Social Media Overload: Don’t Twitter Yourself Out

This is a post I wrote for Brazen Careerist…

Is it just me, or does work really seem to get in the way of blogging, managing your Facebook page, adding new LinkedIn contacts, sharing snippets on Twitter and, if you’re really bored and looking for a little nostalgia, logging in to MySpace?

Like me, most of the people I “follow” on social networking sites have full-time jobs. Yet somehow they are still able to find time to manage their own micro multimedia conglomerates aggregating and sharing information on cool new websites and resources that most of us haven’t even heard of.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m either suffering from Twitter envy or everyone else is suffering from Twitter addiction…not only are they posting five, six or more updates an hour, they almost always refer to value added, meaningful stuff. Meanwhile, I’m tweeting about being stuck in traffic or about how much I like pickles–two things that aren’t that exciting and don’t add a lot of value unless you’re a lobbyist for light rail systems or the pickle marketing association. Yet, if I go a day without adding something profound to Twitter, I feel like I’ve dropped the ball—even though I only have a modest number of “followers.”

To keep up with the “in crowd,” I try to find five or ten minutes during the day to uncover something profound to share with the masses while realizing that every time I update my status on Facebook, there’s a good chance I’m alerting clients, coworkers and even my boss that I’m surfing the web.

Managing my modest “online presence” is an important part of my personal and professional brand, but it’s not like I can use searching for articles to share with folks on Twitter as an excuse with my boss if I miss on key deliverables or don’t complete an important project on time. In fact, during my provisional review last week, all we talked about was my on-the-job performance—not my blog, the number of LinkedIn contacts I have in my network, how many followers I have on Twitter, or even my Facebook status.

Which brings me to the questions I’ve been kicking around…

• Should you tell your boss you’re spending time at work on social networking sites when it’s not work related?
• How much time is too much time on any of these sites when you’re at work?
• As a manager, what do you do if members of your team are letting Twitter and Facebook get in the way work?

Making the most of a Facebook add

When you connect with someone you don’t already know on Facebook, do you reach out to introduce yourself? Or are you just happy you’ve added another contact to your growing list of friends?

I have to admit I don’t do a great job of managing my virtual network. I’d like to, but it just seems like there’s not enough time to juggle work, my “in person” network, and my virtual network. But a recent Facebook “add” gave me some much needed inspiration.

After another typical friend request/add, I received an email with the subject line “Thanks for the add!” That was great. Who doesn’t like to be thanked? And, although subtle, the exclamation point showed signs of enthusiasm. If I learned one thing from watching hours of infomercials growing up, exclamation points mean I should pay attention. So I read on.

Even though after a sentence or two I was pretty sure the email had been repurposed a few times before, to his credit he did mention a connection to a community of bloggers of which I’ve written a few guest posts. So I was happy to see the email wasn’t completely impersonal.

His email also went on to tell me a little bit about his background. I found this very helpful—it was a concise positioning statement. He was straight and to the point. He works in the financial services industry and is also an author and a speaker.

Now, many (most) networkers would stop there. But here’s where he went for the hook. He asked me to respond with a quick note about my line of work. Who could turn down a chance to talk about what they do? Not me.

I’m not sure if anything more will come of the new addition to my circle of Facebook friends, but I’ve already shared his approach as a best practice to a group of undergrads during a recent presentation.

Picking up on subtle cues from your boss

Giving negative feedback, whether it’s to your best friend, a coworker, or the person standing next to you using his outdoor voice while talking indoors on his cell phone, can be awkward. As a result, bosses often do what most of us would do in that situation and avoid it if at all possible. Instead of addressing work-related issues head on, they often try to give you subtle clues with the hopes that you’ll “get the message” without an awkward conversation or, even worse, a heated confrontation.

Don’t get me wrong, as an employee I can definitely say there’s something about not having to hear negative feedback from the boss that sounds pretty attractive. Especially when you think you’re doing a great job. But therein lies the curse. If you don’t pick up on the subtleties, it could end up costing you your job.

Where can you find those subtle hints?

Questions. In speaking with coworkers, and looking back at my own experience, it seems like some bosses use questions as a way to point you in the right direction without coming right out and telling you to do things a certain way. For example, instead of telling you how to manage the project, they might ask you to walk them through your thought process, who will be involved, resources you’ll need, etc. Listen to what he or she is asking (or isn’t asking). If it sounds like your boss is asking questions as a way to guide you in a certain direction, take that into consideration before you respond.

Frequent check-ins. There is usually a strong positive correlation between the frequency of check-ins from the boss and poor performance—especially if your boss is someone who normally lets your team work with a great deal of autonomy. If you notice that you’ve gone from no check-ins, to one a week, to a few a week, to a few a day, you might be in trouble. On the flip side, going from weekly check-ins to no check-ins could also mean your days are numbered. Instead of waiting for them to come to you, ping your boss with preemptive updates. If done properly, they should help build their trust in your abilities.

And sometimes even the not so subtle can seem subtle. You’re hoping to expand your job responsibilities but your boss tells you repeatedly that he or she isn’t ready to have that discussion. But, because you’re focused on your own agenda, you don’t hear it. If that happens more than once, it could force a wedge between you.

Pay attention to the verbal and non-verbal cues your boss might be giving you about your performance. When it seems like he or she is trying to tell you something without coming right out and say it, it’s up to you to listen.

The tale of three realtors

Once I knew I was moving to Pittsburgh, the next item on my “to do” list was to find a realtor. And that turned out to be no small task. In the end, I met with three different agents and had three totally different experiences.

 

Before reaching out to anyone, I started looking at different options on Realtor.com and Homes.com. I had a pretty good idea of the style of house I was looking for and my price range. I know what you’re thinking…”why not rent an apartment for six months until you get settled?” Having bought my first house about two years ago after spending six years in a 550 square foot apartment in Chapel Hill, I think I’ve had my fill of apartments for now. So, given that and the busyness that’s associated with moving and starting a new job, I decided to look for a house instead of an apartment.

 

Because I was trying to pack my search into a quick four day house hunting extravaganza and wasn’t sure what I was going to do, I was completely transparent with each realtor letting them know I didn’t want to commit to any one realtor. I know that’s not standard practice, but signing with a realtor is a big deal and I didn’t want to end up with someone who didn’t understand me (a little foreshadowing).

 

The first realtor was referred by a friend. I don’t claim to be an expert in finding a great realtor, but in my limited experience referrals seem to be the only way to whittle down the infinite number of realtors in a particular geographic area. After a chat on the phone, she sent me a link to some properties. In a word, they were not good. In the end, we spent four hours looking at I think was a total of eight houses. We did find one place that I really liked but only after another realtor called and told us the property was a “must see.”

 

The next day, I met with the second realtor. This one came by way of Realtor.com. I found what seemed like a list of 100s of realtors in the Pittsburgh area and found myself just clicking on links to those with a website and then skimming quickly over their bios to see who seemed to have the best experience. Compared to the first realtor, she seemed to have a good grasp of different neighborhoods and seemed to get what I was looking for. The only drawback was she likes to drive buyers around to help them get a feel of the different parts of town. Even if I wasn’t on a quick turnaround, this probably would have still felt incredibly overwhelming. I will say…I think I saw more of Pittsburgh on that Thursday afternoon than I did during my four years as an undergrad at Pitt.

 

And that brings me to the third realtor. Another referral and someone I know from a different circle. The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize she worked as a realtor until a friend mentioned it to me. She was fantastic. From the first time we talked, she pulled a list of properties that were close to what I was looking for. The more we talked, the more she was able to help me refine my search. She was an active listener. She noticed that I brought up a certain property a few different times and probed on it. When I decided to buy a house from a home builder, she wanted to see the house even though she wasn’t a part of the deal (I know that’s probably because I know her more as a friend than as a realtor, but I also think that’s who she is).

 

What did I learn from all of this? Finding a good realtor is one part hard work and one part luck. I still think referrals are the way to go. And, whether you’re buying or selling, I also think it’s important to ask questions before you sign with an agent. Having worked with a buyer’s agent for the first time, I know I should have asked a lot more questions up front and made sure I felt comfortable with our plan before getting to the looking at properties faze.

 

If you’re moving out of state to start a new job, make sure you spend a fair amount of time finding a realtor. And, if your employer is willing to help you with the relocation process, take full advantage.

When company dress codes go wrong

A colleague shared a snippet lifted from the pages of his company’s dress code with me recently. Not only is it one of the most confusing policies I’ve ever seen, but it also tells me they’re spending way too much time on writing and enforcing policies and procedures—a possible red flag for anyone trying to avoid company bureaucracy.

 

For starters, they call it “business professional casual,” so you know it’s got to be good. Let’s take a look at some of their other “highlights” (or rather “lowlights”):

 

As a female, you CANNOT wear:

• capris, open-toed or open-backed shoes
• sleeveless blouses or sweaters, or sweaters or blouses with sleeves that are considered “too short”
• earrings that are considered too big
• shirts that are untucked
• skirts (unless you have hose on)

 

I’m sure the same rules for women apply to men but, in addition, men can’t wear:

• golf shirts, khakis, or rainbow suspenders (that means Robin Williams’ character Mork from Ork and the prop comic Gallagher are going to have to look elsewhere)

 

Other guidelines outlined in the dress code:

• You have to wear a wedding band whether married or not
• Men get a pocket watch (talk about a sweet perk) on their first day with their laptop and blackberry
• All employees should “always” have a “blazer” on the back of their chair in case they have an unexpected meeting pop up

 

If stringent dress codes aren’t part of what you’re looking in a corporate culture, and you notice as you arrive for an interview at the company headquarters a legion of blazers placed neatly on the backs of chairs, be sure to make a mental note of the closest exit.