Networking Intelligently in the Era of Social Media

Networking. As a definition it is the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business – it has barely changed since its inception in the mid-sixties. But oh, how the act has changed in just the past decade or so!

In the rapidly-developing age of social media, people have been harnessing the power of their social networks for more than just stalking their exes keeping in touch with old friends. More and more, these tools are being used in a professional sense. If you do this right, you might be able to land your dream job or build up a network of worthy professionals with whom you can exchange leads, share knowledge, and build up partnerships.

Clean Up

The first step in successfully creating a professional network on social media is to clean up your profile. If you haven’t been, start practicing top-notch social media etiquette, and delete anything you wouldn’t want a potential boss to see. Going forward, if it’s not something you’d want a colleague to see or use to form an initial impression of you, either don’t post it or get really privacy-setting-savvy.

Which One?!

There are many social networks out there, but which do you choose? Do you build a great web of connections on a professionally-focused site like LinkedIn, or should you merge your personal and professional lives using Facebook? Whatever site you choose ultimately depends on your goals.

LinkedIn: Job Searching and Professional Development

If you are hoping to professionally attach yourself to others in your field or are looking for a new job at your city’s hippest design company, LinkedIn is a great medium. It allows you to promote and brand yourself in many ways. You can display your skills, abilities, and the projects that you’ve worked on. Once you have created your own account, you will be able to research other people and see if you would like to connect to them.

It is a good idea to connect with friends, family, former professors, and current co-workers before you try to reach out to a new group. This will allow for a good base to build off of. You may be surprised at the potential connections you already have within reach!

Twitter: Interacting with Influencers

Twitter, if used correctly, can in fact be the best tool for becoming acquainted with the influencers in your field. It allows for great integration with hashtags, which can reach a large amount of people very quickly. It is not as easy to build the “professional” aspect with Twitter as it is with LinkedIn.

What Twitter is really good about is the ability to brand yourself. The tagline you include on your page, the tweets you produce, and the people you follow can all aid in your brand. A more stable brand can bring in more connected followers that you have the option to interact with.

Facebook: The All-or-Nothing Network

Typically, I would advise against using Facebook as your sole networking platform. Since it is such a personal network, you may have a hard time “friending” the connections you want to build but don’t know well or have never met. Messages to people outside your connections actually cost money – not some kind of weird, Facebook currency, but actual real money. In addition, there is the opportunity for all manner of disasters if an old college friend uploads photos and tags you as the drunken maniac in that party from ten years ago.

However, Facebook really works for some people. It’s a great platform for interacting with small- to mid-sized brands that might not have the resources to run a Twitter or LinkedIn page, but are already familiar with Facebook. And if some of your connections run so deep that you would happily label them friends as well as business associates, by all means, friend them on Facebook.

Interactions

Once you connect with people, you want to secure your relationship with them. Keep it professional. Sure, there are some exceptions to the “keep it professional” rule, but you don’t want to do anything that will burn bridges.

Remember, the people that you meet on social media can be dangerous, fun, or vital for a career move. Whichever the story, always use your best judgment before meeting people in real life. If you want to meet up to learn more about the industry, opt for a quiet but populated environment like a coffee shop or the city square.

Good luck making those connections! Have other social networking advice? Please share in the comments below!