Social Media Issue for Women
Social media is all fine and well, but it shouldn’t remove the line between professional and social activity. Women should especially heed the fact that most female professionals only began to be taken seriously in the worlds of business, science, media and technology in the mid-to late-70s. Let’s not reverse the work of those who entered the workforce before us and fought hard for better positions by now being too casual in all of our online presentation. I personally don’t care what hobbies you have taken up, where you are shopping for clothes or how far you drive to an event, especially if you are entering my work space. I especially do not like it when vendors who are late on projects send me their casual tweets while I am waiting for their project deadline to be met.
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Great topic!
Twitter, Blogs and Facebook profiles are extensions of your business, even if they aren’t “officially” for your business. While social media has enabled many companies to put a human face on the products they sell and the services they render, that face should still be professional. What is professional? Where is the line between too-much-information and just-trying-to-relate? It will be different for every company. I expect the thought leaders I follow in PR to supply me with articles, blog posts, and discussion topics regarding what’s happening in my industry today. I expect the designers I pay attention to to post pictures, plans, and tips for decorating. Will I get bent out of shape if every now and then you let slip something platonic – your sweet tooth, fav. eatery, support for a cause? No. But if that’s all you’ve got going on, then thought leader you are not. Remember, your clients and potential clients, employers and strangers are watching you as well as your friends and family. Make that distinction and operate in the social environment accordingly.
Lorna makes some great points on navigating the social media landscape. The bottom line is that the line between business and personal interaction began to shift years ago with the advent of voice mail, e-mail, home computing, and cell phones. At that point, business communications left the confines of the work place and began to impact our private time and lives. Technology continues to blur the line between the public and private selves, and what is and is not acceptable is constantly changing. I don’t think this is a women’s issue at all but a cultural one.
People who are savvy know how to navigate the online landscape and use social media settings and filters to make it work for them.
Twitter is like a radio station–if you don’t like what someone is broadcasting, you can turn them off. Better yet, never switch them on in the first place. It is easy to screen contacts on Twitter. Rather than automatically hitting “Follow” based on a name, people should only hit “Follow” after reviewing someone’s Twitter home page. Follow people if you find value in their content. Don’t clutter your stream with those who don’t inform, engage, or entertain you in some way.
Likewise, if you’re using Twitter for personal or casual communication, it’s simple enough to block business associates or potential clients from following you or to lock your updates if you wish to separate the personal and professional. Don’t want the head of your industry’s trade association reading about your life, then block them.
LinkedIn is the platform for professional interaction and networking. If you don’t want to get personal, this is the application for you.
Facebook has many filters and options and settings to control access to content and what appears in your news feed. It’s the place to be if you want more control over your message or content, whether you’re using it for professional or personal reasons. I think those who desire to use it professionally should have a separate account set up for their business and not accept “Friends” requests from business associates on their personal sites. It isn’t hard to build a subgroup within a community if you wish to do that. Check out the settings.
The problem is that many people simply don’t take time to become acquainted with the features and options social media offers, and yes, many don’t consider how they might be perceived online.
And now that I’ve written this very long comment, I see I have enough to say on this topic to create a blog post for my business blog. : )
Finally, while businesses have infiltrated social media with marketing messages and motives, it’s important to remember it is SOCIAL media and the majority of users are there because they want some social interaction and a personal touch as well as inside information. It’s a place for human interaction and relationships. If all a person wants is news and links on a topic, they can subscribe to Google alerts, blog and news feeds and have it all delivered to their inbox. Those who don’t want social interaction shouldn’t be operating on a social platform.
So good to have your educated thoughts on this subject. Our local paper has a story, Views Vary on Value of Social Networking, today. It reports that more than half of employers prohibit social media use by workers and suggests it is one of the toughest issues facing employers currently. Given the economy, this story tells me that unless it is part of one’s job, being on social media at work could result in losing a job. I’m glad it is part of our work.