So someone recently asked me how I (as a Social Network Reject) felt about LinkedIn. And even though I am a member, I'm not quite sure why or what to feel about it. The idea of it occupies a void in my mind. I mean what is it really? Is it a social network or a professional network or both? According to Wikipedia, it is a business-oriented social network. Is it just me or are those two things contradictory? That's like saying you're a rural urbanite. It doesn't make sense. Business is one thing and social is quite another.I had no problem joining the site when I was under the impression that it was strictly for professional networking. Makes sense as a potential resource for career opportunities. Good idea. Again according to Wikipedia, the purpose of the site is to allow users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. But if that's the case, then why did I start getting requests from friends who were neither business colleagues nor in my field? I accepted so as not to be rude but in truth I didn't understand why they were requesting I add them as connections. I mean, isn't that what Facebook is for?
I guess some could argue that any type of networking, be it social or professional, is good for your career which is why LinkedIn is able to ride that fine line. But as a Social Network Reject, I still find myself torn on the issue. And while I do have a LinkedIn account, I neither use it nor maintain it. It just sort of exists in cyberspace in case someone should ever want to offer me a job with a $1 million starting salary.
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You know, I've heard from different sources that LinkedIn is sort of useless as a tool and that FaceBook is where a potential employer will be looking to find out more about you.
ReplyDeleteI would not want a potential employer to check out my profile on FaceBook.
Good point. LinkedIn enables you to put your best face forward while Facebook allows you to show your "true self." Unfortunately, employers would rather see the bad stuff. Great article in today's NY Times about this....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/fashion/09networking.html?_r=1&ref=fashion
I like the "rural urbanite" phrase--very clever.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think it is a hard case to make that the social and professional are so distinct. If that was the case, you wouldn't have so many office romances (or friendships that came from office mates), nor would you have friends recommending job openings to you in fields they know you work.
One main problem I have found with LinkedIn (and I would classify it as a social networking site) is that it encourages people to try to get something from someone else (such as a job) rather than encouraging the production of content, like the good collaborative sites do.