Comments on: What is Your Professional Social Stalking Protocol?

By: wrytir

wrytir — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:46:11 +0000

Your post is largely spot on for me with a few minor exceptions.
I will send a request to connect on LinkedIn to the interesting people I just met in a meeting before I turn my key in the parking lot. I manage too many Twitter accounts these days for clients to spend much time on my own presence. Once a month I may add new people to my Twitter lists.

Facebook is a weird bird for me. I’ve met ~85% of my friends before connecting with them on FB. I’ve also connected with high-profile strangers — local news people or national social media personalities — there and have developed relationships with them based in part on letting them see behind the curtain of my privacy controls. FB is both my private(ish) place and the place where I am most active personally.From a business perspective, I will stalk your LI profile for sure. I will likely follow your company there too. Depending on the connection I feel with you personally, I might let you into my Facebook world, but I will likely follow your company and add your company updates to one of my Interests lists.

Instagram? I haven’t figured out how to justify me spending any time there just yet. None of my clients are b2c and are therefore not terribly visual in what they offer.

FourSquare? I keep that largely locked down to close friends, but occasionally share on my public Twitter account. My house is two blocks from a police station and the alarm system functions well. I really don’t spend any time there other than to let friends know where I am and to maintain my “mayorship” of select restaurants. I certainly have no interest in stalking friends, clients or new business contacts on FourSquare.

Interesting topic. I’m eager to read through the comments of others. Individual nuances to questions like this intrigue me. Thanks for writing.

By: bradmarley

bradmarley — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 22:25:42 +0000

@profkrg It’s a Catch 22. You have to be careful about what you say and don’t say on social media, but you have to be on social media in this day and age, at least if you work in PR and marketing. Good points.

Thanks for leaving a comment.

By: profkrg

profkrg — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 06:05:48 +0000

Interestingly, my rules are much like yours. I am interested in knowing more about ways the majority of people use certain social mediums. For example, I heard twice today from people who said they use Facebook more personally and Twitter more professionally. I wonder where/why we made this distinction. I’m not even certain that what we do can be considered “two levels removed from stalking.” It’s just pretty much stalking. I was reviewing job candidates for a search committee I was on and I googled every person on the list, clicking on their multiple profiles. What was concerning was not what I found, but what I didn’t find. If a candidate claimed to be involved in many professional activities, but hardly registered on Google, I was concerned. Interesting how times have changed.

By: MightyCaseyMedia

MightyCaseyMedia — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:50:24 +0000

@bradmarley @JoeCardillo And it’s ever so easy to just hit “unfollow” …

By: bradmarley

bradmarley — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:45:36 +0000

@skooloflife I’m so glad you left a comment. I agree with the whole connection thing. There are people who I want to meet that I know I would hit it off with.

By: skooloflife

skooloflife — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:08:02 +0000

Hey Brad,

Really interesting post. As someone who has built his entire platform through connecting with people (primarily through interviews), I’d say it depends. What I think that we have to learn to do is become aware of when we truly experience a special connection with somebody. I’ve been lucky enough to interview some of the most famous people online, but that doesn’t meant I can call up Tim Ferriss when I’m having a lousy day . On the flip side there’s certain people, even if you’ve never met them in person that you just have chemistry with. I think that it’s something you learn to pay attention to over time an. But I think there is definitely some “professional stalking.” There’s lots to be said about this subject And you made some great points.

By: bradmarley

bradmarley — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:24:10 +0000

@JoeCardillo I think we’ve all followed somebody who shares information that is TMI. But I think you can usually discern that before you click the follow button. But I agree with the parallel regarding friendship and dating. It’s spot on.

Thanks for the comment!

By: bradmarley

bradmarley — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:48:08 +0000

@brimtzger Thanks! I think it’s okay to follow on Twitter as long as you try to interact.

Thanks for leaving a comment!

By: JoeCardillo

JoeCardillo — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:11:42 +0000

I’d say it all depends, except on LinkedIn, which is pretty straightforward. Have you ever followed someone you met professionally / semi-professionally on Twitter only to notice later that they are using it to discuss very, umm, personal stuff? That’s awkward, even though you are right about it being public and fair game. There’s also a weird parallel to personal friendships and dating. It’s good to take your time getting to know someone before seeing them all the time! Ahem. I mean online.

By: brimtzger

brimtzger — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:29:55 +0000

I think you hit the nail on the head. When I first got FB, I think I was adding every individual I ever came into contact with on there. Now, I find myself trying to clean out the clutter by going on these random “friend removal” fits. I link everything else, like my instagram, to my twitter, so that sort of “stalking’ I think is far game. Following on twitter, tumblr, instagram is like being a fangirl, where as if you aren’t personally close, following ones FB is like “Why are you in my house?”