Post MBA - what's changed
15 years ago
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Online Networking - Is It Worth All the Hype?
How did it become acceptable for employees to vent their frustrations against upper management in online chatrooms? Instead of scheduling a private one on one meeting to sit down and discuss issues, more and more disgruntled employees are turning to online forums. When did online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace become more popular than actual face-to-face networking? I admit that I am a Facebook user, however it was not by choice. A former co-worker set up an account for me. According to her "I was out of the loop" because I didn't use the networking tool. Like most users, I got hooked, but I still prefer talking to my friends rather than finding out about their lives via newsfeeds. I find it astonishing that people have 1000 "friends" on Facebook. It seems like people are just interested in having people join their social network so they can add to their already outrageous friend list. Can people really keep up with that number of "friends" and do they really care to? Long gone are the days of writing letters and sit down meetings in the workplace. Nowadays, it seems like the only way to get someone's attention is by "friending" them on a social networking tool or communicating with them via email. Personally, I miss the old days when people took the time to personally get to know someone, instead of just reading their online profile.
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Everyone needs to vent every once in a while. We’ve all been there. With that being said, there is clearly a time and a place for everything and I’d have to agree that bashing your boss online after a hard day at the office is less than ideal. I think many people have gotten so caught up in the blogosphere and other social networking avenues that they enjoy having a captive audience. They relish the fact that as soon as they write and post something there’s someone out there reading it. They like knowing that their frustrations are being heard by others. Perhaps they’ll get some words of condolences or find someone to commiserate with. But, this is like playing with fire. It is easy to overlook the fact that everything you do on the web is public information and therefore there are numerous ways that your potentially harmless rant could easily get back to your boss, giving way to some serious consequences.
ReplyDeleteTwo particular instances come to my mind… One, was just amongst coworkers (peers), where one individual complained quite brutally about another in her blog and the posts ended up being found and forwarded to the person in question. Needless to say, their work relationship was effectively ruined after that. Secondly, I know of a company that established a message board in hopes of soliciting constructive feedback regarding a program it was running. Instead it turned into an all out attack (in some cases quite personal!) on the primary person leading the effort.
Social networking has numerous advantages both personally and professionally. But, as with many other things you have to take responsibility when dealing in these forums if you want to maximize its benefits for yourself and others.
I think it's is no different then venting with your co-workers after work at a happy hour event. Obviously, if something is written down though, it's a lot more risky. Then again, if you complain and complain, it could get back to your boss or upper managmenet one way or another. We've all heard the whole "grapevine" stories at work. I think comes down to good judgement and keeping your patience.
ReplyDeleteA rule of business that you should never break is writing something down that you only want a few people to see or maybe just yourself to see.
ReplyDeleteOnce it is on paper or on the web, it is discoverable and that private venting session you may have had on the weekend with a co-worker is where you should keep it.
I even think about what I post on my facebook site these days and have "cleaned up" my web "me" based on this. I know some employers even check these sites out now as part of information gathering on job candidates.
The real point to "add a friend" should be just that: adding a friend. Some make into a popularity contest, but then it becomes just as superficial as the name.
No matter how you got onto a social networking website like facebook, you should be cognizant of who you are friending; otherwise you dilute the value of the site to you all by yourself. Here's to diligent friending.