If you pay close attention, you will notice that your social networking friends have online personalities. Some are witty, some are “in the know”—always sharing the latest and most interesting news, some are opinionated, some are quiet, some are vain, some are overbearing, some are religious, some are clueless and so on.
How would you describe your online personality? Or how do you think others might describe it?
To be frank, sometimes social networking feels like high school all over again—comparisons of who's smarter, funnier, cuter, improved, more successful…you name it.
Sometime ago I reconnected with an old friend from high school. I was really excited talking to this friend over the phone. Being an email person, I asked if the friend was into emailing or social networking. Apparently my friend keeps up to date with old friends through their spouse’s social networking account but didn’t have a personal one. When I suggested creating a personal account, my friend responded, “I’m not ready to do it yet.”
However, reflecting on our phone conversation afterward, I remembered how my friend kept talking about weight gain and aging and had a somewhat negative tone when referring to other childhood friends. That led me to wonder why my friend wasn't feeling “online-ready” just yet. Was my friend afraid that they would be judged harshly by others or was it more of an internal judgment?
It is a fact that nostalgia plays a big role in reconnecting with someone from the past but I believe that social networking should be about reconnecting as who we are today and moving our friendships forward; understanding of course that starting with a clean slate (when there’s already a lot of history) is always harder said than done. But it is what it is---so move on.
Your online persona should be an extension of who you are. There should be no waiting until all is perfect or pretending that all is perfect---because there is no such thing. Authenticity always shines through and works out the best. Be who you truly are and have fun with it.
Happy social networking!
