Recently, I have been really energised by my new blog and social networking. At many times, I find myself toggling between Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google, just to name the few popular ones that I use TOO FREQUENTLY. My adrenalin was rushing everytime I hit the button “Publish” on my blog. I was just too clever, too impatient and too motivated to get things done without concern about PRIVACY. It’s really a tug of war between advertising yourself for your personal weblog, networking and privacy.
My husband is one person who really cares about privacy. He has only a basic Facebook page and probably 5 pictures on the page at most. I have so many pictures on Facebook that I lost count and I just started a new blog so I am on the other extreme, being too public. Furthermore, I am trying to prove myself as a worthy blogger so graphics and visuals are a must and I like to make my blog entertaining and lively with hi-definition pictures, who doesn’t? I added many links to my Facebook and Twitter page. I was hoping people would drop to see my blog and more people would follow me on Twitter. But I forgot that there was one big issue here- PRIVACY.
By far, LinkedIn.com is the best professional network website I have ever used. Recently, I started using it fervently because I was able to get in touch with Talent Recruiters and even CEO of companies who post themselves and their CV on the website. I even upgraded my package so that I could send Inmails straight to the Recruiters who published and advertised for the position on LinkedIn.com. Little did I realize I had activated my Twitter account to show my tweets on LinkedIn.com. If the tweets were relevant and would spice up my resume and attributes making me look good to recruiters and my professional network, I wouldn’t mind. But my tweets were mostly domestic and about my children, my hobbies, my c0mments on diapers and baby cereals, etc.
The companies who want to hire me as an employee do not want to know about the employee ranting about diapers, her fitness instructor or which books she reads to her child during bedtime. They want to know your sales pitch and your development plans for the companies’ growth. They want to know you can bring deals to the table and what you have to show for it. Boy, was I embarrassed at my tweets about diapers and Mother’s Day when I logged into my LinkedIn.com account. Like the stroke of lightning, I deleted the comments on LinkedIn.com. I investigated what had gone wrong and why were my tweets on LinkedIn.com. Then I realised I activated tweets to show on LinkedIn.com whenever I had a tweet.
So, ladies and gentlemen, it is important that we compartmentalize our lives, our private lives and our professional lives. We have to be very diligent and careful about what we activate and link on our social networking sites. If you have not done so, please do a thorough check on what you have activated so that you will not regret when your CEO comes up to you and say, “Hey, why were you downing one whole barrel of beer last night and your bra was showing? Have you lost it?” Oops! Too late.