SOCIAL MEDIA : LOOSE LIPS AND SINKING SHIPS

The Internet has become an even greater melting pot. Online and offline lives are blurred. Many people seem to live their lives online and communicate with a world of people they may never have met. Every detail of their lives is shared in Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, Wordpress, Digg, Reddit...and of course email.

There are some very positive benefits to this incredible online world, I'm the first to admit it. I have clients around the US with whom I've developed relationships using purely online methods that I wouldn't have dreamed of a few years ago. I can share information so easily, click-click-done.

But the ease of communication has blurred the lines between business and personal for many people. I've written about this subject a couple of times in the past (links below), but for the uninitiated, here goes:

Mixing Identities

I see it all the time. I communicate professionally with someone and the next thing I know they're sending me a “friend” request on Facebook, or a network link on LinkedIn. If they want to connect with my professional identity, I'm alright with that and happy to share, but sorry if you want to be my “friend” on a personal level. Let's have a few dates first...?

Many people don't separate their personal and professional identities and this can have serious repercussions. I've received emails from people I barely know with everything from “please forward this message of goodwill to 10 people...” to petitions, rants about anything, links to cute videos, jokes...you name it.

Opening the professional door to a business relationship does not give you the right to assume that people want to see or share in your personal life.

The Risks You Take

Your opinions and tastes might be different from those people to whom you are sending emails to or trying to connect with in a social media context. If you're sharing purely professional information, opinion etc, then all well and good, but a lot of people don't stop there.

Consider the reaction to someone who disagrees with something you send them. What if they're offended? Could it be the end of a relationship? There are increasing numbers of stories in the press about social media “faux pas” that end up causing retractions and apologies, but in this world of instant communication, once it's said, it's very hard to unsay. If you've invited someone to be your online friend, do you want them knowing your friends and family too...or the fact that you “got totally wasted dude”?

One shudders to think of the legal ramifications, especially if there are license requirements that one might be expected to observe!

Separation of Church and State

If you're sharing your personal life with your business colleagues, be prepared. As much as many of us would like to think that our “work” and “play” personalities are the same, or at least similar, they should be different, especially online. 

I call it the “separation of Church and State”. If you've not considered separating the two, please do so. You do need to watch what you say. As the World War II posters advertised “loose lips sink ships” and it's very true.

Can you afford to take the risk?

 

Related articles:

• EMAIL FAUX PAS
• SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE