Privacy and Social Networks

Any of us who train, coach, manage, or market in the social media realm encounter a host of frequent objections. One of them is, "How can I keep my personal and professional personas separate?"

There are many different answers to this question. Here is mine: You can't. The ship has sailed, the horse is out of the barn, that was yesterday, live in the now. That said, your entire life doesn't have to be an open book.

If you've ever done business outside of the good old US of A, you just don't find this innate need to hide personal matters from business partners. Quite the opposite, in fact: People want to know who you are, to develop a relationship with you, first. Then if they like you and feel comfortable around you, they'll move to business. Perhaps this comes with having cultures and economies that have developed over thousands of years as compared to a couple hundred, perhaps for other reasons.

Regardless, the interactive and contributory nature of Web 2.0 is irreversible. As you read this, the planet is shrinking. Walls and filters are disintegrating. Do you know what Americans age 40 and under do when they meet you, get handed your business card or hear your name referenced as a potential business partner? They type your name into Google. How do you influence what they see? Social media; social networks in particular. Strategically used, your brand is most easily and strongly established with LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Meetup and others.

Facebook, due to the casual and personal nature of the network, is rightly and naturally the greatest focus of concern. And yes, people do get scammed. So while you're living a pipe dream if you think in 2009 A.D. you can get away with being a respected intellectual by day and a rock and roll drunk by night, there are some things you should do to protect yourself. Here are my top four plus one.

1. Customize your Privacy Settings. Facebook in particular throws you in. You finally got so tired of getting emails from people to please join and long story short here you are. And, in spite of yourself, you might even be enjoying it. If you find yourself mixing business and personal, you're totally getting how to be a grown-up on Facebook. It's like going to a party, isn't it? More on that in a subsequent post. But when you start your account, Facebook starts connecting you with people, growing your network. It does not overtly prompt you to protect yourself. Make sure to hover your mouse over the "settings" link in the upper right corner of your Facebook home page and do some clicking.
2. Don't overshare. First, don't post on Facebook that you're having romance problems. Second, you don't have to tell Facebook everything. Now, sometimes you want to tell Facebook something so it can help you connect with other people but you're not sure if you want to display it to everyone. In that case, put the information in your profile, tell Facebook not to display it, and go back to #1.
3. Don't start with Facebook. Don't put your personal Facebook profile on your email autosignature. Send your new prospective partner to LinkedIn and/or Twitter. Then, once the professional relationship is established to the point where you find yourself asking about each other's kids and softball games, "friend" up on Facebook.
4. Set a Google alert for your name. Anytime someone says something about you or your business, you want to know, right? Companies of size, especially but not exclusively, should also perform periodic searches in Twitter and make sure to keep the "Mentions" column active in TweetDeck.
5. Stop getting loaded in public. And hide the cameras when you have your buddies over for a keg and the game or host the girls for a "passion party."

How are you managing? Are these your top five? Have you tried these steps? If so, did they work for you? If not, why not?