Social Networking - What are we in for?

I was at a meeting last week where everyone was giving their views on "social networking". Most had pretty strong feelings one way or the other on what was good, bad, ugly.... or even appropriate, and few came to the same conclusions. Perspectives mostly were based on internet communication, and ranged from meeting others with similar interests (such as via Meetup or PerfectMatch) to marketing yourself online.

Cathy Henesey, president of the DFW Texas Recruiters Network, said in a Wall Street Journal Online article, that social networking online is a "trend, which started mostly with Web-savvy recruiters in the technology industry, [that] is now spreading to other industries such as human resources and financial services." With respect to human resource recruiters searching for talent online, this same article alerted readers to be aware that their online presence needed to be strategically planned and monitored, which I agree with. However, this doesn't mean avoid getting online at all costs - in fact, quite the opposite.

The transparency and openness required of an online presence in light of concerns about personal security doesn't raise near the red flags that the concerns about lack of control about the message raises. People are concerned that they can't control communication flows and what is said, or to whom. They can't control who "sees" them. People who are not used to a public face are concerned what key people will think if their picture is seen by people who don't know them. Think about what I just said.

I submit that we have never been able to control the opinions formed about how we look, nor who sees us, nor what is said about ourselves, our products, our companies, nor through which channels others send their messages about us. All we have been able to do-and still are able to do-is strategically plan and manage the messaging that we and our organizations put out there on a day to day basis. This goes for everyone-from our kids who are using MySpace, to organizational and personal Web pages, to individual business networking on LinkedIn. This is why we spend so much time in front of the mirror every morning.

So, what can we do? We can take a step back and see what the total message is that we are sending. We can even measure every impression and result of our messages. After that, it is up to those who grab that message whatever they do with it.

Without innovators in the tech industry - through both private industry and government projects and funding - internet technology and tools for social networking would hardly be what it is today. However, from my perspective, it is the users out in the market that truly are advancing technology and products at breakneck speed. Users have always been the ones that create the "buzz" that makes a "pet rock" a hit, or causes nationwide hysteria regarding apples or pain medication. By the same token, it is strategically planned communication that keeps these situations moving in a positive direction.

Those who use these online tools are also finding they can do an extraordinary amount with much fewer resources. Does anyone remember the days when every executive had their own personal assistant to plan their schedules, type letters, schedule flights, organize meetings? How many of these tasks can you execute now on your Blackberry or Treo while you are waiting in line to board your next plane? How many of you now can arrange monthly meetings for dozens, if not hundreds, through such tools as GoToMeeting, Evite and Meetup?

So, where do we go from here? Well, just as with any other evolving resource, social media takes ongoing learning. There are so many great social networking resources that are easily accessible.

One of these, Clickz, recently had an article that sums up this direction with social networking and social media really well. Dave Evans, creator of HearThis.com, in "Social Media: The Key is Behavior" said that "... what's going on in social media comes down to the simple norms and codes of conduct we use every day. Treat me with respect, give me something cool to talk about, and I'll do your marketing for you."

As I said in Interactive Self Marketing, those who are saying, "look at me" on the internet are transforming all kinds of industries and communication channels. Anyone who is using these online tools, and is comfortable with the transparency required, is finding that if you trust customers, employers, friends to find you on their own, you will have a better match and longer lived relationship in the end.