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Would I keep using social media and networking sites if I weren’t ever looking for a new job or clients? Already certain industries are more prominent on LinkedIn and Twitter (marketing, public relations, news sources, internet startups, consultants, freelancers, etc.) and more jobseekers than steady-job-havers keep active social networking profiles.
But at this stage in the game I just can’t see ever not using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Brazen Careerist, but believe it or not there was once a time when I barely used them (two of which I didn’t even adopt until 2009). Whoa was I behind the times. Thank god I caught up, huh?
I wonder, though, what would happen if I no longer “needed” to “network” to find a job or clients? Would I stop using Twitter (or at the least cut back on my use)? Would I abandon updating my LinkedIn profile (there wouldn’t be that much to update on my “resume” anyways, right)? Would I stop attending tweetups and networking events?
I wonder about these things because I don’t want to stop any of that. Right now–because I’m on the search for job opportunities–I can justify the time invested in all of that as well worth the value. If I couldn’t justify the time put in any longer, would I have to cut myself off from tweeting like a crazy person? Perhaps that’s the most responsible and productive action to take, though. Twitter and social media can be such a distraction that unless it is part of your strategy to reach your goals, we can really only consider it recreational fun and our time with social networking should be limited, right?
Not only that, but I want to make sure that I’m being authentic and my “brand” doesn’t scream, “I’m only here to help me, not you!” I want to make sure that I’m involved in social media/networking for the right reasons; reasons that will stick around for a while.
But in the end, you know what? I don’t think I would ever stop using social networking sites because networking is so much more than “finding a job”. Networking is so important in all aspects of life.
This is something I’ve always been told but didn’t realize personally and actually start taking it seriously until very recently. And after discovering how much I love connecting and talking with people I just don’t see myself ever in a position (for work or fun) that wouldn’t benefit from continuing to be socially-networked.
What about you? Do you see yourself cutting back or quitting social media any time in the future? Do you think it’s here to stay, or that once the economy picks up and people aren’t scrounging around for jobs anymore that social networking’s popularity will die down?
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Comments
05.12.10
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said networking is more than finding a job. In fact, people that are successful finding a job network while they still have one. They don't stop just because they're getting a paycheck. And they're the ones that don't have any trouble finding a position.
05.12.10
Right now you are using social networking for finding a job but my friend whom I had dinner with last night told me how she uses blogging and networking to find people with the same niche hobby. I don't think you ever have to stop networking as long as there's certain people or a certain goal you want to accomplish.
05.12.10
I'm glad I'm not the only one that was a late adopter of Twitter. I think you and I are quickly making up for lost time! I'm not sure if I will ever stop using some form of social media. I've got too much to say!
05.12.10
I actually continue to have a hard time keeping up with the pace I keep now, anyway. (A recent Too XYZ post talks about this.) I'd like to think that I would continue to respect the connections I have made through social media if I suddenly became financially set, and in a position I loved to be in, but I am not sure.
05.12.10
While I flog my clients to get their job search going through social media (as well as traditional effective routes), I use social media (tweets and blogs) for research even more than collecting clients. While all trends and statistics must be verified, social media is like research on steriods.
It is interesting to see some of my young clients eschewing social media claiming it's trendy, but questioning its effectiveness. To which I reply, "How will they know if it's effective--or not--if they don't use it!"
Dan Schwabel's post this morning on how many companies are using Twitter for finding employees should put a large nail in their coffin of denial!
05.12.10
@Rebecca: And networking isn't just good for your career in general. It's good for life. It keeps life interesting because you're actively seeking connections with new people, finding people that you can share your hobbies with, or even a new friend to go to the movies with :) All things I've done.
@Patrick: You're right -- people who start using SM with the goal of finding a job will probably stick with SM even after they find a job, but their goal will just change: see comment above to Rebecca :)
@Regina: I'm not sure if getting active on Twitter in 2009 is even considered "late to the game" anymore. Seems like if you joined before 2009 you were just way AHEAD of the game. Not to mention the high Twitter join rates in 2009 strangely coincides with high unemployment... coincidence? Maybe people started joining it in drones to find a job... but then found more useful uses for the medium as well.
@Ty: Sounds like we're wondering the same thing... It really is hard to keep up sometimes. Especially when the Godins of the world are constantly yelling at us about how scouring Twitter & SM is a waste of time and we need to be spending our time on more useful activities. Although I definitely find value in SM and don't want to cut it out completely, I do agree with them to an extent that I really need to write out what I hope to accomplish using SM and do what it takes to reach those goals -- and then stop wasting time.
@Carol: You make some really great points, too! Those that say SM isn't effective are only saying that because they don't know how to use it to be effective. It's a fact that recruiters are finding their new employees via social media (many on this Brazen site particularly) and it's a fact that SM is one of the BEST places to find extremely recent news (immediate up to 6 hours ago). Those that can't see the value in that are probably only in denial because they don't know how to use it to their advantage.
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