Social Media Miscues: a LinkedIn Story

I have been a user/participant in LinkedIn for the last several years. In general, it has been a positive experience. Each “group” that I’ve joined has its own value and dynamics. Some are excellent; others seem to attract mainly “advertising-type” posts and are of little value.

The ability to “research” individuals and companies has proved useful in preparing for meetings. You no longer have to wonder about the background of the person you are scheduled to meet – if they are a LinkedIn participant, they’ve probably posted a complete bio on-line.

Care should be taken, of course, in what you share about yourself and your company via social media such as LinkedIn. The “light of day” test should be used: if you (OR YOUR EMPLOYER) wouldn’t want it on the front page of the Wall Street Journal (out in the open), then don’t “publish” it on your LinkedIn or other social media profile.

Not convinced this might be an issue? Consider this comment by a senior managing director of Kroll, Inc., a corporate sleuthing pioneer: “Social media has become a much more efficient way of getting information that could only be gotten in the past by things like surveillance.”

In fact, corporations are beginning to monitor social media as a source of competitive intelligence. A recent article highlights how this issue came to light with a LinkedIn profile of a H-P vice president. Access the article here:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/hewlettpackard-shows-hazard-of-sharing-linkedin-profiles-tech-09202011.html

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