The Benefit of Social Networking...

dasleben

dasleben

That's just, like, your opinion, man
Note: This thread is not a direct response to the member mentioned in my post below, merely a general thought.

I don't usually start threads, but I felt it was something I should address after reading another member's post in the recent RAH cat fight thread. One of the posters mentioned that Facebook is for teenagers and college aged kids, and that it has no place in adult life. This is an extremely myopic view, and in this day and age, can adversely affect your career progression. Social media, be it Facebook, message boards, Twitter, etc. brings with it a fantastic opportunity to market yourself positively for the next step. Of course, it's a double-edged sword; negative networking may hurt your reputation to the point that nobody will be willing to vouch for you, regardless of how nice a guy you are in real life.

Despite the fact that I don't post under my own name on this board, I regularly get Facebook friend requests from other members on JC. Most of them I've never met, but some of them I end up meeting up with for a beer on a layover. If they've got a good online reputation, and are genuinely good people in real life, I'm more than happy to vouch for them in terms of hiring. I've done it for a number of JC members at more than one company, and people on here have done the same for me.

Ignore your online presence and reputation at your own peril, and please pay it forward to those who genuinely deserve to move on.

Thanks for reading...
 
I'm convinced that in the not too distant future we will start to see politicians get bitten by their previous online presence when they run for office. I fully believe it's possible that one day a president will not be elected because of their former online persona. People feel protected and anonymous sitting behind their computers and made up usernames, but it's getting easier and easier to connect the dots and figure out who the person on the other end of the screen really is.

I've long tried to act online how I would if we were talking to people face-to-face and there have been a number of people here that would be well served living by that rule.
 
dasleben said:
Note: This thread is not a direct response to the member mentioned in my post below, merely a general thought.

I don't usually start threads, but I felt it was something I should address after reading another member's post in the recent RAH cat fight thread. One of the posters mentioned that Facebook is for teenagers and college aged kids, and that it has no place in adult life. This is an extremely myopic view, and in this day and age, can adversely affect your career progression. Social media, be it Facebook, message boards, Twitter, etc. brings with it a fantastic opportunity to market yourself positively for the next step. Of course, it's a double-edged sword; negative networking may hurt your reputation to the point that nobody will be willing to vouch for you, regardless of how nice a guy you are in real life.

Despite the fact that I don't post under my own name on this board, I regularly get Facebook friend requests from other members on JC. Most of them I've never met, but some of them I end up meeting up with for a beer on a layover. If they've got a good online reputation, and are genuinely good people in real life, I'm more than happy to vouch for them in terms of hiring. I've done it for a number of JC members at more than one company, and people on here have done the same for me.

Ignore your online presence and reputation at your own peril, and please pay it forward to those who genuinely deserve to move on.

Thanks for reading...
Click to expand...

Awesome post.

Last part I bolded is inspirational. Great post
 
"One of the posters mentioned that Facebook is for teenagers and college aged kids, and that it has no place in adult life."

What fool would say that? Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people you don't see on a regular basis. I skip over the political stuff and all the kidde pics, but if you are friends with someone who could be a mentor or "connection", it's a great way to keep close to what's going on in their world so you can perhaps be someone worthy of their time when you ask for a recommendation. UPS isn't hiring and maybe never will for years, but I have facebook friends (that I've never met) who's stuff I enjoy reading that I'd recommend in a heartbeat based on past experience at JC. There are also a few I know from JC (that I've never met) that I'd bend over backwards to make sure I never have to fly with if I had a chance to impact the hiring process. So, that's the power of social networking. YMMV.
 
DE727UPS said:
"One of the posters mentioned that Facebook is for teenagers and college aged kids, and that it has no place in adult life."

What fool would say that? Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people you don't see on a regular basis. I skip over the political stuff and all the kidde pics, but if you are friends with someone who could be a mentor or "connection", it's a great way to keep close to what's going on in their world so you can perhaps be someone worthy of their time when you ask for a recommendation. UPS isn't hiring and maybe never will for years, but I have facebook friends (that I've never met) who's stuff I enjoy reading that I'd recommend in a heartbeat based on past experience at JC. There are also a few I know from JC (that I've never met) that I'd bend over backwards to make sure I never have to fly with if I had a chance to impact the hiring process. So, that's the power of social networking. YMMV.
Click to expand...
That would be Mr. out of touch with reality, the one and only Shyguy. Or Cherokee Cruiser who said that.
 
I have gotten in touch with so many people on FB, who I otherwise would not have. It's very popular with the Boppers, but that isn't the extent of it. It's more than that.

Speaking of social media, I hope that the future will bring technology that can allow the adjustment of the capability of comm devices. I see these devices being an absolute necessity in the future. Perhaps we will desire a way to shut everything off except essential communication. Watching my oldest daughter struggle with limitations is enlightening. I knew this day would come but I never thought of the broad scope of this, worldwide until my wife and I allowed Alison to embark on her journey into the world of "knowing how to set limits". We had video games to keep us up too late, but parents could take those away or, like my parents did, only allow them on a limited basis. I can totally see the entire world struggling with kids and staying up too late, now. Kids who are like my oldest will need to have the entertainment part of their device shut off at night so they have nothing to help them forget they have responsibilities.
 
DE727UPS said:
"One of the posters mentioned that Facebook is for teenagers and college aged kids, and that it has no place in adult life."

What fool would say that? Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with people you don't see on a regular basis. I skip over the political stuff and all the kidde pics, but if you are friends with someone who could be a mentor or "connection", it's a great way to keep close to what's going on in their world so you can perhaps be someone worthy of their time when you ask for a recommendation. UPS isn't hiring and maybe never will for years, but I have facebook friends (that I've never met) who's stuff I enjoy reading that I'd recommend in a heartbeat based on past experience at JC. There are also a few I know from JC (that I've never met) that I'd bend over backwards to make sure I never have to fly with if I had a chance to impact the hiring process. So, that's the power of social networking. YMMV.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Especially growing up as a military brat, moving every couple years. It's a great way to keep in touch with people.
 
Linkedin is another great place to network. I just joined maybe a month ago and it has a tremendous impact so far.

JC has still not accepted my connection on there by the way.
 
SeanD said:
I hear the teens are doing Snapchat and Twitter according to my 17 year old niece. They grew tired of their parents joining Facebook.
Click to expand...

At my son's schools in the Minny suburbs, both middle and high school, Facebook is dead. I asked about it and the response from my 16 year old...."No I dont use it, facebook is for old people".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top