Ever wonder what you should put on your profile page? Should you put a picture of you with dog or having fun skiing with the kids? Or should you not even focus putting up photos? Below are a few things to keep in mind in order for you to successfully interact with others on the Internet.
According to a very reliable source, when social networking began with Friendster it was meant to help people meet new friends, stay in touch with old ones and share online content and media. Seven years later, social networking sites are everywhere on the Internet and are being used not only for friendship purposes but also has a business outlet.
1. You: Private vs. Public Self. This is the basis of this entire article. You need to understand this concept before you can get further ahead. A private self (also known as the perceived self) is the person you believe you are when you are completely honest with yourself. The reason we called it private is because there are certain aspects of yourself that you many not reveal to others. These aspects can include but not limited to appearances, goals, dreams, thoughts, ideas and motives. The public self is the way you want others to see you. Usually, you want society to view you in a positive way and a good role model in the community.
This being said, let’s move on to your profile page.
2. Content: Business vs. Pleasure. What information are you putting on your profile? Are you talking about your bad day or are you writing about the next online seminar? Are you putting up drunken pictures of yourself or are you putting up pictures of you at a convention? What you put on your page will determine who will view it. (It will also determine if you will get fired from your job or stop you from getting hired for a job. But that’s a different article that I have yet to write).
3. Audience: Friends vs. Fans. Here’s a fact. Your friends have something that your fans/followers don’t have – an established connection between you and them. They want to know about you because they care (at least that’s what good friends do). They care about your hobbies, family, career, etc. What they don’t care too much about is the product you are selling or business you are advertising. This information is irrelevant to them unless they are in the same industry or remotely interested in your product/service. However, because yours fans are interested in something that you are offering, this is their connection to you. Once, they will deem you as an asset then they will want to know more about you. Remember, a common ground builds relationships.
Find a way to satisfy both your friends and fans. For instance, you may want to have two separate profile pages – a private (for friends) and public (for business) one. Whatever you plan to do, always know three things – yourself, your content and your audience.
This is a difficult fuzzy line. To try to keep them separated, I’ve created a page under my business name for prospects and clients who are on FB to be fans of. Then I can send them alerts to new programs and newsletters, etc. They can do that without becoming a friend and having access to my Profile page. I’m still trying to figure out if that will work. I’m still not sure I want my clients reading my Profile. Tricky stuff….thanks for the post about it.
I absolutely agree, Jane. Depending on the social networking site you are working with there can be different options. For example, Myspace is a site that only your friends can see what you have on your profile. That is why I have two separate accounts on there. For Facebook, however, I approached it differently. It is very similar to what you are doing in the sense that I can send blog alerts without my fans being my friends. This is because Facebook is a lot more private and professional than Myspace.
Thanks for bringing this up.
Very thought provoking stuff, until now I have not considered anything other than one profile as I joined Facebook and Twitter after retiring, and deciding to devote my time to art and blogging.