I think the “most embarrassing” thing I have on my Facebook is my photo in the Dead Sea in the mud. I see myself as a person. I’m running Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn for my business and separate Facebook and Instagram for me: all these things add up.
Bring more on your plate with two versions of you – “work yourself” and “play yourself” seems crazy. An absolutely unmanageable task.
People worry about many things, most of the time:
What if your potential customers or employers notice something that could jeopardize your chances of completing a new sale or getting a new job?
What happens if someone sees an image of them that is not flattering and then thinks “Hmm, they are not so attractive after all”
What happens if someone sees a comment or a picture they have taken and thinks negative things about you?
Some of these things are not so likely. People can be critical, but most of the time people are too critical of themselves.
My school of thought? Keep a good impression of yourself, but it does not have to be airbrush and perfect. Being human is a good thing and makes people connect with you.
Here are the basic rules that I would follow:
- 1. I recommend having it on Twitter, at least until you feel comfortable on Twitter and have seen the difference between the behavior of people and brands.If you have your own Twitter account, you can interact, be personal, share things that interest you, and above all not just business or industry issues. It will allow you to be yourself and show your personality. Do not hesitate to show your face as your profile picture.
- 2. If you have a business and your business needs to appear as a brand on Twitter, you can share this account with several people on your team. In this case, the profile image can be a logo. But it must be handled with diligence, discuss the frequency, the types of publications, what is allowed and not allowed, the sources of content and the tone of voice. If you have people who are good at Twitter, you can minimize the need for a rigorous approval process. If you are new to Twitter, start with the personal version. Be yourself on Twitter and then add the company if you understand the needs of Twitter.
- 3. On LinkedIn, for your personal page, write in the first person, have a correct profile picture and do not use a logo that looks weird on LinkedIn. I’ve seen some people do it, it’s not common, but it happens and it’s a symptom for people who think they should be two people. Instead, you can use your company’s logo on your LinkedIn company page.
- 4. Be sure to customize your Facebook settings so that only friends can see your images and updates. And if someone labels you, they must be approved by you before they appear on your timeline. And remember, you do not have to approve everything.
If someone says something about you that seems shameful or inappropriate, please contact us and kindly request that you pick it up, say something simple like: “Would you mind the picture of me that you just published? I am a friend of some of my professional networks on Facebook, and I think the image does not fit, you know how some people are. “It’s nice to ask, you usually get that result. And if they do not accommodate you, you should look for better friends.
- 6. Take some time to go back to the archives and see your photos. You would be surprised at how curious people can be. If it seems that you are having fun, drinking a drink, feasting and even making funny faces, then that is allowed. Show that you are human. I trust you to make a logical, not paranoid, decision about whether something really is that bad. I still wonder what my client has on his other Facebook profile.
With these 6 things, you do not have to separate your work and your private life in social networks: you can be your unique and incredible being.
