Comments are viewed by far less bearonbusiness readers than the posts themselves. With this in mind, I will focus this post on an important exchange between a reader named Scott and me.
My post from last Monday was Zayo Group Facebook Community. I asked for comments and here are excerpts from Scott’s:
Dan,
Instead of having facebook accounts, why not perform “real” social networking and have all Zayo employees engage in assisting Habitat for Humanity projects or other like minded “real” social networking causes.
I would have a very hard time working for a company that was mandating that I join facebook, twitter, linkedin, myspace or any other social networking club. I know you stated it was not forced, but I cannot fathom why it is so darn important or even relevant that an employee has to put ANY info on the grid, which is permanent , etc.
“Is the world better off because of Social Networking”
actually I have found that social networking has created a minority group of young people(18-28) that cannot present a verbal idea, give a verbal briefing, or interact maturely on a verbal interpersonal level period. Not to mention who cannot spell on emails, tune out the world due to their ipods and and fidget constantly when they are without any electronic, artificial stimulus.
There may be positives to social networking, but I find it to be a lazy replacement for getting out and actually physically networking and verbalizing ideas, thoughts, actions, etc.
Technology might have made our world easier, etc, but ti it has also made us dumber, less self reliant, and certainly have taught us there is no need for situational awareness in any realm of our lives.
Where do you stop, when do WE learn that not everything in your life has to be surrounded by technology?
I stay off the grid for a reason and that reason is a personal choice, because unlike others I do not feel like I need every facet of my life to be able to be called up with a set of keystrokes.
My comment back to Scott was as follows:
Scott, you are persuasive in your main point–though my opinions are vastly different than yours overall. At the end of the day, your perspective convinces me that you are right. Anything even remotely close to “strongly encouraging” is inappropriate until a social networking is more mainstream. My guess is a year or two from now, this will change. Now some specific responses:
I participated in building homes in Tijuana. It was a great experience and did result in a bonding between those who did the home building. In this regard, charity activities such as Habitat for Humanity could play a positive role in a company. However, this has little to do with the role Social Networking could play in helping employees get to know one another better. We have hundreds of employees in many states who interact together on business issues. Social networking would provide a platform for employees to share information with one another–but only info they are comfortable sharing. When the occasional opportunity presents itself for employees to meet in person, they are already more familiar with one another. I see this as a big positive.
Again, I agree with you major point. Mandating (or anything close) to participation would make some people uncomfortable.
You say “I cannot fathom why it is so darn important or even relevant that an employee has to put ANY info on the grid…”. Getting to know the people you work with is important. Social networking platforms provide a unique platform for facilitating this.
You ask “Is the world better off because of Social Networking?”. You then provide your answer: “actually I have found that social networking has created a minority group of young people(18-28) that cannot present a verbal idea, give a verbal briefing, or interact maturely on a verbal interpersonal level period. Not to mention who cannot spell on emails, tune out the world due to their ipods and and fidget constantly when they are without any electronic, artificial stimulus. There may be positives to social networking, but I find it to be a lazy replacement for getting out and actually physically networking and verbalizing ideas, thoughts, actions, etc”
Wasn’t the same said about TV? Cable TV? Mobile Phones? AOL? The Internet itself? My opinion is “yes, the world is a ton better”. And the next generation is going to accomplish things that we cannot even fathom.
You continued: “Technology might have made our world easier, etc, but ti it has also made us dumber, less self reliant, and certainly have taught us there is no need for situational awareness in any realm of our lives.” I disagree.
Later you added: “I stay off the grid for a reason and that reason is a personal choice, because unlike others I do not feel like I need every facet of my life to be able to be called up with a set of keystrokes.” I respect your choice.
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I really like the idea of getting to know your fellow employees and I see sites like Facebook and LinkedIn as a great tool to help facilitate. I work at Envysion and one of our employees started a monthly social gathering called First Tuesday. We pick a location and then meet on the first Tuesday of the month for conversation and cocktails. It is always a great time and an excellent opportunity to get to know fellow employees a little better. I know this may be difficult when people are all across the country so I think Facebook can help bridge the gap and help people feel more connected.
Facebook and the other social networking websites are still a relatively new concept for the general public. Social norms regarding their use and purpose in our lives are still being formed and modified. To answer the question of “Is the world better off because of Social Networking” right now is probably pre-mature.
The protestors over in Iran would probably argue Facebook and technology in general have improved their lives, because of the additional freedoms they’re able to experience as a result. As Dan mentioned in his reply, social networking technologies can be beneficial in the commerical setting as businesses struggle with the challenges of dealing with a geographically dispersed work force and increased travel costs. There are definitely cons associated with using social networking like the highly publicized cases of on-line sexual predators, etc. Time will ultimately tell us where along that spectrum social networking affects our society — for good or bad.
I also disagree with the statement about social networking and technology making our society more stupid. The sheer volume of information readily available for our society to consume at the present time is staggering. I wonder if the next generation is finding the english language and its formal constructs are obsolete in lieu of our ever-increasing, informationally-overloaded society? Maybe the next generation is already starting to recognize and deal with that issue. I’d say that’s pretty smart to start formulating your own communication system in an environment that encourages early and viral adoption. I’d also say it’s not a bad idea to listen to the music or view the video of your own choosing via an iPod rather than experience broadly targeted advertisements or other programming not of your choice. Perhaps technology will continue to evolve so GPS enabled iPods automatically pause themselves when the user gets within close proximity of an intersection? Situational awareness for a fee…your choice!
I think the key part that Scott objects to is the mandatory aspect. Not everyone likes to put information about themselves online, and to feel obligated to do so in order to participate will do more than make them ‘uncomfortable’, it will make some angry and humiliated – that’s just how privacy is sometimes. As long as you can keep social networking as a voluntary thing, you’ll be fine and so will Scott.
Rob,
you would be very correct as to why I ojected. While I work in tehcnology does not mean I want to become part of it.
Bill,
“Perhaps technology will continue to evolve so GPS enabled iPods automatically pause themselves when the user gets within close proximity of an intersection? Situational awareness for a fee…your choice!”
yep and while we are it lets make sure they have motion sensors and 007 type ray guns installed to keep the bad guys from mugging, maiming or outright killing you for your ipod.
Actually if it was just the Social networking aspect you wanted, you could create your own NING where people wouldn’t have to worry about what is posted is “Water Cooler Fodder”. NING is free and allows for simple social networking.
My dilemma is: what if you are a staunch Neo-Con and dislike all Libertarians only to find out on my Facebook profile I am a fan of Ralph Nader?
You are actually suggesting that Facebook replace a physical workspace in the area of employee interaction. That’s a far fetched solution in my opinion. Software isn’t the answer to every human problem.