subject: Facebook Groups and You: Protecting Your Image [print this page] Facebook Groups and You: Protecting Your Image
It's hard to imagine nowadays life without Facebook, but just a few short years ago that was the case. More and more we're living a bigger part of lives on the Internet. Since Facebook is one of the most popular sites we're using to do that, I wanted to take a few minutes today and talk about the groups on Facebook. Specifically I want to go over what groups you should join, what groups you absolutely want to avoid, and your activity in those groups. Keep in mind this is all from a public image standpoint, ultimately it's your decision what you want to do. These are just a few helpful tips to keep you from making any mistakes that might cost you in the future.
Of the thousands of groups on Facebook, there are few that are absolute winners from a professional standpoint. You should definitely make sure that these are the groups that are highlighted on your main profile page. For instance, if you're a car salesman, any auto sales groups would be a huge bonus to your profile. Remember were not just dressing up your profile in case your boss happens to look, we're creating a tool that you can use to help yourself. Showing that you are interested and passionate about your industry is a great way to inspire confidence in, not only your customers, but your employer as well. There are also a few groups that are what I like to call "image neutral", meaning that they won't help your image, but they won't hurt it either. These are groups like; college alumni groups, children's charity groups, or even some pet lover groups. Just remember not to fill your profile up with these, because you don't want to give the impression that that's all you care about.
Just as there are groups that can help your image, there are groups that can absolutely kill it. Stay away from anything controversial. Back in the days when I was a bartender, I had two topics that were completely off-limits in my bar, religion and politics. I don't care how moderate, inclusive, and benign you think your beliefs are, I promise you someone, somewhere will be offended by them. Keep them off your profile! You may be a proud Jew/Christian/Scientologist/Muslim and that's fine, it's great to have personal beliefs, but at the best case they can be a distraction, and worst-case they could be offensive. You also want to stay away from anything sexual. No "looking for singles" groups, and deftly no "one night stand" groups. People have asked me about sexual orientation groups, such as gay or lesbian pride groups. Again, I treat this the same as religion and politics; they're an aspect of your personal life that does not need to be broadcast in your professional life.
Aside from the groups you join, your activity in these groups can also help or hurt you. You don't want to spend too much time posting in these groups, as it will give the impression that that's all you do all day. You do however want to make sure that you participate a little bit, just so it doesn't look like you're padding your profile. In the groups I'm involved in, I usually find once every couple days is enough to keep my name in everyone's mind, but not so much that it appears that I'm preoccupied with those groups.
Joining groups is a great way to help build a public profile that can help you establish yourself as a valuable commodity to any company. However, as I've said before, Facebook is a tool with which you market yourself, and you need to remember that someone viewing your profile won't always have the benefit, of having you there to explain things. This means that everything on your public profile has to stand on its own merit. Keep this in mind every time you post something to Facebook, and you'll be fine.
