Facebook Etiquette: Let your voice be heard
February 16th, 2009 by Julie Napieralski
One of the best things about social media is the freedom to be who you want to be, share what you want to share, and say what you want to say.
But seriously, isn’t that getting old? I think so.
Maybe USA Today thinks so, too. Tech writer Edward C. Baig is asking readers to share their tips for using Facebook. Check it out and share some advice. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get to see your tip shared in an upcoming column.
–Julie Napieralski
This entry was posted by Julie Napieralski on Monday, February 16th, 2009 and is filed under Public Relations, Social Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
February 16th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I’m shocked that we are so easily allowing Facebook to become the new “common ground” in our lives. THE place we meet and exchange and share … as opposed to art galleries, community events, and coffee houses. It’s as if we want closeness but, don’t actually want to get close.
I have a friend who on one hand loves telling me about his meet-ups with potential girlfriends (culled from the ranks of his Facebook friends) and on the other hand, whines because girls he’s not interested in hanging with show up at the parties he goes to on the Sunset Strip (Los Angeles). I’m thinkin’, “Gee, do ya think it *might* be because you post the events you’ll be attending for all to see?”
Then there are the waves of “status updates” where my friends openly declare everything from their states of psychological well-being to showing mobile phone photos of their post-operative parents in their hospital beds and seeking comments on how fast the father should be trying to walk after hip replacement.
I feel so alone these days in my thoughts that we have all lost sight of what should be kept private in our lives and shared with only a few close friends and family.
Do we need approval that much? Do we need confirmation of the details of our lives? Do we need that much return stroking and assurance?
I for one don’t. And when I do, it is found in meaningful conversations with a parent or truly close friend. And when I do choose to bond with the masses, it will be over creative interests … my favorite “common ground.”
February 18th, 2009 at 8:45 am
That’s an interesting comment from Lizanne. I remember when Social Media used to mean Christmas parties thrown by TV & radio stations and the newspapers. Have you heard of secondlife.com? That’s a site where you can live your life virtually.
Anyway, we embrace the use and exploration of social media. But good old fashioned face-to-face social interaction is hard to beat.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Lizanne your comment is interesting – and timely. I understand your point about the lack of intimacy associated with social networking sites like Facebook. Like Kevin said, you can’t beat face to face communication.
However, we can’t deny that Facebook gives us a platform for meaningful and intimate communication, we just need to figure out how best to use it. I think as Facebook’s user base continues to evolve we’ll see changes. For example, the fastest growing demographic on Facebook right now is women 55 and older (up 175% since September 2008, according to a recent Fortune.com article). As the people logging in to Facebook continue to change, so will the way that it is used.
In fact, this week I read that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has plans to change the way we share information on Facebook – which may just address some of the concerns in your post. Soon you’ll be able to display different profiles to different friends. For example, you’ll be able to have a “work” profile or a “family” profile, and assign friends accordingly. That way, you’ll be able to share the information you want with the appropriate group of friends.
Still not a replacement for a cup of coffee and good conversation, but another step toward more intimate communication via an otherwise public forum.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I also agree that good old-fashioned face to face conversation is important in our day-to-day lives.
However, after many years of lost communications with various people from school, prior employers, and numerous other avenues of life, these social media sites have made it possible for me to re-connect with so many people. It’s not always easy or possible to track people down these days without the assistance of these sites. And, nevermind the fact that people move out of state, so sometimes this is the best way to stay in touch! In these tough economic times, it’s much more difficult for people to travel to visit friends and family so this is a great way to communicate more frequently and to share video and photos!
In addition, in my own home business arena, I have found these types of sites extraordinarily helpful in networking and increasing exposure! More companies should use this as yet another way to reach out to their customers .
We all just need to find a happy medium for communicating with each other.