Leadership: Social Networking

Author: Ann Gallaher

May 2009

Looking for your fifteen minutes of fame?  No problem.  Through the use of publicly available social media sites the world can now be your stage.

Perhaps you heard of the YouTube orchestra that played Carnegie Hall on April 15th?  Musicians auditioned via the site and the best were voted in by YouTube users.  The selected finalists came from 30 countries -- not to mention the countries of the musicians that didn’t make the cut.

Linkedin, in case you’re not a member, is your Outlook contact list on steroids.  Through its 38 million members -- including the new one joining every second -- you can find long lost college roommates, former co-workers, or perhaps your next job.  With the current economic climate, national and international exposure to one’s resume can only help locating your next opportunity.

But Millennial Facebook users had better look out.  The newest demographic joining the social networking site is women over the age of 55.  I recently overheard a mother express mock surprise when her teenage son wouldn’t allow her permission into his Facebook page!  

And finally, though everyone is a twit about Twitter, a recent report by Nielsen Online stated that the “stick” rate for users after one month of sign up was only 40% compared to Facebook’s 80% user return and re-use rate.   In a race to the finish, actor Ashton Kutcher recently beat mega news source CNN to attract 1 million Twitter followers.  This now gives Ashton an instanteous, unfiltered voice to a significant audience.  Who needs PR?

Parents, college career advisors, and potential employers all wonder if this freedom of information and exposure is harmless fun or fraught with unforeseen problems.  Businesses are investigating and piloting use of these sites with hopes of expanding their brand and marketplace.  Professionals are expanding their business networks without leaving their office. The beauty of the technology is that it adapts and evolves.  Only time will tell which ones will survive and how they will be used.  My only question is who has the time to keep up with all of them?