What Picture Do Your Social Media Activities Paint about You?

Sorry

Sorry, but I didn’t Stumble your post, even though you asked nicely and you’re my friend. Why didn’t I? After all, it was a great post about overcoming addiction.

Sorry, but I didn’t Digg your post, even though normally I would do so. But I didn’t touch your Digg submission, which was a news article about the upcoming 2008 presidential election.

Your Reddit submission on a religious topic? Nope. Your del.icio.us bookmark of revealing photographs of a beautiful celebrity? Nope.

Death by a Thousand Tweets

Collectively, your social media activities paint a picture about you to other people. What is it a picture of? I use Twitter a lot (and that’s an understatement), and I’ve been thinking about what I’m really saying and what kind of profile of me my followers hold in their minds.

I let my hair down a little on Twitter (if you’ve seen me, lately, you should be snorting right now) and I say things I wouldn’t here on Remarkablogger. Sometimes I swear. I engage in conversations that aren’t about blogging. I submit links to stuff on the web that interest me and may interest my followers, too–but they’re not always about blogging. Not everybody would like them.

With each tweet that I write, each @reply I send, I could be adding brush strokes to a picture I never intended to paint. It could be an unflattering self-portrait or it could be a joyful, exciting slice-of-life image of a real human being others want to get to know.

Stumbling into the Wrong Side of Town

What does my StubleUpon page say about me? If there were stumbles to articles on overcoming addiction, what might someone deduce from that, for better or worse? That I have an addiction problem?

If I had a bunch of del.icio.us bookmarks to black hat SEO and sleazebag internet marketings sites, what would that say about me? You want me to associate my name with that? Hmm. I don’t think so.

What if many of my stumbles were political or religious in nature? I don’t care who you’re voting for or how you feel about abortion. I don’t want you to know what I think about these subjects. We could forgive each other’s taste in music, but some subjects just don’t need to enter into this picture.

And yet…

We are real people. We are more than the public face that is meant to look nice for clients. We are more complex than the string of links which, for better or worse, builds our online reputations. So, even though managing our online reputations is vital, what can we do to feel like we’re real human beings and not just our public selves? Read on for some ideas…

Have Multiple Accounts

Having more than one account for the same social media service is not just something spammers do. Many people do it, and they have perfectly good reasons for it. I have two Twitter accounts and several email accounts.

Use Privacy Settings

Many social media and blogging services have privacy settings. I can hide my tweets from the public if I want. Facebook, Blogger, Vox, Flickr, Viddler, and other services let you choose who can see your stuff and who doesn’t.

Don’t Care

You could always say, “Screw it, I don’t care.” Some people can do that, some can’t. For me, it’s not really an issue of caring or not, it’s an issue of crafting and shaping my online legacy, because everything we do online seems to be there forever.

People wouldn’t be following me on Twitter if they didn’t like what I was doing. I am showing some restraint–again, keeping religion and politics out of it. But otherwise it’s not the usual blog consulting stuff.

I think I’m striking the right balance. But it’s a carefully thought-out balance. How carefully are you thinking out your social media palette of colors? Should you be concerned with what you’re doing in social media affecting your overall reputation online?

What picture are your social media activities painting about you?

Let’s talk about this. I’d love to have your thoughts and comments below.

Photos by Free Parking

http://www.visionaryblogging.com Easton Ellsworth

I follow you on Twitter and I see what you mean, Michael. Your approach is good because you use social media to paint a picture of a guy who is approachable and honest and fun. I think there’s a shift among many people from wanting to see a “perfect” picture to seeing a “real” picture, if that makes sense.
http://www.vmohanty.com Vijayendra Mohanty

This post made a lot of sense. But I don’t know. Painting a picture is your analogy. What if we look at it as splashes in mud we make as we dance our way to school with friends?

Then again, ‘the right balance’ is where the secret lies. Too much mud is bad.
http://www.tellinitlikeitis.net Lin Burress

Hopefully the picture I’m painting on Twitter especially is that I’m approachable and fun, making jokes and building relationships with others online.

Sometimes my silly side shows, otherwise my very serious side shows. I LOVE to tweet posts others have written, to draw attention to posts/bloggers that my followers may not know about. For me, Twitter and other social media is not about selfishly posting tons of links to my own posts. I’m there to engage and communicate with others. And enjoy a nice funny joke too.
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http://www.endodontics.ca Periapex

And I found your post via @tiddlytwinks on Twitter…well written, thank you!

This online social stuff can get out of control. I’m in the process of trying to balance it with real life.
http://rachelsbite.blogspot.com Rachel

I do not really have a business face I need to uphold online. I do realize that everything I do online can be found by future employers and all that, but in general I participate in all of the social media sites for fun. I love the way the internet has expanded over the years and people are using it in ways we never dreamed of.

That said, I use my social media picture as somewhat of a diary for myself. What was I doing that day. What interested me. So far I think it is neat and I’m using it as a tool to learn more about myself.
http://www.menwithpens.ca James- Men with Pens

I use social media in a subtle way for business purposes. I get my name out, I get people to recognize me, I say things that are smart or funny, etc… I brand myself and the business of the Pen Men.

But I am myself. As I present myself to my people on my blog or to my clients in my emails, I am James. I don’t drop my pants and bare my ass on Twitter, but I won’t hold back on joking about “Neibu”.

I feel that yes, I have to watch myself in the same manner I would as with blogging and business – and if I curse once or twice a month in either of those, I can do it on Twitter. If I don’t discuss my religious or political leanings (wait, do I have any?) on my blog, then I don’t do it on Twitter.

And too, if people don’t like me for me, then I don’t want to work with them
http://babytoddleretc.wordpress.com/ Mary Kate

I like your image but rather than brush strokes I believe that you are creating a photo mosaic (http://www.picturemosaics.com/). Each piece of info you place on the internet is a snapshot into your life/personality. If someone really follows you (or me) they will see the larger picture. However, they could also be turned off by one particular snapshot and determine they have seen enough. Or they could see one particular snapshot and think this is you (or me) and not realize this is part of a larger picture. Unfortunately, we have no control over which images are viewed first and once an image is out there it can be nearly impossible to get back.
http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

@Easton – I like what you’re saying about a shift in people wanting to see real people instead of perfect people. I think there’s a blog post in that.

@Vijayendra – Mud can be art, too. In Japan, making perfect, shiny balls out of mud is an art and a pastime. Houses can be made out of mud. In Haiti, starving people are eating mud. Thanks for the alternative analogy!

@Lin – Yes, if you over-promote instead of contributing and giving, nobody will want to follow you and that would defeat the purpose.

@Periapex – How to best use our time is always an important decision. If a particular social media tool isn’t a place where I can offer anything good for anyone, I don’t use it (for example, Facebook).

@Rachel – That’s a great idea! As more tools are developed that let us see trends over time, we could learn a lot about ourselves.

@James – That subtlety is the key. There is this wonderful paradox that the more value you contribute to the group, the more real promotion is taking place! Also, I like your point about how it filters out clients that wouldn’t be right for you.

@Mary Kate – Another great alternative analogy! Photomosaics are another way to “paint” a picture.
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http://www.homeBiz.bukiki.com Louis Liem

Gee.. I don’t know…whether I should represent my blog or myself on every account I have.

I feel better when I meet people directly instead of just seeing their pictures and messages and I guess that’s why I don’t twit so much and speaks a little for now.

On my SU account, I stumble pages I found interesting but try keeping them inside my blog’s niche. And mostly I review each page I vote.

I guess how I use my social media accounts depends on what works better for that social media. Either building my blog’s community or just publishing my profile and just be me.
http://www.lostartofblogging.com Tibi Puiu

Awesome read, Michael! Yes, indeed, what we write, how we write it, what we “appear” to be endorsing or following and so on, make up an image of what kind of person each of us are. That image may be truly mirrored or just faked, the later, thus, sending false impressions regarding your personality and real life persona. That’s why I believe transparency is really important, when socially interacting on the internet.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/1025521154792125181 Dianne Murphy-Rodger

Michael, thank you for this, a very thought-provoking post! And there are some great comments …

@Easton I agree! I think Michael strikes a great balance.

I think the more brush strokes are added to our portraits, the easier it makes it to understand each other and to communicate with each other.

Personally, although I write in different styles in various places online, I am always painting the same picture, I think. (Though a new blog has a feminist theme, which will add to the crazy pallette!)

I agree with Tibi Puiu, I always try to express the real me, and like James says, “If people don’t like me for me …”

Well, that’s ok and I’d rather someone made that decision based on the ‘real’ me!

)

Yes, very thought provoking! I wrote an even longer comment but maybe I should just write a post! )
http://www.nancyzimmerman.com Nancy

I have a dilemma – I took the “this is me” approach – and frankly, the medium (twitter esp) partly led me down the path of increasing the “this is me” factor (who wants to read stuffy, business-y tweets?) when my own business was my primary occupation.

Recently, a position as a bank evangelist was created for me. So now … do I adopt a more bank-ish, slightly more reserved stance to reflect the bank? Or do I carry on as Nancy (aka money coach), who happens to also be a bank evangelist?

Schizophrenia ensues!

Also, what analogies can be made to twitter etc. being the equivalent of lunch-room conversation with fellow staff?
http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

@Nancy – if you’re not sure using your normal twitter account is what you want to do in association with a bank job, you could try creating another twitter account (you’ll need to use a different email from the other one).

Not too many people are doing promotion right on Twitter, but @MissMotaMouth is.

On the other hand, if there’s one thing banks need, it’s to be a little more human! Tough call. Go back over your tweets and ask yourself: is there anything that would embarrass me or my employer? Maybe run it by another person for a second opinion. Then you’ll be better able to make a decision.
http://bigbrightbulb.com Crystal | BBB

@Mary Kate — Love that photomosaics analogy! We were discussing this post on Twitter, and I arrived at the same place.

My social media persona is pretty much like at a real-life friend’s party, among their friends…some I know, some I’m meeting for the first time. So I’m authentic, but not letting it all hang out like I do among my few closest friends, or just gabbing with my hubby.

…because while folks I regularly Tweet with can put a snarky comment or casual cussing in the context of a hundred other kinder, gentler tweets, First Timers may choose to measure me by that one off-putting tweet and then never venture to view the entire mosaic: my blog, my Tweetstream, etc.

Still, I don’t tweet on eggshells because I’m worried I’ll say something someone won’t like—that’s unavoidable. But I do much like Michael says: Separate accounts for everything, and I avoid typically volatile topics like religion, politics, PC vs Mac, Microsoft: good or evil, etc.
http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

@Crystal – “tweeting on eggshells” LOL. That’s funny but also a little disturbing.
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http://comhacker.org Trisha

Online legacy. That definitely says it all right there.

Still, it doesn’t abate the guilt I feel for skipping over something because I don’t want it associated with my name, or I don’t want to help my client’s competition too much (if something is really great, I still stumble it, partly to show that I liked it, and partly so I have it to show my client later =P).

The separate accounts thing might be a good idea tho…
http://www.trendresumes.com Wendy Belancourt

Thank you for such a timely piece in this juncture of my life! You neatly defined the very issue with which I have been struggling!

I have been using social media in my business life for two purposes – to seek out intelligence that supports and strengthens my client base, and help me purge this undeniable urge I often have to reach out and touch the life of others, make it a better place to be.

On the other hand, there is a completely different level of being where I am a strong advocate of progressive politics and some other ideas that many find strange or frightening. While sometimes I am able to marry the two, in no way do I want this to be an issue that may cause a client to turn away from my help.

You have clarified how I can bring satisfaction to my dual purpose of being and I am quite grateful. Thank you!
http://www.meryl.net/ Meryl

I still take care in what I say on Twitter. I’ve wanted to share things like I’m down about something… but I just fear that it will hurt my career.

Being a freelancer gives me little luxury of letting loose on the Internet. The Internet is where most of my business is… thus, I need to act like a professional even when I don’t feel that way at times.

Even if I went back to the corporate world, it can be tough to find a job when HR uses the Internet to check out their candidates.
http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

@Wendy – I know how you feel. Doing business is not about just being with people who believe the same as us. That’s such a divisive way to be. I guess the choice is we divide ourselves (multiple accounts) or we divide others! To do one or the other is a personal choice. I don’t see either one as better, but each has its advantages and disadvantages. I am glad this helped you.

@Meryl – I know how you feel. Business aside, generally people don’t want to hear when we’re feeling down (at least, not too often–sometimes the support can be helpful but nobody wants to follow a “downer”). One way I’ve found to have my cake and eat it too is that if I complain, I at least try to make it funny so people are entertained.
http://thesocalledme.net Jenny

I hardly use twitter but right now it just shows my feed and just about nothing else.
http://www.implementingscrum.com Mike Vizdos

Hi,

Great topic and comments about this. I took a shot a while ago about blogging about a similar topic with a cartoon (of course, that is what I publish weekly!). The link to the specific cartoon on this topic is:

http://www.implementingscrum.com/blog/2008/01/15/social-networking-and-scrum-is-there-any-connection-in-reality/

Thanks for sharing this!

- mike vizdos
http://www.michaelvizdos.com
http://www.implementingscrum.com
http://jeanniegrrl.com Jean Ryan

I handle my twitter exactly the same as I handle my blog/website but then I’m one of those dreaded “life bloggers” and for me its therapy. Its cathartic to just open and pour it out. I don’t do anything illegal and I’m not in any way ashamed of the person that I am, online or in the “fleshy meat world”.

I’m totally honest and upfront, I say what comes to mind and yes, I swear and complain and whine but I also share memories and art and imagery. I make deep and lasting connections that have spillt over into my real world as well.

I have this belief, it doesn’t work for everyone, but its mine.

If I throw it all on the table, or in this case “cyberspace”, there is nothing but honesty, to myself, to my readers, to the world. Its not shoved under a rug eating away at me and there are no skeletons to haunt me later if I didn’t hide anything in the first place.

Whatever it is, it must work because I get a good number of “hits” daily for a personal diary that isn’t x-rated.

Another thing I have discovered in my blogging experiences: have a hit counter but don’t look at it or you may get either cold feet or the feeling that you need to produce more to make people happy.

Like life – you can’t make everyone happy all of the time. After time, the people who really do mesh with you will still be there and the people who don’t are long gone and didn’t matter anyhow.
http://www.greensmithconsulting.com Paul Smith

I was just talking about this the other day with Daisyavenue from Twitter. I’ve up until being on Twitter always felt there was a divide between personal and professional. Or at least I didn’t feel safe combining the two. But slowly, while on Twitter, I came to see that it was safe, and in my mind, a welcome possibility to be a more fully realized human being, getting to know people, and letting them know me.

I feel, being a sustainability consultant, that part of what I do is function as an educator, and someone who makes this topic that may be unfamiliar and intimidating, friendly and accessible. And part of feeling comfortable diving into those waters is having someone you feel comfortable working with and asking the “dumb” questions. I feel I represent that on Twitter, and don’t feel a need to have more then one account. Daisyavenue does have more then one account, so that she can more cleanly represent the brand on her other account, and that works for her in terms of the type of business she works for.

I do still choose what I say, but then again I choose to say and share more then I have anywhere else. In a way, being for the most part quite transparent, you then have nothing to hide when it comes to clients that come to know you via social media. There you are, and they can choose to work with you or not. Great.
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http://www.fluentself.com/blog Havi Brooks (and duck)

This is all kinds of interesting. Love the comments too.

There are so many boring and/or fear-mongering social media posts out there, and it’s always reassuring to be here and get a thoughtful, insightful analysis for a change.

I also don’t “tweet on eggshells” (thanks, Crystal!).

Though I do tend to hope that the picture that emerges through my blog, Twitter, other social media stuff will be both cohesive on the one hand, and eclectic/varied on the other.

Lots of food for thought. And a very nice take on what has become mostly a tired subject.
http://www.katjohnston.com Kat Johnston

This post is great. I’m doing a lot of research on the utilization of social media technologies for building personal brand and identity on the internet for visual artists at the moment as part of my masters coursework. I guess that I’ve been lucky in that I’ve gone into starting to build my own personal brand without any previous online presence under my own name – makes it easier to set things out from the start.

I am like a lot in this comments thread – I’m not going to let it all hang out, but neither am I going to ever be an ‘inauthentic me’. I think people deserve to get a genuine view of me, can probably see through it if I’m not and as a previous poster said, if they don’t like what they see, then I probably am not going to want to be working with them in the future in any case. On the down-side, I am now probably seen by all to be borderline psychotic with a mind that skips over into a trillion places at once… but I prefer to see it as creative and quirky
http://remarkablogger.com Michael Martine, Blog Consultant

@Kat – That sounds like a great project! I visited your blog and the first thing I thought when I saw the survey was that line: “Well, enough about me, what you think of ME?”

@Havi – Hey look at you commenting here way back when! I think I was like: okay she has a duck. Um… whatever! How strange the world is and lesson learned because now that I know you a little better, I see that I had not taken the opportunity earlier when I could have.
http://www.katjohnston.com Kat Johnston

*laughs* Yup! I feel so narcissistic at the moment because the first thing people see when they come onto the site basically is ‘ok, enough about me, what do you think of ME?’ But it does certainly help with the overall results of the project, so the more responses I can get really, the better. All is much appreciated. From there-on-in, I can take that down and stop seeming quite so self-obsessed!

For those who haven’t visited the site (and I encourage you to do so by clicking on my name), I have a little handy-dandy survey that should take about two minutes flat asking the simple question: can you write three words to describe me, please?