Cureton: Time to face your Facebook phobia

Some have suggested that I seem to navigate the Facebook’s social networking world effortlessly. It might appear that way, but the apparent ease and comfort is an intentional work in progress.

I have never been one for networking of any kind, so I wasn’t really thrilled at the prospect of jumping into the world of social networking. However, as I aspired to the ranks of the federal government’s Senior Executive Service, I realized that building coalitions and developing an extensive network of associates helps us collaborate and share best practices and provides for the flow of diverse ideas and diverse thinking.

Here are some common questions and answers that might help those suffering from Facebook Phobia.

Don’t you think it’s better to keep your personal life separate from your professional life?

Picture this: You’re at a professional conference during a networking opportunity. Someone asks about your hobbies. Do you say, “I’m sorry, but I keep my personal life and professional life separate,” and refuse to answer?

You wouldn’t tell private or embarrassing information to a colleague at a water cooler or at a networking session, and you shouldn’t do it on Facebook. You can reveal some personal information on Facebook, but exercise the same judgment and discretion you do in in-person encounters.

As with real-life networking, you should be genuine, honest and interested in those in your social network. Look for things you have in common and make comments that demonstrate sincere interest.

What about security? Aren’t you worried about it?

Heck yes, you should be worried about security. Who isn’t? You should always be vigilant about sharing information inappropriately or being a victim of malicious code. There’s nothing special about social-networking technology. You should be just as cautious on Facebook as you would be with e-mail.

I once had a Super Bowl party where my mother had a hot dog on a plate. As she put chili on the hot dog, the plate collapsed, dropping hot dog and chili on the light-colored carpet. She said it was the plate’s fault. Many people would blame the plate — or the technology — rather than taking appropriate measures that are commensurate with the risk.

Every respectable IT professional needs to worry about IT security. Whether information is coming out of your mouth or on your friend feed, information needs to be safeguarded accordingly. Just keep it simple. Don’t try to be fancy and cute. Be careful about hooking up applications to your profile unless you know how they are going to behave.

Don’t I have to worry about my reputation?

In real-life networking, you don’t do anything stupid that you might regret. Don’t do it on Facebook either.

Be intentional about personal branding. Who am I? Who is my audience? I am wife, daughter, sister, friend, sister-in-law, teacher, CIO, executive … all of these in totality. My branding encompasses all of these — from roles and responsibilities in an IT organization to baking sweet potato crescent rolls.

I hope some of these answers will help those who would like to recover from Facebook Phobia.