Dolly Broke The Internet With A Social Networking Best Practice
Dolly Parton is legendary and now she has done it again — — broke the internet with a meme that spurred imitations, copycats and humor. But underneath it, Dolly hit on a simple networking truth:
We bring a different aspect of ourselves to each networking platform.
That doesn’t mean we’re being inauthentic or “not fully” ourselves. It’s simply that we don’t want to be approached for a date on LinkedIn or having a family member remark on the profile picture posted on a dating app. Every single one of your office colleagues doesn’t need to know what you ate or purchased on a whim over the weekend at Barney’s big blow-out sale. Close friends don’t necessarily want to hear (again) about the challenges of sharing an office with someone who scrapes the inside of the yogurt container clean with a plastic spoon. Whether it’s online or off, we curate the parts of ourselves we share. And that is a good thing.
As a general BYDN rule of thumb: keep the “what I ate for lunch” posts off of LinkedIn (unless of course, you’re in catering, food services, a chef or cookbook author or the like, so of course, what you eat is your business). LinkedIn favors longer updates (to keep us connecting on the platform) so frame your communication with that in mind, not the brevity of Twitter.
A darn good BYDN podcast episode dropped last week, so if you missed those networking insights, jump over to listen to my thoughts on the top 5 trending soft skills (according to a recent LinkedIn survey) plus how you can show you have mastered these essential skills (’cause isn’t that what really matters?). I’d love to know if the examples I’ve given in the podcast are helpful — after you’ve taken a listen, drop me a note. And if you have examples of your own to share, I’d love to hear them too.
If you’re seeking more insights on how to use social, some resources from the blog and podcast:
- Social Media Pro-Tip: Be Yourself. Be Human.
- Boost Your Social Media Experience
- Leveraging Twitter to Enhance Your Connections (podcast interview with film director, Elena Rossini)
- Twitter: How to Connect in 280 Characters or Less (podcast interview with digital media advisor, Heidi Moore)
- 5 Questions To Ask Before Getting Social [Media]
This week’s episode of the Build Your Dream Network podcast tackles conferences and events (and how you can make the MOST out of attending). Take 10 minutes to take a listen — before you RSVP for your next industry event.
And a quick BYDN networking note this week: Friday, February 7 is send a card to a friend day. Mail your Valentines early or just send a “I’m thinking of you” to a friend. Whatever. Just do it.
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