Reasons to keep LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter updates separate

Social media sites are converging. Now you can easily update Facebook and Twitter at the same time, or LinkedIn and Twitter, or… You get the idea.

Speed and simplicity are wonderful, but what about communication? When I teach business writing, one of the first points I discuss with the class is the concept of knowing your audience and your goal. So I think of my online audience's needs and my own goals before I publish any status update anywhere.

In my world, LinkedIn relationships are the most formal; this place is strictly for business. Facebook is more social; many of my “friends” are actually family members and old schoolmates. Recently on Facebook I wrote about my aunt’s 95th birthday party and commented on someone’s new baby pictures.

Twitter is my online water cooler, research department and referral engine, all in one. Most of my Twitter updates are business-oriented (such as an invitation to my upcoming Podcasting 101 Webinar), but some are more personal, showing my authentic self, as they say. (I heard a great quote last year, and I wish I knew the author: Facebook represents the people you used to know; Twitter represents the people you’d like to get to know.)

If I posted the typical Twitter update on Facebook, most people would be flummoxed. The RTs and @ signs don’t contbribute much to readability when you’re not used to them.

Each of us uses these social networks slightly differently, but I doubt that many of us are speaking to the same audience in each arena.  At least for the foreseeable future, I’ll continue to update each site manually, with rare exception.

Comments

[Bonnie]

I, too, separate my updates. Different audiences mean different posts. I sometimes post my Tweets on Facebook (through Selective Twitter).

[Donna Papacosta]

Thanks, Bonnie. Yes, the selective updates are handy. I sometimes (not often) use TweetDeck to update Twitter and FB at the same time -- if it's a message that won't confuse or alienate either audience!

[Val Sanna]

I agree completely. I have also occassionaly updated FB and Twiiter at the same time with TweetDeck, but LinkedIn is pure business.

Another time-saving benefit of TweetDeck is creating a FB group to show status updates within TweetDeck. This way I can have a peek without getting completely distracted while working.

[Donna Papacosta]

Thanks for commenting, Val.
I use the FB column in TweetDeck too. Although on busy writing days, like today, I shut down TweetDeck completely. Too distracting!

[China Law]

I completely agree and that is exactly why I will keep my "worlds" separate. Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode....