I was fortunate enough to sit on a panel last night at DC Web Women‘s “Social Media Extravaganza” with four incredible ladies who are tearing up the social media space in DC. Many thanks to Jill Foster, Mayra Ruiz-McPherson, Terri Holley and Jen Consalvo for bringing such compelling stories and techniques to the group. A big thank you to TRAK Staffing for providing such a great space for DCWW to host the event. And a million thanks to everyone who attended despite the wet weather and President Obama’s motorcade!
After the presentation I was asked a great question that comes up a lot and I thought that I would share it with my readers. During the presentation I had mentioned that I am pretty open about my life online, sharing it with friends, clients, colleagues…pretty much everyone. The question? Should you separate your personal life from your business life online?
Here’s my short answer – it’s really a personal choice. Some folks like to put it all out there while others do everything humanly possible to separate the two.
I choose to combine my personal life with my professional life. I do this because I want my clients to know me and understand that I am human just like them. I feel like I am limiting my networking opportunities by restricting who I befriend or follow. I tend to avoid connecting with people that I don’t know or are not referred to me, but I do connect with clients through Facebook and Twitter. I think that by being open with clients and potential clients, I tend to ultimately work with folks that are more in line with how I work and my philosophies behind how I consult. I can also weed out folks that may not be a good match. Anyone thinking about doing business with me can Google me to find out everything they need to know to decide whether they want to work with me.
Don’t get me wrong. I do have a filter which I think includes common sense guidelines. I try not to use foul language online. I don’t post photos or video that I think may be deemed as inappropriate. I don’t post anything “too” personal. I’d like to think of my online life as PG-13. For me, email is still my back channel for sending anything that I don’t want to share with the world to my friends and family.
So, depending on your situation, consider opening your online presence up a bit and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results!
More outstanding resources from the Social Media Extravaganza:
dc web women social media extravaganza (Jen Consalvo)
Photos (Mayra Ruiz-McPherson)
#smExtra by @dcww recap (Mayra Ruiz-McPherson)
WomenGrowBusiness.com (Jill Foster)
Notes on the DC Web Women Social Media Panel (Deborah Ager)
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I have had very positive results being online and have made friends for life this way. It has been a pleasant surprise!