Thing 14 - Social Networking

For many years I have been part of several social networking sits for a number of reasons. At first it was to reconnect with old friends from college and back home. Through the years we have seen several sites develop and go through much criticism regarding content and security. I currently am using a facebook account for several aspects of my life.

For work, I use the site to promote various performances that I am involved in, I have set up a group page for out annual musical production so I may send out information and receive comments from anything from attendance to rehearsal questions. For my fire department I keep a backup of various photo stories and call information. With the birth of my son I have been able to share photos with established friends and family.

Again for education purpose information can be shared with a large or small group rather effectively once group lists are established. With the development of smartphones and mobile applications there can be direct instant contact with anyone on your lists as long as they are active.

I recently had a chat conversation with a firefighter friend of mine who is now stationed in Antarctica, yeas Antarctica. It is through facebook that he communicates with friends and family and can share information and photos. That is, when the satellite is up and running.

As a professional muscian networking is a definite must if you want to keep the gigs rolling in. Many of us hire each other for performance gigs through the facebook networking site.

All in all I feel that social networking can be a great advantage as long as the individual is protected, so be sure to follow the steps necessary to secure your information.

As many of the articles state, you need to be able to control access to the information that is posted on your page. An understanding of what specific control you can have over what may be seen by the general public and what may be seen by the "friends" you may have added.