The Downsides of Social Networking: MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn etc…

According to a posting on BNET, if you’re in management, you might want to rethink spending time on Facebook, MySpace and others as some see the social networking sites and their related activities as “unserious.” Some of the potential pitfalls? Legal liability, an inability to completely eradicate traces of your page even when you remove it, disclosure of personal information and the chance you could leak secrets you shouldn’t.

From the blog:

Should you be using Facebook to shmooze online? If you’re in management or above, perhaps you should think twice before participating. According to Simon Dumenco at Portfolio, something about the social-networking site makes executives squirm. He points out that Bill Gates went cold-turkey on his half-hour-a-day Facebook habit, partly to escape his 8,000-plus daily “friend” requests, but also because he was encountering weird fan sites that, presumably, creeped him out.

There are other drawbacks for serious business folk thinking about networking via Facebook. First of all, it’s nearly impossible to remove all traces of yourself from the social-networking site, even if you deactivate your account or request it be removed in its entirety. Then there’s the triple threat of potential legal liability, disclosure of personal information, and the risk of leaking corporate secrets. And in reality, not many executives actually use Facebook anyway, with many preferring more professionally oriented sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo.

The writer brings up some interesting points but I’ll admit, I have profiles on MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn. In fact, feel free to click on the links to check out my profiles and add me if you wish. I believe that we all have a right to express ourselves, but must at the same time be conscious of what information we are giving out to the world.

I see no problem with having these profiles, as long as you understand the ramifications of posting your personal information online. Personally, I prefer MySpace and LinkedIn. I have yet to jump on the Facebook bandwagon although I do have an account. Thoughts?

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Tags: Bill Gates, BNET, CC Holland, Emerging Media, Executive, Facebook, LinkedIn, Management, MySpace, Personal Information, Plaxo, Portfolio, Privacy, Professional, Profile, Security, Simon Dumenco, Social Media, Social Network, Social Networking, Social Trend, Technology, Trends

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