(Warning – this is a longer post – but it is worth it.  I promise.  It makes the case as to why we should use social networking sites not only inside of organizations, but also why we should not block employees from accessing outside sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.)

Before we get to the topic of using Facebook and LinkedIn at work, I want to tell a story which was prompted by the comment yesterday from @LisaMeece108.  Hopefully this will give you one example of the many benefits of these social networking sites.

When I first joined Facebook I also joined my high school’s graduating class Group that one of my old classmates created.  From that point on, I felt I was inundated with friend requests.  Some were old friends I had lost contact with and I was excited I knew where they were.  Others, to be honest, I barely remember or had not even thought about since the “good ol’ days.” If I accepted their friend requests, their updates started showing up in my “stream.”  I started learning a lot about people I really didn’t know any more and I was skeptical about the value of these updates.

Fast forward to my beautiful cousin’s wedding.  We were living in Portland at the time and she was living in the area of our home town, a couple hours south.  At her wedding there were a number of people she worked with who came that I had graduated with – AND, I was ‘friends’ with on Facebook.

One particular person was Janice.  In high school we didn’t hang out together.  We knew each other and would talk every now and then, but we didn’t know each other very well at all.  She was a great person, we just hung around in different social circles.

When we met again for the first time in 20 years, we started off as if we were great friends.  We immediately launched into our families and the activities we are in – all because we saw each others’ updates and had a background – in reality, we were just picking up where we left off on Facebook.  Our visit skipped past the awkward “Hi, remember me from 20 years ago?” stage where we would have even less to talk about than we did in high school.  Instead, it was a very pleasant experience.  For me, it was very eye opening as to the potential power of  social networking.

Now, on to FB/LinkedIn at work…

It is my plight, but one that I willingly accept.  Most of my professional career has been spent alone.  I was hired by companies to do something that no one else in the company could do.  It was me and me alone who performed these functions as I evangelicize (is that word?), educate, try to get others to help me and take up the cause for which I have been hired.  There were not any peers to work with and bounce ideas off of. My learning and growth was limited to my personal education.  Although I feel I was good at what I did and knew more about it than anyone in the company, it was as if they were held hostage by my limited knowledge and skills.  Honestly, I felt badly, but could only give them what I knew, products of learning and experience, knowing that if I only knew more I could take them further.  “If only I had a team” I would cry to myself, “then we could learn from one another, bounce ideas back and forth and go beyond my limited nature.”

For this reason I became very active in different local associations of similar people.  From them I was able to learn new techniques, perspectives and skills.  Yet, this was still very limiting.  At most we only met once a month for about an hour.

Then came online social networking…

No longer did I need to wait until our monthly meeting.  NAY! I could throw away the shackles of time and geographic location!  Now, if I need to ask a question, I can now do it immediately, when I am in the moment working on that specific task.

For example, I am joined to a great group of peers through social networking – the E2.0 Adoption Council. None of them work at NASA.  They all work at different companies, yet we all do the same thing – we help large organizations (10K people +) implement what is termed “Enterprise 2.0.”  We are connected by a social networking site and by Yammer (which we will talk about next week).  If I have a question, I can post it to one of these places and get several answers and join in on great dialogue.  Their perspectives are unique and invaluable. And when they ask questions, I am there to share my experiences and thoughts, helping them. We don’t share confidential or proprietary information – they are all professionals.  If this network were blocked it would be to the detriment of the organization I am working for.

Even if I did have a team*, just think: I could be connected to tens, hundreds, even thousands of ‘peers’ with an infinite amount of experience is a FREE benefit to me and the organization.  I would have to be CRAZY to not allow my team to tap these resources.  Then why do some organizations?

Fear.  Fear that it will be abused.  Fear that employees will 1) waste time and 2) post inappropriate or confidential information in an open space.

You only have to go as far as the back of the cover jacket of the book Enterprise 2.0 by Andrew McAfee, the originator of the term and a leading expert and researcher of organizational use of these tools.  It says that the book will “reveal where the real risks and roadblocks are with Enterprise 2.0, and why most concerns are unfounded.”  Inside the book he states, “I have noticed an interesting pattern: before an organization begins an  Enterprise 2.0 effort, its leaders typically have a consistent set of concerns about the negative things that could happen.  But most of these issues are not real or serious risks… After an organization begins to deploy (E2.0), its leaders’ concerns often shift to one simple issue: How can we go faster” (p.145)?  Later he writes how he tries to collect horror stories of these fears incarnate, but  “…my collection is almost empty. I have yet to come across any true horror stories – scenarios that make me question whether the risks associated with deploying (E2.0) actually do outweigh the benefits” (p.146).  (BTW – go buy the book. Now.)

Is your organization not networking from within?  Why not?  If it is not, it is limiting the ability for employees to be more effective through networking.

To be fair, Facebook is not an E2.0 application.  E2.0 refers to using these tools inside organizations.  Yet we have to ask: Have employees put out information on Facebook that they should not have? Yes.  Does it happen often.  No.  Does the risk outweigh the potential benefit? Not even close. What is the stepping stone?  Simply: TRUST.  If you have it, you are on your way.  If you don’t, you won’t see these tools any time soon.

I could never be as effective as I am without this E2.0 group.  Period and without question.  There are a ton of professional Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn which bring together people who do what you do, who support each other.  Join one or two or three or more. Do more than join – get engaged in them.

If you are blessed enough to work for an organization which does not block Facebook or LinkedIn, take advantage of it to connect to peers – learn from them, share with them and become a more valuable employee.

* In reality, I do have a great team. But this team is not dedicated to my field of work.  They have their own responsibilities and E2.0 is only a part of what they do.  They have not done this before, and so they are learning and doing at the same time – and doing very well, I might add!

STATUS UPDATES

A couple days ago I was in a meeting where a person said, ” I just don’t see the value of Facebook.  I mean, seriously.  I don’t care that someone ‘is waking up with a cup of coffee’ or is ‘slowly recovering from yesterday’s surgery.’  What a waste of time.”  He then grabbed someone’s iPhone with the Facebook app running and started reading off the updates.  I must admit, some of them did sound silly.  But let me give you a simple example of how something so mundane and initially inconsequential can help.

Photo by paulcole on Flickr

Every year our church likes to book a camping area for everyone to go camping together.  It just so happened that I was flying in that Friday night and was going to make it just in time to leave with the family.  But the last leg of my flight was delayed.  I called my wife and let her know, then I jumped on Facebook and updated my status: “Flight is delayed.  Can’t wait to see the fam after two weeks away and go camping. Hopefully I will be there in time to meet them.”

When my wife arrived at the campsite she suddenly had a number of people helping her out to set up the tent and get everything ready for her and the seven kids.  Why?  They saw the update, knew I would not be there with them and pitched in to help.  She kept hearing, “I heard Kevin will be late.” How was that, my non-Facebook using wife thought?  Did he call everyone?  No, it was the Facebook status.

The other day I found out that my friend’ wife was coming home from the hospital after delivering a baby.  Since we now live 2500 apart , I had not heard about the birth, and probably would not have until his wife was somewhat back to normal.  But I found out early, thankfully!

Then, last week, I had an business acquaintance message me through LinkedIn.  We have talked numerous times and had lunch together once.  He is a great guy and I have been impressed with his work.  Unfortunately, work is something he didn’t have any more and he let me know through LinkedIn.  Now, I can have my eyes open for him.

Can the updates be abused?  Sure, and some people are better at doing that than others.  But other times, those small, seemingly insignificant updates can make a big difference.

GROUPS

Facebook and LinkedIn both have GROUPS which you can join (without giving away private information about yourself).  Once in, there is usually a discussion on that topic.  The Groups can be organized around causes, ideas, conspiracy theories, music artists, professional initiatives or goofy topics.  Just about whatever you can think of, personal or professional, there will be a group for you to join.  Some groups are VERY useful – sharing information and asking/answering questions.  It becomes another set of people who have common passions to collaborate and connect with.

TO DO – Join some groups (Difficulty Level: EASY – Time: 15- minutes total)

• Go to both Facebook and LinkedIn and search groups for your favorite causes and professional interests.
• Join them and jump in on the conversations!

Now that you are on, let’s get you connected.

Photo by dan taylor on Flickr

FRIENDS in ‘real life’ are not the same as friends online.  In face-to-face relationships there is a certain etiquette with friends. Online, there is a totally different etiquette with friends. We won’t go over all the nuances, just know that it is OK to have thousands of friends on an online network and never really ‘speak’ to any of them.

Then why have them?

When you need them, they will be there.  For example, let’s say you find a past coworker from 10 years ago on LinkedIn and connect to them.  Next month, suddenly, you are laid off.  What is the best way to find a job? Through networking.  Suddenly, you have a MUCH larger network to contact and that past coworker is no longer a distant memory, but a valuable resource.

Or, let’s say that you were involved with a volunteer music production group.  In time you quit, moved across the country and life moved on – but you were friends with this group on Facebook.  Five years later you get the itch and want to start up a similar production group in your new town.  Even though you did not stay in touch via mail or even email very well, not only do you know where to find this group, but you can instantly contact them to get advice.

TO DO – Get thee some Friends! (Difficulty Level: EASY – Time: 20- minutes total)

According to your initial strategy,

1. Spend at least 10 minutes on each of the social networks and connect to, or friend current or past friends, family members or co-workers.
2. Take a look at who they are following. This may give you some ideas of who to connect with who you may have forgotten.

“You’re kidding, right?  You mean you need a strategy for signing up for these social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn?”

The answer is “No, you don’t.  But if you don’t, you will.”

Many people jump into social networking without thinking about what they are doing.  They go for the cool factor and forget the common sense factor.  Many people sign up, fill out their profile and start connecting (or ‘Friending’) to as many people as they can, just because they can.  They also accept friend requests from anyone.  Then, this happens…

The intent here is NOT to scare you.  It would be like saying “Beware of knives!  You may not want to use them!” But forgetting all of the great uses for knives in cooking, cutting rope or trying to open child (and adult)proof Christmas boxes.  If used wisely they are great.

According to the assignment from yesterday, you were to put in profile information.  As you did, you might have realized (hopefully!) that the information could be made private or public.  There are two basic levels:

1. Information anyone can see before they connect to you (for Friend you).
2. Information only those who are connected to you can see that unconnected people cannot.

So, which information do you whom to see?  Think about it carefully and be appropriate.

But this is the second question you should ask (I am working backwards, I guess!)  The first is, “Who should connect to me where?”  For example, Facebook is my personal network.  There, I am more willing to give out my personal information to this group because I only “friend” people I know, or used to know & trust (key factor).  These are the people that I want to keep in contact with back in Oregon, whom I have become friends with in past companies or other organizations.  Here, I can be a little more loose in what I say and how I act.  I am not crazy and wild (although my kids may say differently) but I am among friends.  But not everyone gets in here.

LinkedIn is my professional network.  Less personal information is put in here, but more professional information is open.  I connect to past peers, colleagues in my field, and even some of the people I have in Facebook.  Here is where I act more professionally.  I would not put updates on the Oregon vs. Oregon State Civil War game on LinkedIn, but I did on Facebook (which, BTW, Oregon won!).

But that is just my strategy.  Some people combine the professional and personal both on Facebook. Some don’t use one or the other.  Still others use other networks for either of these purposes.

In the end, if you go in without one, you will certainly create one over time.  So, start with a strategy.  True, it may change down the line, but that is OK.  Evolution is a necessary part of social computing.  But whatever you do, do it on purpose.

TO DO – Profiles (Difficulty Level: EASY – Time: 10- minutes total)

1. Create a quick strategy which would make you most comfortable but at the same time allow you to connect with as many people as possible.
2. Go back through your profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn and modify your information.  On one you may find that you allow more information than you originally thought you would.  On another you may scale back.

Tomorrow: “Friending, Connecting and Groups”

Week 5: Facebook/LinkedIn: Day 1

Photo by Tim in Sydney on Flickr

As physical entities, we can only be in one place at one time.  We only have 24 hours in a day. Because of these two facts, our “reach” is limited.  “Reach” can be defined as our potential sphere of influence.  If we have three meetings, back to back, we have to remember the travel time between each one, the customary introduction and exit rituals will each take time, and that switching from one group to another is not always easy.  (And remember, each of these meetings must fit everyone’s schedule, so even the availability for these meetings is diminished.) Because of this limited reach we are not able to be in contact with those people whom we might value the most – family, friends and colleagues – as often as we might like.  We often also have to whittle out some groups altogether – even though they may be valuable – because of this limited reach.

Yet, what if we were not bound by our physical bodies, nor time?  What would happen to this reach – this potential sphere of influence?  What kind of influence could we have if we were able to stay in contact with thousands of people?  What could we accomplish if we could join meetings or groups when it was convenient for us?

Social Computing allows us to do this.  There are many services on the internet that help us extend our reach.  This week we will only talk about Facebook and LinkedIn.  Previously considered by many to be time wasters for college students, these two services are powerful networking mediums.

Many have totally stayed away from these two (and other similar) services because of either their preconceived ideas or ‘horror stories’ they have heard.  Yet the question most people want to know is, “Is Facebook / LinkedIn a waste of my time or are they actually good for something?”  To know the answer, we must ask, “What do you want to do?”  Unfortunately, this is most often a chicken & egg situation.  We don’t know what is possible until we try it.

Before we move any further, we should understand, at least on a basic level, the value of ‘Social Networking.’  And who better to help us out than our friends at Common Craft.

Suddenly, our network (or ‘reach’ or ‘sphere of influence’) becomes much larger and can be managed at our convenience.

Social Networking Advantages:

• Infinitely more resources
• Easily contact
• 1000’s of loose connections yet…
• Very small maintenance time
• Searchable
• Learning increases

TO DO – Sign up for Facebook & LinkedIn (Difficulty Level: EASY – Time: 15- minutes total)

If you are hesitent at all, trust me on this one.  If, in the end after you have signed up and still don’t want to do it, you can cancel your accounts and be free and clear.  But I don’t think that will happen – just a guess

1. Go to Facebook and sign up (found on the front page).
2. Go to LinkedIn and sign up (also found on the front page).
3. For each of these, fill out your profiles – information about yourself.  Upload a picture.
4. Stop – don’t go further at this point.  Resist the temptation to sign up for groups or look for people.  Tomorrow we will talk about what to do next and how.  Because, yes, there is a strategy.

Yesterday I was in a meeting where two new terms surfaced. The first I came up with, the other a peer of mine created:

Digital Vagabonds: This came up in a discussion about how many people don’t have a presence on specifically Facebook, but really this applies to anything online. That got me thinking – in rapid succession – about how we would never dream of not having a physical address. Where would our bills be mailed to? Where would grandma send the Christmas presents? How would the police know where to come when our child accidentally dials 911 (which has happened at our home). It is important to us to have a physical address so that others can find us, can come tee-pee our homes or just stop by with a jell-o and carrot dessert.

Yet many don’t give a thought that they should have a ‘home’ or at least some place to be found online. This online address (or plural) is shaping up to be just as important as a physical one. My physical address may change, but my blog will always be there, as will my Linkedin account, or my Facebook page (until the newest, better thing comes along – in which case you will know where to find me).

Vagabond: a person, usually without a permanent home, who wanders from place to place (in this case, maybe trying something new, but never really staying there). An idle wanderer without a permanent (virtual) home.

(OK, maybe not totally a new term after all, but new in this context.)

Digital Delinquents: This phrase was created in response to others in the meeting who have created accounts on Twitter, Facebook, who have created blogs, etc., yet never check nor update them.  They are there to say, “I have an account” but don’t use them.  Which is like saying, “I have a physical address, but I don’t live there.  Nor do I check the mail.  And if anyone stops by with a plate of cookies to welcome me to the neighborhood, I won’t be there to accept them nor to develop that neighborly relationship.”

I tried to find a picture that would depict either a digital vagabond or a digital delinquent, but failed.  In reality, you can’t tell who they are in real life by physical appearance.  But you can tell by their virtual appearance.

Not that we have fully departed (although some may say differently), but when something new is introduced – I don’t care what it is – we, as humans, often lose our common sense.  We try things we would never have tried before.  We push the limits.  We act in ways that, in other contexts, we would never think of acting.  Sometimes in these ‘departings’ we discover something new and wonderful.  But most of the time we return to common sense.

Twitter opens up and people feel more free to say things they would never have said.  For example, @connor Tweeted: “Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”  Smart?  No. Did he get the job?  Doubt it.

Or you can get on Facebook and talk about how you don’t like your job and then lose it.  The choice is yours.

So in the enterprise (E2.0) world, what do many people want to do?  Lock down.  But wait – give people a chance to return to common sense before you lock down.  Let a few people make fools of themselves.  It is OK.  It is fun to watch, doesn’t take very long for normalization to happen and usually is only a minor embarrassment.  But they will return.

Mashable’s post about Twitter yesterday says this…

Although this may sound strange at first, Twitter really is more like Wikipedia than, say, Facebook (). Twitter is not so much about connecting with your friends, it’s about broadcasting information.

What? It is about broadcasting information?  Dave Wilkins must have been referencing this post yesterday when we were recording our latest podcast.  To me, the “What are you doing?” is lame.  Sure, every now and then tweet what you are doing.  Fine.  But if that is all you do, buh-bye.  Give me something useful.

Broadcasting information?  That is not how I use it.  Most of my usage is around conversations.  My tweets….

(Thinking in real time) … Wait a minute.  I guess I do – broadcast links, broadcast useful bits of information and appreciate it when others do the same.  But I connect at the same time.  I have conversations with others and collaborate, not just broadcast info.

Twitter, then, takes characteristics from both.  It is to broadcast info, but then at the same time it is used to connect, have conversations and collaborate (like @slqotd is used).  So, no, it won’t follow the curve of regular social networks.  But if we assume that Twitter is only a broadcast medium (only because it does do that) then we are selling the benefits short.

Thanks for joining me in my journey of thought.

While reading Will Thalheimer’s blog on multitasking, I started playing out situations in my mind.

• Twitter, email and IM popping up new messages
• Going through my RSS feed
• Checking LinkedIn & Facebook
• Answering the phone
• Attending to visitors

Yet as we do this we are all learning.  So if it actually is a disturbance to multi-task, where is the line?  What is considered multi-tasking and what is considered fruitful learning & performance?  This is what I have come up with initially…

I see myself in a constant state of learning.  But those non-formal times of learning which are best for me are when they are targeted.  It doesn’t matter if I use 100 different resources or 1.  But if I am focused then I can use all my tools to accomplish a task.

For example, yesterday I was trying to find a way to create a movie in Camtasia, send it to Adobe Premiere and produce the final with a clear picture.  The ones I was doing were decent, but I needed more clarity.  To do this I integrated a google search, help search, Twitter shout-out and email.  I wasn’t multi-tasking.  Instead I was focused on one task even though I was using multiple avenues.

Recognizing this some time ago, I have turned off email popups and check my RSS feeds, LinkedIn, Facebook and NING sites on purpose (as apposed to haphazardly).  (Twitter I still have on, but often I let those go until I can check a bunch at a time.)  If I am heavy into the moment I let my phone go to voicemail.  And in desparate times I “pull out the plant.”  This large plant blocks anyone from visiting me.  All these things keep my learning and production focused, avoiding the multi-tasking.

One last thought – I have found there is some benefit to procrastination.  Interruptions don’t always receive immediate brain share.  They are put on the backburner unless they are an emergency (Covey’s “Important vs. Urgent”).  Sometimes they disappear before I get to them.  Often my brain will, in the background, deal with the situation so when I do allow it to occupy my time I can speedily take care of it.  The brain is a beautiful thing.