Navigating Social Media in the Workplace for Personal and Professional Success

It has always been difficult to find the perfect work-life balance. Presently with the immense popularity of social media, it is becoming even more challenging to balance a personal and professional presence. Start with an evaluation of how you interpret yourself on social media. Then examine to see if this is an accurate and professional representation of yourself and/or your career.

Maintaining a Balanced Presence on Social Media: Do's and Don'ts

In order to maintain a balance of your personal and professional life on social media, there are some straightforward do’s and don’ts that will offer some guidance:

DON’T:

• Discuss confidential information. Your employer, clients/connections expect you to keep information private.
• Use foul language. Speak with professionalism. It is ok to use some slang. Just keep it clean.
• Live tweet your night at the bar. It is ok to enjoy a night out. Keep it offline.
• Plunge into drama. Talking poorly, even if names are omitted, will result in negative repercussions.
• Post grammatical errors. Grammar or spelling mistakes can decrease your credibility.

DO:

• Establish a strong and steady voice. Exhibiting your personality will help you seem authentic and personable.
• Blend your personal and professional interests. Share articles, tips, and links to events
• Follow and Connect with professionals, friends, and coworkers. Social media can be a great networking tool.
• Read before you share. With the rise in clickbait, there may be an article that is not with the title.

Choosing the Right Social Media Strategy

There are various types of social media strategies that can be used in professional and/or personal life. The best advice for professionals is to make a self-diagnosis of their current online behavior and whether they value transparency more or authenticity more. This list of strategies can be useful in deciding how and how not to balance personal social media in the workplace:

• Open Strategy. Posting whatever comes to mind. Understand that this is risky.
• Audience Strategy. Keeping your professional and personal networks separate. Facebook posts can be directed to a LinkedIn account.
• Content Strategy. Resigning to posting only carefully considered content, information, and photos that project an image of professionalism.
• Custom Strategy. Users manage their audience and content. People can create two lists, one personal and one professional, and post different content to each list. This is used by journalists and public figures.

Optimal Strategies for Professionals

Most professionals prefer to use a Custom or a Content strategy. A Custom Strategy will help build a relationship with peers through sharing information that is personal and professional. This will help to save the boss and coworkers from seeing too many party or baby pictures, and it also frees friends from seeing job-related content that means nothing to them. A Content strategy is the next best strategy because it requires fewer capabilities but may also allow connection with an expansive audience more productively.

Organizations have recognized how popular social media has become in the workplace, and it is essential to review your company’s policies. It is important for all professionals to remember that social media is not just a public representation of your own person but also a representation of your company, your clients, and your future. Try to take the time to think through your personal content before posting or sending it out on any social media site.

References

1. Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business horizons, 53(1), 59-68.
2. Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business horizons, 54(3), 241-251.

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