I've been getting a lot of requests for friends on various social networks lately. You probably have been too - there seems to be an explosion of interest lately, particularly on Twitter.
I'm generally encouraged by this, as it means that the space is continuing to grow, rather than to wane like some short-lived fad. But at the same time, it can make life a little more complex or cluttered if you're not ready to deal with it.
As such, I thought this might be a good time for me to share how I think about my social networks and how I consider friend requests in each. I've linked to my profile in each, if you'd care to connect with me on them.
Facebook
Ah, Facebook. One of the most visible and recognized brands in the social networking space, where "friend" is a verb. For me, Facebook is a combination of business and social contacts.
I'll immediately accept a friendship request if I know you or follow you on another network. But that's not to say I'm exclusive in my friending. If we don't know each other, just introduce yourself and - most importantly - give me some context as to how you know me.
LinkedIn
I use LinkedIn as my professional social network. Like the old three-ring binders of business cards that I kept, LinkedIn is my real-time virtual collection of business cards.
As you can imagine, my requirements for LinkedIn are a bit more stringent. If you'd like to connect with me on LinkedIn, we should have met or at least have had some meaningful interaction. I'll also accept introductions via people I know.
Twitter
Twitter is probably the loosest of all of my networks. I generally like connecting with more people there because I enjoy the exchange of ideas, links and quick personal interaction that it allows.
While there are some people who add absolutely everyone back, I can't keep up with the pace and consider some of them spammy. Since there have been a good number of new followers, I'm having trouble adding some back. If you follow me and I haven't followed you back, don't take it personally. Just get my attention by sending me an "@" message and I'll be sure to add you back. It's as simple as that.
I hope this post was a helpful insight about how I consider friend requests in each network. I'd be interested to know how you handle your own connections on your various social networks. Please leave a comment and educate me.
Image courtesy of coldtaxi
Saturday, May 03, 2008
How I Think About My Social Networks
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14 comments:
Great to see your opinion or take on those groups in comparison to mine, the only dif. is I hold my facebook a little more private. Thanks for sharing.
www.mediameme.worpress.com since my personal blog will show up.
Facebook is to me what MySpace is to my daughter. It is a place where I have social contacts, some are family, many are friends and those that are business contacts are people that I would associate with on a social level outside of the office. I am definitely more animated and avoid business conversations in Facebook.
I use LinkedIn for professional networking and do not spend much time there but have a profile because it is a great way to stay in touch with colleagues that I maintain a professional relationship with and even some of those that I would hang out with in a social setting that may not be on Facebook.
Thanks for the blog post!
Scott, thanks for broadcasting this. I feel it's important for responsible personal branding, socializing, and connecting. While I feel the same about Facebook and LinkedIn, I like being more strict on Twitter (request-only). To not appear snobby I tried to explain myself in my limited-character-length Twitter profile page. Unfortunately, I think spam followers on Twitter will only increase because of its low time involvement for following & requesting.
A very relevant post. In fact, I was having a conversation with a young startup Muziboo.com. They face an interesting dilemma.
Should they encourage networks to be formed on their site using "Add as Friend" (like Facebook), "Fan"(like in Stumbleupon) or "Follow"(Twitter style)
Add as friend seeks reciprocation, while the other two do not. Fan/Follow elevate the status of the person being followed. Add as friend does not elevate status
I have hosted a poll on my blog to understand which option should a music based social network choose.
Hope you don't mind me sharing the link here, as I feel its relevant for readers of this post. Would love to hear your thoughts on the same
http://tinyurl.com/6dh534
Scott,
A couple of funny things:
1) Those are the three networks I use most as well, and
2) I have very similar attitudes towards all three
I don't think of any networks as exclusive private chats, but as ways to expand my circle. And I try to let people know I am honored to be included in their circle, rather than vice-versa.
The other thing-- you kept a three-ring binder of business cards? Nerd. I put business cards on my bicycle wheel spokes. Your Moo cards work really well, though their small size makes them hard to attach.
Scott-
Great post. My friends and readers have been struggling with the same types of things, so last week I put together a personal web 2.0 strategy post to help out. It serves as a complement to your post as it turns out. Hope it helps.
http://chrisbonney.typepad.com/chris_bonney/2008/04/whats-your-pers.html
You're so methodical about it, I love it! I wish I would have thought about that early on but I feel like I have reached a point of no return. I pretty much accept any friend requests on my social networks. I feel like it would take too much effort to clean it up and differentiate how I interact with who...
I am just starting out on all of this, but I will definitely keep this in mind.
This is something I've been grappling with. I'm a little tighter with my LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Twitter on the whole. I'm trying to avoid looking at a list of "friends" or contacts that I don't really recognize or feel any connection to. So I try to forge those connections by engaging people who indicate they want to be my friend. Turns out not everyone is interested in that though. I've written about this at some length. Let me link spam you with two germane posts:
http://is.gd/e2C
http://is.gd/e2D
Thanks for the comments and links to your own take on things. While I see many similarities as to how we deal with this, it's interesting to see how everyone has variations.
Bottom line: there is no right or wrong way to use these networks, as long as you're getting - and bringing value.
Scott -
I like your linkedin analogy and think biz cards is good way to talk about it. I use it similarly and will pretty much add most people who add me. I was using FB in a professional sense but realized it shows to much fun stuff and not sure its exactly a good fit as my professional persona. Therefore I have backed off FB promotion to use linkedin more but will still add folks who find me there.
Stephen
Scott,
I think a lot of native Facebook users are also facing another dilemma these days. Should they keep their profiles the way they were back in the days when Facebook was primarily used by the students and college staff? Or should they be more conservative the content they publish and allow other people to create about them. As Facebook is becoming more and more popular among professionals (which means, potential employers), Facebook natives find themselves worrying about their personal branding more than ever.
I tend to use facebook for friends and purely social gatherings, linkedin for professional organizations, and twitter for things smaller than a blog post. You didn't mention your blog. How do you view that? Purely as a professional outlet or more as a community around the things you're passionate about. I'm more of the latter.
These posts are interesting in an area that hasn't (or maybe won't) found formal uses for these connecting tools.
Take care,
Jay
This is a great topic of discussion.
I am liberal & add everyone everywhere. The primary reason is that appreciate when others add me back.
Twitter has become a place to get to know people on a personal level. Some great discussions take there & it's fun because they're impromptu & interactive (unlike those on blogs, pm's or mail).
Facebook is an awesome place for networking. New people generally connect with me there. I add people irregardless of their adding a note. But I've received some requests that were so warm & fuzzy.
LinkedIn didn't do much for me until I built out my resume when I began exploring new opportunities. It now holds my resume & references.
My network has been built thru Facebook & Twitter. They've been invaluable.
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