I am an old school person.  And by old school, I mean someone who grew up in the 90s.  I expect to work on a computer and still enjoy reading a physical magazine.  A movie version will never replace a good book (except for when it was for a senior english paper you procrastinated to write).  My iTunes library is large but I still like to purchase the CD.  A true ballader is Brian McKnight, not Usher.  Destiny’s Child never lived up to En Vogue’s precedent (who probably never lived up to the Supremes).  But I digress.  The point is I grew up learning to live digitally, not expecting it.  With only a 6 year difference, it’s amazing to me just how much more connected my younger siblings are (and I’m only 24!).

I was the first generation of Facebook.  While MySpace and Black Planet (haha) were already around, Facebook was unique because it was connected to your university/college.  You could only create a profile with a school email address.  It seemed safer, more exclusive.  And purely for fun.  You found your friends (not colleagues), posted photos of drunken nights (not corporate mixers although they can be the same), and wrote the most ridiculous things you could think of on their walls (not browsed for new marketing ideas).

I work in an industry that is embracing social media on a corporate level.  I get it.  New ways to connect with the customer.  Get in their face ANYWAY you can.  I agree it can be an effective business model.  However, I’m not THAT kind of customer.  I want my social media to remain social.  I want to browse my friends’ profiles, not those of companies trying to get my money.  It somewhat ruins the experience for me when I spend hours of billable time browsing these sites.  Why would I want to get on Facebook after work?

Bosses, colleagues, interns and college students I never interviewed are requesting to be my friend.  What do I do?  Is it rude not to accept?  What about relegating them to a “limited” profile?  Does that send a bad sign?  There’s nothing in my profiles that would embarrass me if any of these people saw it.  But at the same time, I don’t really want them to see my photos on the beach in college or last year’s Foxy Brown Halloween costume.  We’re not close enough for me to want to share.

(I know potential full-time employees, interns AND collegiate athletes whose profiles have gotten them into trouble.  It’s not worth it.  If you must post, please realize WHAT you’re posting and WHO can see it. )

Facebook is for connecting with friends.

MySpace is for discovering new bands.

Twitter is for sharing your random thoughts when you’re too lazy to update your MySpace and Facebook statuses.

Blogs are for sharing your opinion.

Yes, companies should be able to reach their customers anywhere their customers can be found.  But MY social media is destined to remain social.  Unless you know my middle name, have been invited to my apartment, had a conversation about more than your resume or have talked to me about more than next week’s assignment, don’t expect to be considered an unfiltered friend.  If it hurts your feelings, I’m sorry for you.  I may help companies become more social, I have no intention of towing the work-life social media line any more than I have to.

Updating her limited profile list,

Jo’van

February 2, 2009
Categories: Office Appropriate (Work Life), Whole Truth, The . Tags: blogs, facebook, myspace, social media, twitter, work life . Author: tjovand . Comments: Leave a comment