Me, Myself, and I...

There has been questions recently about what can you share on social networking sites while being a professional. I've heard this issue brought up before and it has perplexed me because I don't see a pronounced difference between who I am at work versus who I am at home.

I think there's a concept buried in people's heads that when they show up to work, or begin acting in some professional capacity, their name changes to "Representative of ..." I've always looked at it as more spending that time to accomplish the goal of furthering the interests of your employer (for which they gratefully compensate you). What this means, in my mind, is that you don't have two different personas that you change just like your work clothes, but rather that when you're accomplishing a "professional" goal your demeanor might shift some, but it's not like you have to completely pack your personality away.

 I understand there is a question about what content is appropriate to communicate. On this my answer is it depends on what the name of the account is. If it is a library account, then it is not the right venue to share your love of knitting scarves for kittens, however if it is an account in your own name, then you are free to communicate anything you like.

The other issue that comes up is when you are trying to build a personal brand does what you can communicate change. I don't believe it does. Even if it doesn't seem like it, your "brand" is a result of your love of dogs who swim in lakes that have 5 letter names. Personal things do affect your approach to professional matters, and, unless you are a robot, they should. So if you want to share about your love of 80's martial arts movies with Hispanic protagonists (are there any?), then by all means please do.

Related posts:
I'm not narcisitic, you're eavesdropping by Bobbi Newman - an older post but a good take on social networking
Personal Accounts, Work Accounts - What to do? by David Lee King