Friends, Contacts And Networks—Oh My!

CONNECTIONS | by CELESTE TELL

I AM A RELUCTANT SOCIAL NETWORKER. I was an early adopter of LinkedIn back in the day when LinkedIn was a tool for job-seekers and business networkers. It had structure, boundaries and privacy. There wasn’t much “social” about it until people started using it more sociably. If I had to engage in social networking, LinkedIn was my comfort zone.

Facebook was another matter. I resisted it wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. Nudged gently (!?) along by friends and colleagues, I was gradually coaxed into reconsidering. At first I was tentative, like a 5-year-old learning to ride a bike with the training wheels on and oh, by the way, not interested in taking them off any time soon. While my comfort zone with Facebook has increased, I am still not (and will probably never be) the power-user my 15-year-old is. Puleaase.

Truth be told, I have come to like Facebook: Staying connected and reconnecting with friends and family around the world. “Fanning” pages and groups. Sharing causes and events that are important to me. And imagine my surprise when, at a party recently, an old friend—with whom I was not yet “friends” on Facebook—told me over cocktails that she is a fan of our Lifestyle Insights blog.

Lately, however, I’ve noticed that LinkedIn is becoming more Facebook-like, with expanding social networking features. People are updating their status multiple times a day, joining groups and using applications. Facebook, on the other hand, is adopting some of the structure and boundaries that initially made me more comfortable on LinkedIn. And more and more businesses are using Facebook to connect with users and customers.

Stay tuned… er, I mean, signed in.