What NOT to Put in Your Facebook Profile…

Like millions and millions of people around the world, you probably have at least one profile on a social networking site, such as Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn.  Or, if you don’t have a profile on one of these sites, you certainly must be familiar with the buzz surrounding Web 2.0 and new media and all that fun stuff.

However, nowadays, our personal spaces on social networking sites are being invaded by work.  For example, you’re probably friends with a lot of your coworkers, or even bosses (I’m friends with three levels of bosses and former bosses on Facebook and LinkedIn…seriously).  You might even be in a few groups that are related to your company or its products.  Let’s face it:  the line between work and personal life is becoming almost nonexistent when it comes to social networking.

That being said…be sure not to make any of these mistakes in your profile.  If you do…then wow.

Rule #1:  Don’t Put Shady Things in Your Interests / Activities:

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve come across violations of this rule while religiously checking out my “friends’ ” profiles (I use quotes because we all know that approximately 75% of our so-called friends on Facebook and MySpace are casual acquaintances or people we haven’t even met).  There are always a few people who aren’t the brightest bulbs – or who think they’re really cool – and put really loser-esque things in their interests and activities.  Look at your list of friends – I’ll bet you that at least a dozen of them have “sex” in their activities or interests.  To paraphrase Rose on the Golden Girls “It was always my understanding that people who talk about it all the time don’t do it very often.”  And do you really want your boss reading that you’re a nympho?  Or that weird guy who sits in the cubicle next to you who sent you that friend request last week?  Ewww.  I 100% guarantee that no one wants to know if you’re doing that.  I also 100% guarantee that you won’t be doing that more often if you put it in your Facebook / MySpace interests.  And, I also 100% guarantee that it’s pretty much a given that you would enjoy such an activity.  Duh.  And if you put it in your profile just to be funny, news flash – it’s not.

There are probably still others on your list of friends who have “smoking boles,” “toking,” “getting high” or some other pot-related phrase in their interests.  This is also not recommended for coming across as a professional to your employer…for obvious reasons.  If you do that, that’s great for you.  I don’t think the rest of Facebook really cares.  Unless you’re looking for smoking buddies or a supplier or something?  I don’t know.  This is also probably not funny to your boss, who might be checking out your profile.  Putting this in your interests might cause colleagues to raise their eyebrows every time your eyes are bloodshot, and when you go out to your car during breaktime…

And finally, this one is probably in about 75% of college students’ / recent graduates’ profiles:  getting drunk.  Yes, I went to college and I’m well aware of what happens when class is over…or even while it’s in session.  I know it’s fun to go out and have drinks, and to party on weekends.  But if you’re an intern and are under 21, I’d leave it out of the profile.  Please note that the presence of this in your profile does NOT make you cool.  The ladies aren’t going to see this in there and throw themselves all over you.  Nope.  Anyway, since you’re in college, it’s pretty much implied that you could be drinking.  Do you really need to proclaim it to the world? 

By the way, I’d also recommend not joining fan pages / groups for these interests.  I noticed the sex fan page, for example.  Ummm yeahhh, I pretty much think that everybody on Facebook is an implied fan.

Rule #2:  Don’t Put Shady Pix Online

Seems obvious enough, and goes hand-in-hand with rule #1.  Too many people break this one, too.  I can’t tell you how many times I go online, and see that someone has posted some drinking album called “GeTTinG HaMMerED” or something to that effect (note the annoying use of alternating capital with lowercase letters that is likely in the name of the album).  These albums usually contain picture after picture of a bunch of co-eds hanging out at some generic, run-of-the-mill bar, which is probably sticky and smells like a mix of alcohol, too much cologne and sweat.  Okay, whatever, we all go out and hit up the bar once in a while.  But herein lies the issue:  when people have pix of them in bar doing such unprofessional things as licking people / objects, making lewd hand gestures, touching some guy’s butt or lifting up one’s shirt.  Yeahhhh.  I never really understood why people think that posting pictures of themselves looking like losers is cool.

Rule #3:  Don’t Put Stupid Things in Your Status

So it’s a really gorgeous Friday – the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and God knows you don’t want to wake up and go to work.  So, you call in “sick,” and play the big kid version of hooky.  Okay, we all need a personal day once in a while, as to avoid going insane because of too much work.  Understood.  However, the dumb part of this comes when people put this in their status messages, or post this on friends’ walls.  It’s probably not a good idea to feature “skipping out of work for the day” as your status message, especially when you’re friends with people from your office, and/or boss.  It is also not good to post on a friend’s wall that “we should grab drinks because I’m cutting work today.”  Also, bear in mind that you should not post any pictures from your “sick day” excursion.  Just a thought.

You might be thinking, “It’s my personal life, I can do what I want, work shouldn’t be checking up on me.”  And I’d agree with you – this is probably true.  But since employers have been known to check your social networking profile, I’d be smart about this, folks.  Also take note that the opposite principle holds true:  you don’t have to overly kiss corporate butt and put “workin’ for the man,” “going to the office” and “working on weekends” in your interests.  😛

Corporate Word of the Week:

“The messaging ball is bouncing” – Overheard on one of the many conference calls that take up approximately 30% of my work week.  This is a perfect example of a work metaphor going too far…and becoming convoluted in meaning.  Corporate messaging is not a ball.  And where exactly is it bouncing to?  You know when you’re doing karaoke, and the little ball bounces over the words?  Is that like this fabled messaging ball?  Or is the messaging ball more like playing hot potato, and you keep throwing it someone else so you don’t have to work on it?  Hmm…

There’s a social network for THAT?!

In this era of social networks, headed by sites such as Facebook and MySpace, it seems as if there’s a network for, well, everything.  I’ve seen ads for social communities surrounding everything from horses to weddings to wine and beyond.  But this seems like a good way to get your company involved with Web 2.0, right?  Umm, maybe not. 

To me, this raises some questions: 

Do some things really need social networks?  The answer to this is a resounding “no.”  For example, the leader of the social marketing team I’m on mentioned this community for cat litter.  Now seriously, why does cat litter need a social community?!  I definitely don’t think it does.  I mean, is this cat litter that great that people are dying to join the community and participate in discussions about this and watch kitty-litter-related videos?  I think you can answer that.  I would suggest making this group more general – people would definitely join a social community about cats…and maybe the cat litter company could sponsor the site and offer coupons or something.  Think about whether or not your company’s product would benefit from having a social network surrounding it:  Would this draw new customers?  Would this reinforce positive feelings in current consumers?  Would this just be a huge waste of time and money?

Should you just use an existing site such as Facebook or MySpace?  In most cases, I would say “yes, it would make sense to just create a group or a page off of Facebook or MySpace.”  For example, maybe the kitty litter people could’ve just created a Facebook group for free rather than wasting money on creating a page for their own network.  Millions of people are already members of Facebook and MySpace, and might be interested in becoming fans of your product, so this is always a good resource to tap.  The Facebook-MySpace realm is also a good place to test out whether or not it would make sense to create a separate social network site for your company or its product – if you get a ton of people to join your group, then maybe it would make sense to have your own site specifically devoted to this.

Is this market overly saturated?  It sure seems that way.  I think this cat litter site marks the exact point where social networks outside of the mainstream jumped the shark, so to speak.  There’s another reason right there to shy away from making your own social network – with way too much out there, it makes your social network more difficult to search for and find.

Corporate Word of the Week:

Viralize (v.) – A verb meaning “to make viral.”  Note that this is not an actual word and makes it seem like you’re trying too hard to sound smart.

ex. – Let’s use YouTube to try and viralize the new corporate video.

True or False: Social Networking Is Only for Young People

Just a short time ago, Facebook was only open to college students.  YouTube was dominated by amateur videos shot by the adolescent set, oftentimes featuring lots of drunken antics and falling down.  MySpace had this sleazy, creepy vibe (wait, that’s still true…).  But now, these sites are broadening their horizons, embracing businesses, and those older than college-age.  However, all too many people are still convinced that these sites are for the younger crowd.

False!

This is Web 2.0 – this is the new face of technology (well, until some crazy Web 3.0 technology thing comes along).  This is where the people are – and, if you’re talking business, this is where your audience is.  Social networking sites are among the most highly-trafficked sites out there – and in fact, more than half of Facebook’s 80 million users are out of college.  So if you’re thinking that the social networking space is lost on Big Business, well, you’d be wrong.

For some reason, I’ve noticed that people from other generations are afraid to embrace this new web trend, and are afraid they can’t catch on.  Just so you know, there was a time when even Generation Y wasn’t habitually logging on to Facebook and YouTube – and that was only a few years ago.  I would never describe myself as a tech person (yes, I know I work at IBM), and even I’ve been able to catch on.  Seriously, just go with it.  You might even have some fun while you’re at it.

I guess the main issue with this is that older generations don’t know how to market with Web 2.0.  Well, honestly, it’s not too different from traditional marketing.  You can post news about events and incentives on Facebook, and create a group surrounding your company’s product.  You can post a new video on YouTube to get it more visibility.  And, as always, consumers still like incentives and value relationships.  Social networking just gives us a new space in which to do so. 

Corporate Word of the Week:

incent (v.) – A made-up sales/marketing buzzword erroneously used to act as the verb form of ‘incentive.’  Variations include ‘incented,’ ‘incenting,’ and ‘incentivize.’

ex. – We’ll incent the customers with a free pass to the conference.

Going Viral

Okay, so I’ll admit it:  up until the past year, I never really thought IBM did anything cool.  Big Blue always struck me as, well, Big Blah.

But lately I’ve seen IBM really getting out there and embracing Web 2.0.  One of my favorite things the company did would have to be putting some viral videos on YouTube.  Now, considering that the subject matter of the videos is databases and XML, the videos are actually pretty funny, and somewhat reminiscent of The Office.  If there was ever a way to make storing your data seem totally cool, well, this is it.

Check ’em out:

Part I, Part II, Part III

So I’ve been thinking:  how do you make something ‘go viral?’  How does your video go about becoming the next dramatic chipmunk or numa numa guy?  Honestly, in the case of YouTube and Corporate America, I think it’s equal parts effort and luck. 

Part of it is making sure that people know your video is out there:  cascade it to as many people as possible within the company through e-mails, websites and newsletters and send it to friends outside the company. 

Also, add as many relevant tags as possible and pray that people find it that way. 

Corporations with money to spend might also want to consider advertising on relevant websites and other media.

Also, this may seem obvious, but it’s a great idea to make your video relate to your audience.  For example, an IBM talking head video probably won’t get too many hits on YouTube.  However, making an IBM video that’s a spoof of a TV show (such as The Office) would do better since people would find it more interesting / relevant.

Other shows that would be cool to spoof for corporate videos: 

American Idol – have a panel of three judges comparing your product and your competitor’s a la this TV show

Project Runway – similar idea to the preceding one

Survivor – see which company’s product ‘survives’ and comes out on top

The Apprentice – your product gets ‘hired’ and the competitor’s gets ‘fired’

Corporate Word of the Week:

efforting (v.) – The verb form of the noun ‘effort.’  Often used to make one’s self sound more intelligent.

ex. – We’re efforting a solution using our company’s top products.

Why do so many corporate social networking attempts fail?

In today’s age of Web 2.0, it seems as if every business in existence has a Facebook Fan Page, a YouTube Channel, and a slew of devoted Twitterers.  So – if companies ranging from mom-and-pop stores right up to Big Business each have a social media presence – what makes a company stand out?  What makes people join and follow these networks?  What keeps users coming back?

Now, as someone who visits social media sites daily (okay, so daily is quite the understatement…it’s more like I go on Facebook every half hour without even being conscious of doing it), and as a user who is a product of the Web 2.0 era, I would like to offer some insight.  Why should you listen to me?  Because I represent today’s consumer and know what people in my age bracket like, because, as it so happens, I’m part of my age bracket.

Some musings:

It seems as if one of the biggest problems is generating an audience to join and use these sites.  For example, if a business has a Facebook page, the business cannot assume that people are out on Facebook just dying to be fans of the company/product so badly that they search for it and join and then invite 10,000 friends – same goes for any other social media endeavor.  Social media marketing and advertising works just like regular marketing and advertising.  GET THE WORD OUT.  Tell colleagues and customers.  Engage bloggers and Twitterers.  Advertise.  Put links anywhere and everywhere.  Publicize in every applicable newsletter and website, both internal and external.  Chances are you’re Facebook ‘friends’ with some of your colleagues (and maybe even customers) on Facebook.  Post a link in your status message so it shows up in the Facebook news feed and in the ‘recently updated status’ tab – trust me, people DO click on this stuff.

Look into advertising on Facebook.  Facebook now allows you to create a targeted ad that you can make specific to people’s genders, age groups, interests, marital status, etc.  If you’re trying to reach single tech guys, for example, you can target them.

Hype your company’s social networking groups when speaking with teen-to-college-age audiences.  I know that IBM, for example, is involved with the younger crowd – thus, when giving presentations, it’s a great idea to mention Facebook groups, YouTube channels, etc.  Having been in college but a year ago, I would have been interested if a business directed me to their social networking projects.  I’d think, “hey cool, maybe company X is relevant to me and my generation, and tuned to what I want as a future employee/consumer.”

Offer an incentive for people to join your company’s network / group – it doesn’t have to be big – encourage people to take a survey, and give them a $5 iTunes or Starbucks giftcard or something.  Have a small contest for the best photo or video, and give away an iPod.  People love free stuff, but make them do something in order to get it.  Another thing to keep in mind is that people will get turned off if you make them do too much to get the free thing.  So the key is to try and find somewhere in between giving people something for merely joining your group, and making them fill out 10 pages of questions.

Keep the community going!  Don’t just create a group and then stop there – make sure the network has dynamic content, and update the material often.  Keep discussions going, and engage the community as much as possible.

And now for some shameless self promotion:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/IBM-DB2/10442975871

http://www.facebook.com/pages/IBM-Informix-Dynamic-Server-IDS/23461144288

http://www.facebook.com/pages/IBM-InfoSphere-Warehouse/17628877758

http://www.youtube.com/user/IBMer5985