Networking can be defined as the exchange of information of services among individuals, groups, or institutions ; specifically : the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. For many people networking, is a key resource to the community, to advertising, to business, and to even finding a job. In order to network effectively...you have to know how to connect with people around you. For college students networking is easy and always at our fingertips, with our phones, computers, and tablets. But what we don't realize is how some of things we do now through networking will effect us later.
For a resource here are some do's and dont's.
Do's : stay connected and interact with people, join groups...but be selective, use your profile and such as a tool.
Don't: publish everything you did that one night last summer, badmouth anybody or any employers, just friend random people (because associates can see your friends), or carelessly post things especially personal information (think before you do).
Here lies the questions...do you agree with the do's and dont's? If so, do you personally have any other suggestions you would add to the list? Also in your personal opinion how much information is too much information (such as your address, phone number, your age), and how comfortable are you with random people accessing your personal life?
Finally do you think employers should be allowed to go through your personal pages without notification or release? And do you think that having a facebook, twitter account, or blog is worth it if you cannot really express how you feel due to people watching your every move/statement?
I do agree with the list of networking do’s and don’ts because networking involves sharing information with others to make connections, you have to have some type of discretion in doing that in today’s world of identity thieves, hackers, and people who prey on others personal information for their gain. I think to be able to properly connect with someone all you need is to give them the basics at first, and that only includes mainly your immediate contact info such as your name, e-mail, and telephone number. Giving your age, home address, and personal information like that can be too much and is not needed for a simple contact. I personally am not comfortable giving out too much of my information and only give what is needed because I was a victim of identity theft from a close friend so I have learned to not be as free with certain information. I also do not agree with the current measures employers go through today to “fact check” their employees. I think that with the exception of some jobs like working for the president, or another high power elected official, your employer should not be so nosey. I know they want to know who they are hiring, but checking a person’s Facebook, twitter, or personal blog is a bit intrusive. A simple background check and criminal history check should be all that is warranted.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the do's and don'ts. You definitely have to be out there networking with people but you also can't post your every thought as well as every single thing you did that day. I think one of the important don'ts you touched on was not to badmouth employers or other people. Badmouthing employers can get you fired and badmouthing people or even past employers can screw you as well with potential jobs because those people are going to worry about whether or not you are going to be saying things about them. I think the key with personal information is to be selective. Only share personal information with some people and don't share necessarily all of it either. It's not necessary to share your address but I don't really think that sharing your age with everyone is too much. I would say that if you want to share your phone number, you should have it only available to your friends.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Do's and Dont's of Networking. One should be careful and selective of what he shares, especially on social networking sites. People's jobs have been at jeopardy due to posting unprofessional things online. Pictures of parties and badmouthing co-workers are things that could get one fired or prevent one from getting hired. It can be worth it to go online even though one may not be able to post all of his information; one can use a fake name on a blog to write his true opinion. One should be especially careful on Facebook or Twitter, because these are sites where potential and current employers have access to. I don't know if it is fair for employers to see all of their employees information, but if they are putting it out there, it is as if they are saying or doing it in public. I personally do not allow people I do not know to be my friend on Facebook. Overall, everyone should be careful what they post online because almost anyone has access to it and it can be hard to take it back once it is out in the online world.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the do's and dont's. It is important to keep in mind that everyone can see what you post on the internet. If you don't want someone to see something then simply don't post it. Personally, I believe too much information is putting any personal information such as your address and phone number. Recently I was looking at some of my friends info on facebook and noticed that their phone numbers were on their profiles, they had no idea. Who knows what people can be capable of by having your phone number.
ReplyDeleteI find the fact that employers can now go through your information such as your facebook profile is a little scary. They are able to see who you talk to and what you like and posts you may have regret posting. I think that facebook is a personal thing that should not be viewed by employers because really it is not their business. However, they do have a right to know who they are hiring but I believe there are otehr ways to discover this information. I still think it is worth having a facebook profile for the simple fact to interact with others. With that said it is discomforting that facebook is "watching" your every move now. When I made a post the other day within minutes there were ads on the other side for things that related to my post. I believe that you can still express yourself throuhg media but you just have to be a little more reserve with what your putting out there. If your comfortable with what your saying on new media sites then you won't mind what people see.
The aforementioned list of “Do’s” and “Don’t” are very informative and become practical for any person thinking about their future. People don’t seem to understand that ANYTHING that you put online is there for people to see. It does not matter if you post a picture, un-tag yourself, and then try to delete it; there is a way for anyone to come across that information. Networking becomes important for any type of career. You connect to a lot of people, who in turn, find other people to connect to. Professional relationships become important in any job field and it becomes very important to portray yourself in a positive light. Connections through networking become very important especially when trying to find a job in a country where they have become so scarce. When networking, you need to figure out how much information you want to provide to the people that you are connected to. The only networking site that I can stand to provide my information to and to keep up with is Facebook. On here, I am only friends with people that I actually know and trust with my information. I will not accept people that I do not know because I find it to be very intrusive and unsafe. You need to be smart about the information that you allow people to see, especially on Facebook. I allow people to search for me but do not allow them to see anything but my profile picture. This allows potential and future employers to not delve too deeply into my personal life without them understanding who I am as an individual. In regards to your personal information; it becomes very difficult to hide any information about yourself online. There are numerous websites that I have come across that give you the address, age, income, family, etc on anyone that you can think of. Websites like www.spokeo.com become a networking tool that actually provides too much information regarding everyday people who do not even know that this information is so easily assessable. Overall, the internet makes networking very effective and easy for anyone, you just need to use common sense when providing information about yourself for everyone to see.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Do's and Dont's of Networking. The Internet is a scary place, and I personally know several people who had trouble find them when they posted too much information on Facebook. I do, however, think the whole "everyone on the Internet is a pedophile and wants to kill you" mindset is a little blown out of proportion. Most of the people I follow on Twitter, for example, are strangers, but I rely on them as a news source.
ReplyDeleteNetworking through the Internet is a very important aspect of our present life. This however, doesn't mean its a good idea to post dozens of pictures on Facebook with red cups and vodka bottles. Employers and even colleges can hunt down potential students and workers through their online posting. Which is why it might be a good idea to change your name on Facebook and other networking sites, like I did.
Other suggestions for the list include, well, just being smart. Don't hand out personal information, stay away from chat rooms, and use good judgement. Too much information is all the personal stuff, phone number and address. I've enver given out anything worse then an email address, and that was when I was like 7 and didn't know better.
I'm oddly comfortable with welcoming strangers into my life. As I said before, everyone on my Twitter is a stranger but mutual interests brought us together.
Employers and colleges going through our blogs and Facebook profiles is a cheap shot. Just because I went to a party and drank last week, or post rude things about people I hate on Tumblr, really doesn't make me a super awful person with a bad work ethic. This is a personal section of my life and I don't want certain people snooting through it. I always express how I feel on my blogs and Facebook, regardless of who is watching. If its not meant for your eyes you shouldn't have been creeping around anyway.
I agree with the do’s and don’ts but I would add some ideas to the don’ts list. I think it is a don’t to provide your phone number, address, employer – anything that allows people to find you or track you down. I am not comfortable with random people accessing my life which is why I also say it is a do to use the private mode on your social network account to prevent random people from looking through your life. I do not think employers should be allowed to go through your personal pages without permission. I think it would paint an unflattering picture of many people even though they would do excellent in many professions. I think it is important for work and personal lives to be kept separate. I think it is obnoxious that everyone has to censor themselves or be paranoid or concerned about who is going to see what and how they may interpret what they see or read. I think people should still be allowed to let loose when they are not at work and not be judged for it later (within good reason). If you’re posting pictures of yourself engaging in illegal activities or posting statuses about inappropriate things, you can pretty much bet it will come back to haunt you later but I think there are some pictures and statuses that employers could misinterpret or see that one picture and create an entire personality for a person based on it that may be unrealistic. I think it is still worth it to have these social network accounts to connect with each other. Unfortunately, we just have to be very conscious of what we say and what pictures we post so that we are not misrepresented.
ReplyDeleteI used to be one of those people that posted highly personal rants about my own life but since then I have become less apt to share these things. I also had gotten into the habit of friend requesting people I thought were 'interesting' but would never actually talk to. Being on a social networking site can make you feel like you're connected to all sorts of people, but how big is your network really? Sometimes it is a good idea to go through your friends list and delete anybody you no longer are in touch with, or would prefer not to talk to anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe do's and don'ts are fairly straightforward and make sense. But by the nature of networking and because it's more for business, community or employment purposes, very little personal information should be given. There is a line that should not be crossed between the two. Someone's personal life is, well, personal. It means that information that you keep to yourself or to only very close friends. And even then you should be careful. Why should anyone, other than your friends and your employer, have your address and your phone number? Thus, I am not comfortable giving random people any personal information. I have said before I don't feel comfortable using FaceBook or Twitter. I recognize their potential, but I really believe the huge majority of people are using it for nonsense. I don't think employers should have the right to go through anyone's personal pages with or without notification. Again, it's personal. If you use FaceBook, Twitter or a blog to express yourself artistically or creatively, it makes more sense because indeed people are watching your every move. In fact, everything you do on a computer is being watched. That is the reality of it. So, we all must be careful with any information we put forward.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the DO's and Don'ts of networking. I think the most important thing to remember is anything you put up on the internet will be there forever. I like to have my privacy settings on Facebook really high. I give out minimal personal information. I constantly go through and review my friends and delete the people I don't know from high school. I do not like random people accessing my account. I did not set up a facebook account for networking purposes. I have it to stay in touch with friends. I should not be afraid of what potential employers think about my profile. I think that is an invasion of privacy. If my application and my background check, checks out that should be enough.
ReplyDeleteI would say that I definitely agree with the do’s and don’ts listed above. I agree with the importance of interacting with people and joining groups, as well as using your profile as a tool. I can’t think of anything specific that I would add to the list, but I would definitely stress the things that are listed. Carelessly publishing everything, especially intensely personal details, is almost always a horrible idea. Information can become too much information when a line of personal comfort is crossed. I personally do not publish anything online that I would be uncomfortable with a stranger knowing about me. I do think that employers should be allowed to view personal pages, but should only use them to a certain extent when choosing candidates for jobs. I do think having a blog is worth it. My blog is used as a place for me to vent about whatever I might be thinking as well as my likes and dislikes, but does not personally identify me or link to my Facebook or any other identifying information.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the do’s simply because I feel as if everyone has to be responsible for what they put up online. Once it’s up it’ll never come down ever again. Being able to choose the groups you would like to be apart of and the friends you would like to have is part of the intellectual freedom and insight people gain through out the years. Be a certain age you should know what’s appropriate to say online and what isn’t. This also means I agree with the don’ts simply because it all goes back to the way you view the things you put up online.
ReplyDeleteEmployees should always be allowed to research their new incoming employees in order to make their decisions. There is not one employer that will hire someone that cyber bullies or puts up inappropriate things on the web.