public affairs council: balancing your personal and professional life online

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Facebook Me!Balancing Your

Personal & Professional Voice Online

Molly NichelsonAmerican College of Cardiology

2400 N Street, NWWashington, D.C. 20037Email: mnichels@acc.orgPhone: (202) 375-6470Twitter: @Cardiology

Items of Discussion• Getting Started

• Different Approaches for the Different Social Networks– Facebook– Twitter– LinkedIn

• Questions

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Getting Started

Questions to Ask Yourself

• What are the right sites for me to be on?– And how do they differ?

• The audience – who I want to engage & how?

• What is my comfort level?– Technology– Time Commitment – Sharing

• How can this help my career? Hinder?

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Sites: The Big Three • Facebook

– Can be personal, professional or a blend of the two– I have two pages

• Professional• Personal

• Twitter– Can be personal, professional or a blend of the two– I have two accounts

• @Cardiology• @MollyNichelson

• LinkedIn– Purely professional– Great way to engage your peers!

Facebook

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Your Mix of Folks on Facebook

• Think of Facebook as people you invite to an internet cocktail party– Who do you want mingling with each other?

– Be judicious in choosing who you friend • The unfriending process can be brutal…really!

– And if there is someone you worry about, maybe you shouldn’t friend them

• And yes, this includes family

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Making the Most of Facebook

• What do you want to share?– And what will be of interest to them?

• How do you want people to perceive you?– Think before you post!

• What are your rules?– No cursing, nothing tawdry, nothing overly

political– What would your Grandma think if she saw you

posting it?

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My Rules of Thumb for Facebook• Work is Work

– I like keeping my work world somewhat separate from my personal world

• Protective of family and me time

• Keep it clean– Always think of your audience & what might be

questionable to them

• Post about you – Love posting videos, pictures, links…keep it light– This isn’t a blog, so lay off the heavy political

discourse and debate

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Why Two Facebook Accounts?

• Audience– Wanted a clear division between work

Facebook applications and personal

• Information presented – Work: Twitter feed, updates on MOCs,

legislation– Personal: Videos, pictures, things I find funny,

grassroots stuff• My audiences differ so I segment them

Why Two Facebook Accounts?

• My comfort level– Less worries about my family posting crazy

stuff anywhere near work folks and my docs

– Less worries about messing up and posting info I don’t want to share with a particular group

Work Facebook Page

Work Facebook: Engaging my docs

Facebook Parting Thoughts• Know that you will make mistakes

– And know that your friends and family will too

• Be you– This means it might be you at 60-70 percent,

but it’s you

Facebook Parting Thoughts

• Have a plan on who you want to friend– And if you need to unfriend someone, what

would be the fallout

• Facebook can strengthen personal and professional bonds– Gives colleagues & members a peak in to

who you are

Twitter

Twitter

• Anyone can see your posts– If it’s open account

• Your posts are searchable• It’s a great way of meeting new people & sites• Talk to influencers• Brand yourself to a broader audience• Showcase an expertise• Share as little or as much as yourself

– And believe me, there is a TMI line

Work Twitter Account

• Company Twitter Page: @Cardiology– Updates on news stories– RSS Feed of CEO’s Blog– ACC Advocacy issues– Engaging MOCs– Feeds to my work Facebook page for ACC members,

staff and MOCs

• I run it, but it’s the voice of the ACC Advocacy Department– Engage people personally via DM

Personal Twitter Account

• Personal Twitter Page: @MollyNichelson– Updates on news stories of interest

• Feeds from Google Reader to Friendfeed, pings to Twitter

– Things I find humorous – Engaging people I follow– Shows personal Molly, not work Molly

• No talk of healthcare, period• Same rules as Facebook, no cursing, tawdry stuff• But personal Molly is VERY cognizant of work

Molly

Personal Twitter Account

• Gray areas– Profile states my interests, which include my

political leanings• Could upset some potential employers• Current employer is aware of my account• Finding that balance between being candid and

saying something which might harm you later in your career is tough!

• My self editor has gotten sharper as time has gone on but I have made mistakes

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Best Practices & Advice

• Test out Twitter with your own account before doing one for work– Make it private if you have to– Test it with friends & coworkers

• Get familiar with the Twitter applications– Like iPhone apps, there are *many* of them,

and they change often

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Best Practices & Advice

• Know that you WILL make mistakes

• You will NOT have full control

• Use your own voice– Don’t turn your Twitter account in to an RSS

feed– Be a HUMAN behind your account

• Give something of value to your audience– Coupons, advice, articles, thanks

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Best Practices & Advice

• Following & Followers– Be judicious, but don’t be a snob either

– Don’t get freaked out by who’s following you

– If someone is wacky, block them

– And did I mention there are reporters on Twitter…and they may follow you?

• http://journalistsontwitter.wetpaint.com/

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Best Practices & Advice

• And know when you send a tweet, it’s searchable!

Twitter Take-Aways• Know that you will make mistakes

• Be you– This means it might be you at 60-70 percent,

but it’s you

Twitter Take-Aways

• Twitter is awesome at meeting new people– Really can expand your horizons and link with

cool people

• Cut yourself some slack & don’t be too afraid– Yes, we’re human, but have that editor /

Grandma looking over your shoulder at all times

LinkedIn

LinkedIn

• Show your professional side

• Engage your peers in groups– Really can expand your horizons and link with cool people

• Meet new people & broaden your horizons

• Link your professional Twitter feed to your LinkedIn account– PAC has a great group to share articles and thoughts on

grassroots issues

• Link your PowerPoint presentations via SlideShare– Toot your horn!

Parting Thoughts

• We as advocates have to walk a fine line– Grassroots profession seen with a jaundiced

eye by some

• Personal and professional benefits of engaging in social networking can be huge

• I’m a big proponent, and greatly enjoy the folks I interact with online

• Overcoming fear and realizing you’re human as is everyone else can be difficult