Risk Reward of "Exposed" Contacts in Social Networking

Risk Reward in Social Networking, and on Exposing Contacts in Particular

Before posting social content, each user of facebook.com , linkedin.com , twitter.com, del.icio.us.com, plaxo, or for that matter any social networking medium ( Blog, Wiki, Forum, social site, etc. ) one should ask themselves does this help or hurt my cause. Understanding ones’ own motivations is a crucial first step, and one should keep in mind that their network itself may be the most valuable content they may opt to expose. Beyond the obvious implications of posting controversial blogs, consider the following questions regarding your connections, and how freely you chose to expose and manage them.

If someone I don’t know studies my contact list and learns of someone else of benefit to them via my contacts, does this hurt or help my cause?

If someone I do know studies my contact list and learns of some else of benefit to them via my contacts, does this hurt or help my cause?

Could divulging certain connections violate a confidence, expose a proprietary advantage, offend a colleague, boss, or customer, does it divulge a secret?

Or on the other hand, will I, by exposing my contacts, attract and even more formidable network of like minded colleagues?

Will the vastness and quality of my “network” demonstrate that I am genuinely “well connected”, or will it be a clue that I horde connections with people I don’t really know?

Do I care…the answer to which could be “yes” on business minded networks like Linkedin and Plaxo, and “no” for Facebook, myspace, twitter, etc, and, your answers may evolve over time as your own career and work focus evolves.