I remember when Facebook was in its infancy. I was a consultant for my sorority and traveling all over the country. Staying on touch with people back home was becoming a bit time consuming. All of my friends were telling me I NEED to get on Facebook, even my mother was a strong proponet for the thing. I eventually gave in to the hype and joined the popular world of social media.
Soon enough, I was receiving friend requests from those chapter women I was working with at the time. And, soon enough, I realized the extremely negative impact Facebook was having on my initial impressions of them. Pictures and quotations I wouldn't have the nerve to secretly send to my close personal friends were being found in my newsfeed daily. I was absolutely horrified at some of the things these people were saying back and forth to each other.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the occassional "naughty word" for some extra punch and I have been "tagged" in my share of photos that include items such as (gasp!) an alcoholic beverage or two. But there is a line that we all must dance when it comes to what others will see and how that may affect our own life.
As I explained to women around the country through my travels, "you need to think of Facebook as your own personal online resume." Yes, there are those professional platforms, such as LinkedIn, but the popularity of Facebook and it's wide use will make is susceptible to background checks by potential employers. The last thing you want an employer to see is you tagged in an Facebook album titled, "Too Drunk to Remember..." with a wide array of pictures of you in compromising situations.
Or think of it this way...You will eventually become "friends" with someone who may be able to get a job for you down the road. But if you solicit their assistance after you have dropped the f-bomb 50 times in your status updates over the last month, good luck. Some people may not mind that sort of crudeness, but others will be completely turned off or will not want to be associated with you and risk putting their own reputation on the line.
I understand Facebook and other social media sites were created for that very purpose; to be SOCIAL. So many people who read this message will argue that it's not meant to be a professional site, and, therefore, they should not have to customize their social profile to be professionally appropriate. That's fine if that's what you think, but I can guarantee you potential employers are looking, and they won't hire you if they don't like what they see posted.
