My last post briefly touched on Facebook as a tool for networking. Yes, I am endorsing it over MySpace, Friendster, and anything else. If that feels kind of like endorsing the Yankees, I can live with it. When I'm looking to get in touch with my old classmates, colleagues, and friends, economy of scale is a beautiful thing.
On a separate, related note - how to find and network with former and current colleagues. For this purpose (purely professional) I love LinkedIn.
Why? Granted, it's not as extensive or personal as FB, but what I like about it is the ability to recommend and get recommendations from people you worked with, or people you currently work with.
What if you were an employer and you were trying to get some background on a potential employee? Which would you rather know - someone's religious beliefs, their favorite books, and their friends names; or would you prefer to hear recommendations from people in a professional context?
That sounds like a no-brainer to me...
The answer is that the two sites can peacefully co-exist, and I hope they stay separate and distinct. While I certainly have a fair amount of colleagues as friends on Facebook, it's because I'm friendly with them outside of the normal work context. LinkedIn I reserve for people I've actually done work-related projects with. Just a personal guideline.
Then again, I'm one of those people who thinks that while you can be friendly, cordial, and respecftul to your boss or your direct reports, it's a really bad idea to be friends outside of work with your boss, or your direct reports. Again, just a personal preference. Do with it what you will.
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