Question: I've held out as long as I can. As a senior Army officer, keeping a low profile was encouraged, and I was glad not to need to be part of the online mess. Now that I'm in my first post-military job in the private sector, my mentor is encouraging me to get going with social media. How do I even start?
Answer: I hear you that social media can feel uncontrolled, fast-moving and even messy at times. Keeping up with trends, algorithms and online contacts can seem like a second job and very distracting at a minimum.
The good news is that joining now doesn't mean you've necessarily missed anything. In explaining why you haven't been online, it's fair to say your military responsibilities precluded you from being in the social-media sphere, and now you recognize the importance to your work and career to connect with others online.
Professionally speaking, LinkedIn is a great platform to join and enter the world of an online community. The topics, connections and conversations are typically focused more on business, current events (of a business nature) and knowledge sharing, rather than some of the more social platforms such as Instagram or Facebook.
Here are some tips for getting started:
1. Decide How and Who You Want to Be Online
Yes, you should be the same person on social media as you are in the flesh, and you can control how much of yourself, your interests, work and personal life you will share. Deciding this in advance gives you the confidence to manage your online presence and engagement with others.
2. Evaluate Which Platforms Work Best for Your Career
As mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is a smart choice for most professionals and entrepreneurs. If your clients, team or other communities will also be active on casual platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, X or Instagram, decide whether you're comfortable building visibility there, too.
3. Create a Profile
When you set up your social-media account -- on LinkedIn, for example -- you will select the name you prefer to go by, a profile photo, banner image and headline, among other assets that LinkedIn will promote you by. Ensure each of these reflects positively on who you are, your industry and the audiences you will want to connect with.
4. Find Connections
Are there people you served with, know or associate with that would be good contacts? While later you'll expand your reach to connections you might not initially know, start with people who know you and what you stand for. This makes it easier to start building connections online.
5. Post
This may be the hardest and scariest part of social media, if you aren't accustomed to how it works. A site such as LinkedIn will not pressure you to share your innermost personal details, or your family holidays, or your biggest fears. Instead, if you keep your posts to content about your industry, work and career, then you're generally safe. Never share information that's confidential or sensitive, as this could be problematic for others involved.
6. React and Comment
When someone in your network makes a post, comment if you feel inclined. A congratulations comment, additional thought or question to their post shows you're engaged. Reactions are the "Like-," "Support-" and "Celebrate-"type buttons you'll see as options. Choose the reaction that corresponds to your feeling about the post.
7. Remember It's All Public
Whatever you post, comment on and whoever you connect with online are public statements. There is no such thing as "private" on social media. Anyone you're connected to can screengrab your content and share what you've said to audiences outside of your network, so ensure your content and reactions are appropriate and consistent with how you want to be known.
While all of this might feel unyielding and unmanageable, it's not that complicated. Start small and watch how others share, engage and reveal themselves. Ask yourself what feels comfortable and appropriate to you and grow as your confidence does.
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