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Dear Proforma Blog Readers,
I have a confession to make. I’ve been doing something I would never recommend to anyone, and I’ve had this problem for quite some time…
I have multiple Facebook accounts.
There, I said it. I’ve been hesitant to blur the personal and professional lines when it comes to social media, and I created accounts for ‘business’ purposes on Facebook. I didn’t want anyone to see my personal business. The transparency of social media weighed too heavy on my soul, and I did what you should never do – I made two profiles.
But, like anyone recovering from a bad habit, I’m finally admitting that I made a mistake. Having two accounts just makes things more confusing. Friends find my ‘business’ account and are turned off by it, coworkers and colleagues find my personal site, and they get outright ignored. It’s a bad habit.
I recently spoke with Dana Zezzo, Chief Marketing Officer for Jetline, and someone who I think does social the right way (and you can tweet at him @danazezzo) and he kind of opened my eyes to my mistakes. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: Yeah Dana, I have two Facebook accounts, one is personal and one is for business. See, I’m in this hip-hop group with my cousin and I figure it’s not really professional for people to see, and I’d hate for people to think less of me for that.
Dana: Really? See, I’d actually like you more for that.
Whoa.
That one comment changed my whole perspective on things. The light bulb went off in my head. Having an account just for business purposes defeats the whole point of social media. No one is getting to know me on those accounts.
I added Dana on Facebook shortly after that – my personal account mind you – and in the next few days I’m planning to migrate my social efforts to one account per site.
So if you’re in the same boat and want to join my support group, tweet at me @theRealTomZobel and let me know what you think.
Until Next Time,
Tom Zobel