In general I am a fan of social networking tools and sites. I think that they each serve a purpose to a point but do not totally eliminate other traditional methods of "networking". I recently renewed my account on Twitter and LinkedIn but have yet to join Facebook. Having watched other family members on Facebook I am not sure how much value I would get out of an account there.
Which brings me to some thoughts on the pitfalls of social networking and in particular in the work environment:
- Social networking activities can be habit forming. I know that I am a internet "news" junkie but I find staying informed helps in my job. Staying up to date on others activities is nice but not essential during work hours, unless it is work related. The trouble is separating the two. I am not sure the types of things I see on Facebook are all that critical.
- Security becomes an issue through social networking sites and tools. Adding applications to work computers and devices can be a problem. I recommend keeping those activities totally separate.
- There are also times where you might not want to share everything with everyone. Take the case of future customers or employees where they look on your Facebook page and see something you would rather not have shared with them. We can all assume that anything posted will be accessible some way some how. I have assumed that this is true and thus the lack of a Facebook page.
I am sure that there are some that can convince me I am missing out on something but for now I will experiment with twitter and keep my LinkedIn page up to speed and see what happens.
