January 2nd, 2009
by Amy Dunn
As I was watching the Today Show this morning, I laughed out loud when I saw a piece that addresses how teens today are completely mortified that their parents and other adult relatives have joined Facebook and attempted to “friend” them. “OMG- My Mom’s On Facebook!“. (Please pardon the commercial before the peice)
As reported in the piece by Facebook’s Director of Communications Brandee Barker, Facebook has 140 million users worldwide and users over the age of 30 has grown 200% in the past 12 months. I am finding that not only Moms and Dads are becoming Facebook savvy- but Grandma’s and Grandpa’s are finding this social media channel a wonderful way to stay connected to friends and family. I am happy to say that among my 200 something friends on Facebook are my husband’s lovely Aunt Diann, her wonderful daughter and Diann’s teenaged grandchildren. Now, it is true we are seeing a side to our young cousins that we do not see during family gatherings, but it is nice to see the multi generational connections that we have going on (heck if nothing else- it keeps me posted on birthdays!).
OK kids- you listen to Aunt Amy….though privacy settings do exist- social media profiles are public. These are not places to expose your inner more dark and ugly secrets about your life. Do not state how much you hate your boss at the fast food place or your teachers or frenemies. Do not make hateful remarks about your parents or brother or sisters (you can do that in your journal and keep it hidden). Do not post embarrassing photos or inappropriate remarks in your Facebook profile. Do not make status updates that you would not share with your Aunt Sue. Monitor what your friends post, and remove content that is not suitable for everyone to read……or else.
Web Marketing Therapy Related Links:
- To Friend or Not to Friend? Building a Strong Network
- So- What Do YOU Think of the New Facebook Layout?
- 5 Things I ‘Like’ About the New Facebook Business Pages
- What Men and Women are Doing on Facebook – and What this Means for Your Healthy Marketing
Lorrie
(January 2nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm)
Ha! Love this! I set my mom up on Facebook and yes, she accidentally invited ALL my sister’s friends to be her friend (I got the “uh my gawad” call from my sis and had to confess I set Mom up with this) but it is so much fun to have my family on Facebook…we share photos, have faster communication threads, can stay in touch and out of each other’s overflowing inboxes!
Kelly
(January 5th, 2009 at 7:20 pm)
This is great advice! After having worked in HR and recruiting…don’t think that when you submit your resume that is all people see! We checked Facebook and MySpace, LinkedIn…anything that holds profiles of potential employees. We looked at pictures, other posts on peoples walls, etc…anything to tell us a little more about potential candidates…so WATCH what you put up there and make sure it is PG or even G rated! The wild web is a wonderful tool…but you need to use it wisely, or it can be the death of you!