Tips and Tricks on Social Network Profiles
April 28th, 2008 | by Walter |Joining an online social network is incredibly easy; in fact, it is so easy that one can often forget that not all information should be added to the site. Of course, there are people that are too cautious that they forget that there is some information that should be posted on these sites. So, what information should be included and what shouldn’t be included? How cautious does one have to be about the information they put up on the site and what information is best to leave off the site?
Looking first at what a person should include on their social networking profile, a person has to consider that most people like a profile that has a picture and is relatively detailed. People like to see the face of the person they are talking to. It makes them feel more at ease and the detailed information helps them to learn whether they have anything in common with this possible contact. There is little sense in wasting time if it doesn’t appear that the person is rarely online and/or may not have anything in common with the person looking at the profile.
The kind of information that should be included on the profile includes: likes and dislikes, interests, and a brief description of your personality. Your first name can also be beneficial in that people like to put a name to the face of the person they are communicating with. Now, if a person is using a networking site to help their business prospects, adding some information and even linking to the business’ website can be incredibly useful. There is often a space where a person can fill in what they do, what they specialize in and with what company they work with.
While social networking sites are a great way to meet nice people, it is unfortunately it can also be the home of internet predators. This is why it is stressed that when entering personal information up on a social networking site, it is best that a person is cautious and vague. In today’s world there is an increasing problem with identity theft, so it is important that no personal information, such as birth date, personal address or bank account details, are publicly shown.
This more or less pertains to business networking sites, though what a person might put on a social networking site might not necessarily be appropriate for a business network site. Unlike a social networking site, which is a great place to meet friends, a business network site is a place for a more professional attitude, a place where you intend to make professional contacts. When creating a profile on a business networking site, pictures should not be too revealing and should be more professional. Too much personal information should also be avoided as this kind of profile should focus on the business and its services/products.
