Follow Policy: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, et al.

Social networks are powerful, meaningful tools I have had the opportunity to leverage we ll for personal and professional benefit. Just last week I was trying to find good camping locations and received several good recommendations.

I have also gone overboard at times with my virtual social life by, for example, facebooking when I should be playing with my kids, or being glued to twhirl instead of my work.

It’s time to make some changes to who and why I follow/friend/add people to these networks. In the past, I have allowed LinkedIn to be my most conservative network, but time and life dictates that I need to be much more selective about my other social interactions, too.

So, with a hat tip to Shel, here’s my Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook (“TwinkedInBook”?) follow policy:

• As a general rule, I only add/follow people I actually know. That means we have had some meaningful interaction and that your connection aligns with the things I care about.
• I welcome conversations. If I have said something you want to comment on, please do, but be real, and open about who you are. I don’t have to follow you to hear you. This is the Internet. @robertmerrill me, and I will find it. If you really need to reach me, um, my full name at gmail dot com is a pretty good starting point.
• I get that networking is not just socializing [via @jibberjobber]. I like both, but I am primarilly online for networking in the sense of a professional relationship. I believe networking is about what you give and get. I wont follow you if I don’t think I can meaningfully give to you and/or that I can receive from you appropriately as well. By the way, I still believe the appropriate balance is to GIVE 10x what you RECEIVE in any relationship, but I will not follow you unless you’re providing a relevant, useful and thought-provoking connection.
• If I don’t follow you, or just stopped following you, please don’t be offended. Really. It’s not you. It’s me.
• I will follow companies when I want announcements or information. I will follow people when I see relevance in what you’re talking about. I will unfollow and/or block both when the conversation becomes you selling something, or regurgitating, or just “@username lol!” -ing all day long.
• The things I say are my opinions and beliefs. Yours are your own. Keep that clear and we will get along just fine :)
• I reserve the right to change this or update it at any time, or at no time, for any or no reason.

And now begins the purging of the accounts…