Consciously Networking Part 1

Networks have been used forever and a day to pass on news through word-of-mouth, that’s why I know what my Aunties and Grand-Parents are up to even if I have not seen them for 10 years! The difference is now, we have the “21st century automobile” version of networking, because with viral networking, information is spread at the click of a button from my phone, to my cousin in Jamaica, my whole family in France and actually the whole world in an instant. Then it can be circulated and circulated and circulated with out me knowing anything about it, lying dormant until it shows up somewhere. where now it impacts me and my life (good or bad) several years later.

By consciously networking, I am in control of the information that I put out there myself. I am aware of the effect that my interactions could have now and in the future and I take responsibility and ownership for what I put out there.

I am building my brand as a person who is passionate about change and transformation in all areas of my life and the lives of those around me and I consciously chose to use the social media platforms to promote yourself and expand my networks – why? Well, because I was starting up my business and did not have the means to invest in media campaigns and so had to look at a way of doing things differently. Figuring out how kids could afford to communicate with each other all the time on their phones, was what got me to look at social media and how it works.

Being from the older generation, my privacy was very important, so becoming highly aware as to what information was out there and what impact it has on others made me look further into how I could use social media effectively without revealing too much about me.

Overview
In these constantly changing times, has your mind shifted to accept that social media is here to stay and is one of the most effective and powerful tools for the 21st century?

It is the ultimate in narcissism, since we can plaster ourselves unashamedly all over the world and invade other people’s homes and personal space with inane nonsense and bits of totally useless information. Ah! But, wait a minute! Is it totally useless? Actually not at all, since every piece of information out there can be and will be interpreted in a certain manner, with or without your consent!

Whatever you intended, can and is often misinterpreted to mean something different. Even one word can mean totally something totally different to the reader i.e. the word “Hello”

“Hello” – Is there anyone out there? To the person feeling a bit lonely and reaching out but not wanting to show that they are vulnerable

“Hello” – Are you mad – what are you talking about – the same person in response to a wild statement the other person has said

“Hello” – You dunce, idiot etc.. – to someone who misunderstood or didn’t get what the originator of the dialogue was saying

The list can go on for quite a while – the additional issue is that, the written text can be totally out of sync with the frame of mind in which the receiver finds themselves because there could be delays of up to 24 hours before a response is received, which can then cause further room for confusion and people getting the wrong message, leading to friends falling out with each other and worse.

Social media can be a very painful world, where innocent words and images can be taken out of context and used to either intentionally or more often than not, unintentionally degrade another persons image. So always be aware, when posting something, that others will be reading or watching what you have posted.

And that’s what social media is about – Image! So if you choose consciously to use it to brand your public and private images, the use of the social media platforms, then become powerful allies for you in all aspects of your life.

Some may say, that then we are giving a false image of ourselves? Is that true? Do you act in the same manner in front of your parents, your friends, your boss and your children?

We all have several private and public personas – so why should portraying ourselves differently via the social media platforms be so different? As long as we are not creating our alter-egos, it is perfectly fine to create profiles, which portray us in the best light for the platform that we have chosen.

I have several profiles – business, social, spiritual and general profiles that say very little about the private me. On Facebook, I have my private profile and I also have my fan pages, which I use for professional reasons only.
Generally anyone can access all of my profiles but they don’t – (Unless they are stalkers ☺). They see different aspects of me and they will connect to that part of me that they need to, they may say oh and by the way, I didn’t know you were Jamaican for example – but their curiosity does not go beyond that. They also will pick up the essence of who I am through the different profiles and even if I wanted to hide that, I could not!

I found that people are happy to know the other side of you, that gets silly drunk and does something wild from time to time – they are reassured that you are only human after all. They are empathic when someone says – “Get better soon”, without prying they will also wish you a swift recovery and move on. Knowing that outside of being a total workaholic, you enjoy walking with the dogs on a Sunday after builds rapport that would not occur otherwise.

So how do we use it to our advantage? Actually, how do you use social media to your advantage?

Joan Laine
Transformational Life & Business Coach

Find me on HEAD START PBS