to get the "word out" on your business. Think about how you will do it (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter). If you want to use the online networking for multiple purposes, consider creating multiple accounts or using one tool for one purpose and another for another purpose.

2) Be careful what you are posting - Part I. Assume everything you put online can be read or seen by anyone, regardless of your privacy settings. My Facebook setting is private, but my mother (who is far from a computer hacker) was able to find my profile picture (fortunately, its not provocative or anything).

3) Be careful what you are posting - Part II. What used to be somewhat "underground" is now very mainstream. If I am considering hiring you, what information can I get about you online. Some NFL teams have even used fake names to become friends with potential draft picks so they can see their profile and see if they are the "party" type or if they are focused on getting ready for football. People have been fired from companies for posting stuff online. Always assume that EVERYTHING you right at your computer can be seen by EVERYONE.

4) Post frequently, but creatively. Maintaining a constant and interesting presence in social networking is probably a great strategy, regardless of how you are using it. A "post" is an update on your status, a link, a picture, or a video. Don't be the next generation equivalent of the guy who forwards every joke to his entire address book. Think about who will read it and whether they will be mildly interested in it.

5) Remember that networking is more about "listening" than "talking" (or "reading" rather than "writing"). If you are trying to connect to others, make sure you are reading what they are writing. Follow their posts. Comment on the ones you like. Offer assistance when asked for it. The best online friends are those who are resources. If you are on Twitter, recommend your favorite follows to others (generally done on "follow friday's").

6) Don't rapid fire post. It is sometimes tempting to get onto Facebook or Twitter and get your thoughts out. You'll like this link, this picture, this joke, this thought of the day, and this status update. Too many updates in a short period of time tends to wash out the feeds that people use to track other people. This is especially true in Twitter.

7) Stay high level. Don't get too personal on anything online. Don't criticize or complain about people online. Don't post even generic complaints. Don't whine.

8) Don't get sucked in to the time warp. Keep in mind what you are trying to accomplish as you dive into more advanced features. Time flies when you are online. Try to keep control over your time and stay focused on what you are trying to accomplish. Facebook can be a notorious time-sucker! If you are trying to stay in touch with your friends but spend all of your time taking "what flavor of ice cream are you?" quizzes, are you accomplishing what you set out to do? I'm mint chip by the way.

I hope these help you in exploring the new technologies available online!