More about IT Panel Series: Social Networking
LaSalle University’s Bucks County Center hosted a very well-attended discussion this morning. I was honored to be among the panel members who responded to questions regarding the personal and business applications of social networking/personal marketing. Those in attendance included faculty, staff, and adult students; their questions and comments revealed a deep engagement in the topic. Some comments that may not have been clearly communicated:
- Social networking and personal marketing allow us to gain autonomy and independence in the workplace. Social networking tools allow us to become more responsible for the long-term management of our careers – the “apron strings” to corporate employers are not secure.
- Online networking complements warm networking. Those who successfully develop and nurture their network demonstrate key qualities: team work, cultural awareness, and service orientation.
- Social networking has launched an era of “giving;” a prerequisite for and a simultaneous part of the “receiving” that most people associate with the new verb, “to network.”
- Career management requires a long-term commitment to social networking. While numbers vary, 80 – 95% of all jobs are filled through networking. With that in-mind, tools such as LinkedIn.com allow career managers to conduct a proactive “people search” rather than a reactive “job search.”
- Age is not a predictor of success in the realm of social networking. While members of Gen X and Gen Y may have an advantage in the use of hardware and software, the Boomers and Traditionalists seem to have an advantage in the “social” aspects of networking. Bette J. Walters, Esq., a fellow panel-member, referred to the need for a publication recommending social networking manners; in the meantime, click here for a relevant discussion of such issues.
