Facebook is not a Country Club it’s a Caddy Shack
Social Media, Social Networks
Some time ago I was asked by the New York Times to comment on whether or not Facebook was a good place to make business connections. Here is a link to the article written by David Carr. My two cents is almost at the end.
After thinking about it a little more I wrote this piece.
Facebook is not a Country Club it’s a Caddy Shack.
If your looking for a place to mix your social and professional life join the Country Club. (or LinkedIn.com)
Here is a helpful guide to aid in distinction:
Country Club
- Poking people is frowned upon.
- News Feeds are typically associated with useful information.
- Your status usually refers to your accomplishments in life.
- Alerting everyone of your birthday over a week in advance comes across as immature.
- A “third party” refers to dinner reservations
- Requesting friends makes you look desperate for attention
- Widgets remain hypothetical
- Profiling members based on gender, sexual preference and age has become discouraged.
Caddy Shack
- You really shouldn’t hang out here if you are over 25. It’s just awkward for everyone and a little creepy.
- Nobody here wants to discuss frameworking, immersion or delayering unless you are talking about your date last night.
- You would never consider your boss a friend. If you did, everyone would think you were a kiss ass.
- If one of your friends has a photo of you doing something stupid it will probably end up on a wall.
- The term “customized holistic models” will be interpreted as an attractive hippie with breast implants.
- If there are drunk pictures of you passed out sporting a Sharpie marker mustache they will get passed around.
Let me know if anyone can think of any others. Or let me know if you totally disagree.
DandyID
Facebook
Hulu
Linkedin
Stumbleupon
Delicious
You just reminded me that I have some pictures of you passed out drunk with a sharpie mustache. Uploading them to Facebook right now…
I actually disagree. Your description of Facebook sounds more like MySpace.
Remember that Facebook was founded at Harvard. Even when it expanded beyond Harvard students, you initially had to be enrolled at an Ivy School or a couple of other prestige schools to even have an account.
Facebook can ‘manage’ access to different relationships. Your experience there, and how you use it also depends a great deal on your circle of friends.
But LinkedIn is certainly the place to do business. More like LinkedIn is the office, Facebook is the Country Club (that has recently lowered its standards for membership) and MySpace is the parking-lot at the local mall.
On a similar note, I have sometimes referred to Twitter as is the “water-cooler”.