The landscape of the job market has changed so much in the past decade. I only recently created a LinkedIn account so that I can begin to network in my field. LinkedIn bears some similarities to Facebook, but I discovered one important difference quickly. On Facebook, it is possible to look up people anonymously. Facebook knows, of course, but no one else has to. On LinkedIn, you know who viewed your profile, so be careful not to click on those profiles where it might be awkward for the person to know you were reading their profile! I was curious about the credentials of a doctor with whom I had had a particularly tense interaction. Because we had exchanged emails, this person popped up in my "people you may know" queue. I had to make a concerted effort not to take a glance. This aspect of LinkedIn set the purpose apart from Facebook and changes the focus from personal socializing to professional socializing. Both LinkedIn and Facebook offer the safety feature of allowing users to block other users that may be problematic.
LinkedIn offers a paid service with even more networking options for its members. It seems like professional organizations in one's field would be a better way to spend membership fees, but LinkedIn is a buzzing place and offers some unique features such as job searching and information on career outlooks for particular educational paths.
Just because Facebook is commonly used for personal communication, doesn't mean that it's devoid of professional value. Business, blogs, and organizations can all have pages. Informal groups can be created surrounding almost any shared interest imaginable. For example, the IUPUI School of Informatics and Computing uses their facebook page often to promote events that are pertinent to students, faculty, and alumni of the program. There is currently information on a public speaking event by a graphic artist that is to take place at the school.
Similar to Facebook, Twitter can be used to connect both personally and professionally. The American Library Association News just tweeted that they are looking for nominations for the Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award. Twitter's microblog format allows users to filter through information quickly and get more details on those tweets that they determine to deserve a second glance. Most libraries have also begun to have accounts on Facebook and Twitter. They use these accounts to promote new materials, programs, events, and general information about the library.
Which social networking tool have you found most useful personally? Professionally? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments!
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