Social Networking
I'm just interested to see what people out there think about the possibilities offered by social networking. Do you use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc as a way of professional networking or gathering stories? I'm assuming anyone joining in the conversation will have view on this since this is afterall a social networking site!
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Huntington W. Sharp says:
"Social"?
Abigail, the thing I've been noticing is that the term "social networking," as opposed to "professional networking," is kind of artificial. This has probably always been true, but from the professional success that bands had on MySpace to the social contacts I have on LinkedIn, the line between the two seems arbitrary.
This is true on Red Room, too, of course, since we want everyone here to be BFFs while promoting their work and learning about writing. I wonder what this says about the traditional boundaries we've assumed about our work and personal lives.
Huntington Sharp, Red Room
Jennifer Gibbons says:
I use facebook way too much...
I'm finally stopped sending flowers, thank God. Seriously, Facebook is great connecting with other writers. A couple of months ago I put in my status update that I just watched The Parent Trap and author Marion Winik said she loved that movie and wished she had seen it when it was on TCM. I just sat there and thought whoa, Marion Winik commented on my status! Amazing!
Jennifer Gibbons, Red Room
Anil Punjabi says:
Networking
I use LinkedIn only when I am looking for a new job.
Facebook when I am meeting new people in my social life.
I hope these two groups of people never meet each other :)
Jack Shaka says:
Networking
FB -I use it more to keep in touch.It's easier while travelling to just put a status UPDATE and all friends will read it instead of doing emails.
It makes it so easy to let people know where you are -let them see the photos.Trust me-It's a network tool.
Charles A. Ray says:
It's just another form of community for me
I find social networking a great supplement to physical community. I travel a lot and find it hard to stay in touch physically with all my friends and professional contacts, and the various networks - LinkedIn, Face Book, GovLoop, etc., help me stay connected. They are also useful for keeping up with what's going on around the globe. Another network, of a sort, that I recommend for people who want an opportunity to work on improving their writing and make a little pin (pen) money at the same time is Helium.com, a community of free lance writers on the web.
Abigail Rieley says:
Networking...
Sorry I haven't been around for so long but I've been fascinated to read everyone's responses to this. Personally I use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Facebook I find to be more social than anything else, it's where I connect with family and friends although my publisher also has a presence there so there and I'm friends with quite a few colleagues so there's a bit of a blurred line...more than I'd like. I tend to use Twitter more than anything else, since I can update it from my phone. I use it mainly for networking and the vast majority of people I follow would be writers, journalists or involved in publishing. There're a few mates in there as well but mainly those in the same line of work. I tweet mainly about writing and often live tweet from court if I'm covering a big trial. LinkedIn I'm still finding my feet with. It looks like a great place to network but it's quite slow taking off in my field here in Ireland. When you live in a country as small as Ireland then the extra scope you get online is essential.
Laura McHale Holland says:
Networking
I'm a newbie to social networking. I've got a partially completed profile on LinkedIn for my day job that I've never gotten around to completing, a myspace page my daughter set up for me that I've never visited, and I joined redroom quite a while ago and until tonight haven't done anything besides fill in a few profile questions. I've also had friends ask me to join their networks on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and keep in touch with them on Plaxo. I've begged off, saying I have to learn how to participate in the sites I've already stuck my toes into before I join more.
I can relate to what Anil Punjabi says about not wanting those in his Facebook and LinkedIn groups to meet. I don't feel like there's any connection between my work as a managing editor for a financial services trade publication and my life as the author of a memoir under contract with RockWay Press -- other than words.
I started writing on the side for examiner.com, largely to learn more about social networking because if you don't do that I don't think you can draw any kind of readership there.
Anyway, networking is an adventure -- but time consuming. I hope I get the knack of balancing it all.
Grace Cassey says:
Networking
I use Facebook more often, especially when keeping in touch with friends and meeting new people.
I only update my LinkedIn when necessary, just so other professionals could get a clue about what I do at present, and other relevant stats as well.
I still dont get the idea behind Twitter. I think it's a great tool for 'stalking' people. But then, I kinda like the site's concept. I use it quite often too especially when sharing my articles.