September 2nd, 2009
To help make sense of all of activity around “social tools” a good friend recently described it this way…. Twitter is like a bar, lots of conversations at the same time, in short bursts from people you are sorting out whether to stay connected to. Facebook is like a weekend barbeque with friends (who might invite someone they know over too) and finally Linkedin is like a business conference.
Have you ever gotten a friend request on Facebook from a business associate you don’t necessarily want to know “in that way”? Feel like they crossed the line? A simple fix is to create 2 profiles on Facebook, and give one out for business and one for close friends. But… you might be ignoring the larger trend going on here.
Social networking or the “social web” is redefining how business is done. Facebook is simply a bellweather. Organizations are adopting facebook-like features to connect staff as well as manage projects. Exciting software as as service solutions that let organizations be more aligned, connected and efficient keep cropping up from simple messaging tools like Yammer to more complex social CRM tools that like Batchbook or project management tools like Basecamp.
Gen-Y – The Millenials, see the world as more collaborative and “open source” (free music, free media, always on), and being connected via Facebook is a requirement. It comes down to personal preference where you want to draw the line of course. There is a risk to being “overly” connected to business associates, and there can be big benefits as well. In this changing economy, social platforms are a great way to stay in touch, share what you are up to and even find work or put out requests for answers. And, when it comes to business, the old rule always applies, we reach out to those we know or have the easiest access to.
So the two approaches you can take are first the “orthodox” model, separate personal and business profiles. This can also be Facebook for personal and Linkedin for business.
Or the “reformed” model where everyone is welcome and you connect to everyone equally.
Our belief is that brands should have faces, and the best face for a brand are its CEO, CCO, CMO etc. As people, not as companies. Even when you have Twitter or Facebook account for a company or brand it should have the voice of an actual person, there is nothing we hate more than a company sending out self promotion over and over and over and over. How would we say it.. It’s lame.
If you are uncomfortable with it and feel encroached, thats ok, but remember that they can’t tell that you are posting in your underwear.
What do you think?
Seth Epstein
Chief Catalyst, CEO
