Page 33 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

22 TODAY’S BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

posting a number of “confessions” to her personal blog. Although some
of her confessions—such as stealing mail from the mail room and maybe
putting it back—were probably written tongue-in-cheek, her employer
wasn’t amused. The reporter may gain 15 minutes of fame from this expo-
sure, but in the long run, her brand will almost certainly be tarnished.
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It may not be fair, but we never said that life and communication are fair.

Be Focused and Authentic

Consider the professional reasons you have for engaging in social net-
working, find your niche, and try to stick to it as closely as possible. What
are the topics or issues on which you can provide unique insight? For
instance, Garr Reynolds (a.k.a., The Presentation Zen) shares extensively
through social networking (website, blog, Twitter) information that is
almost exclusively about improving public speaking skills. In doing so, he
remains authentic by combining his deep knowledge of public speaking
with his other passions, including jazz and storytelling.

Consider Both Intended and Secondary Audiences

You never know who might see your social media content. One of our
former students was recently disciplined for an inappropriate Tweet from
a personal account. In the tweet, he suggested that his company’s hiring of
a new executive-level leader was a downgrade and shared a rumor about
why the outgoing executive was let go. The tweet was eventually seen by
his direct supervisors. Although the tweet may have been funny for his
intended audience, his secondary audience was less amused.

Be a Giver, not Just a Taker

This tip comes straight from the world of traditional, “offline” network-
ing. The best way to get value out of your network is to put value into
the network. See yourself as a resource for others. In a recent blog post,
Kevin Shigley, director of Global Talent Acquisition for The Coca-Cola
Company, reminded job hunters of the importance of finding “ways to
share your knowledge and expertise.” You can do so through Tweets,