Facebook and LinkedIn… for Dummies Who Aren’t

I love people (I know there are days I claim otherwise on FaceBook). There are people I remember from years and years ago. I would love to reconnect with them, if they’re willing.

I think that’s why social media were created. They were created as tools to allow us to connect. Yes, admittedly the gods of chaos have taken over, making them numerous, complex, and hard to design.

So, in the proliferation, how do you define what is and isn’t necessary?

I think that depends on who you are as a human being.

There are those who could spend hours and hours a day, poring over details on a magic box, jumping around among text and videos and podcast, learning all there is to know, and adding to the vast explosion of knowledge and information.

That’s not me. I start hyperventilating just looking at my options. FaceBook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+… my eyes are glazing, I’m trying to deep breathe, and my mind can’t find it’s way out of the chasm of chaos. Those are just the ones we can name.

For this post, I’d like to just focus on FaceBook and LinkedIn. If you open them side by side, they pretty much look like the same tool with a different interface.

That’s where purpose comes in. What purpose do they have?

From my desk chair, to me, FaceBook is for social uses of social media. You can connect with your family, your friends, and that one freak from your past you can’t quite categorize or describe. You can post pics of your kids, rant about the latest gossip, or share your recipes for the mixed drink most likely to leave you under the table. You might even get edgy or be a little off the wall with the ideas or memes you choose to share. You really don’t want to connect to co-workers on FaceBook… unless you’d trust them with your life and soul.

LinkedIn is for professional uses of social media. You connect to co-workers, professionals in your field at other companies, and people from your past that might be good business connections to have in your network. You can post updates about your education and do some light employment searches. You can even post some opinion pieces or marketing essays designed to share knowledge and earn business. It’s not the place to connect to that poetic Goth chick from the coffee shop or the guy who supplies your medical marijuana.

I hope this clears any confusion. I know if we’re on Medium we probably don’t have any. But, like most writers, this is a piece I want to go viral since so many don’t seem to understand the difference.