Professional VS Personal Social Media

Many of us enjoy social media in varied and assorted ways. As I write this we (as a nation) are commemorating the 24th anniversary of September 11 and are also inundated with terrible news about the murder of a young conservative activist, war in the middle east and another school shooting.

Across my newsfeed came “Breaking News” which was an article about a School District of Lancaster teacher who posted some very specific political views on her chosen platform of “X” and/or Facebook which had gone viral and blown back on SDOL.

It made me think of the ways that we as Realtors specifically use social media and the possible implications for our firms, colleagues and livelihoods.

I asked Chat GPT about the early days of social media to see if it matched my understanding as an older person who lived through the it from the beginning. I recall polarized political groups, domestic topics like food/kittens-puppies/family sharing, hobby sites like technology/music/gaming, religion dedicated interaction and of course dating.

Chat GPT says:

• The early emphasis for social media in America was on enabling digital communication and connection from a distance. The initial intent was to help people interact with friends, family, and like-minded individuals online. Key aspects of early social media in America:
• Accessible communication: The first websites and software programs were designed to make communication easy and accessible from afar. In the 1970s and 1980s, bulletin board systems (BBSs) allowed users to exchange information in a social setting.
• Networking and community building: The foundational social media platforms focused on creating online communities and building social networks. Platforms like Classmates.com (1995) helped people connect with school affiliates, while Six Degrees (1997) was the first true social network to allow users to create profiles and list friends.
• User-driven interaction: Early platforms were built to facilitate genuine, reciprocal relationships. Blogging sites like LiveJournal (1999) and forums allowed users to share personal information and ideas, with features like comments that encouraged community engagement.
• Interest-based connection: Early platforms created spaces for people with shared interests to gather online. BBS networks developed to serve specific groups and interests, from hobbies to social and political commitments.
• User-centric experience: The design of early sites like My Space (2003) centered on the user experience by allowing extensive profile customization with music and videos.

Today of course, we see the evolved result of those early platforms that are as different from the origins of interacting as comparing dial-up modems on a computer the size of your desk to our handheld/ear worn/watch face devices with the magically invisible connections. Yesterday my friend warned me about the camera on my desktop watching me and I already knew my phone was listening… but I digress.

Today as professionals we must be cognizant of what we put out there. It can never be taken back. Even more extreme than the happy birthday card that you doodle on and send to your friend today that may be saved in a book and brought out as evidence of that friendship-which you may want to deny in 20 years… We craft the image ourselves today that will exist in cyberspace forever.

Unless you are a master disguiser (and there is no guarantee that your anonymity will last) your clients, prospects and employers can all see the content that you post and use to define yourself. To a great many, you will be and are that person as you appear on-line and that is all (and the best) that they will ever know of you.

As has often been attributed to Will Rogers, the quote “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression” may ring truest when it comes to someone looking you up on-line before meeting you in person. As freedom of speech is a sacred institution in our country, the right to do (or post) something is different from the wisdom of doing it.

I see Realtors and affiliates in our industry posting and sharing very opinionated content and I often think to myself “Wow, they potentially lost a few clients right there with that one” but of course they have every right to their opinion AND every right to be ok with offending people that they obviously don’t want to associate or collaborate with or to do business with. I also cringe sometimes at angry comments and polarizing views shared from behind a keyboard about people in public service and about our communities. You may disagree with the philosophy, but I believe Realtors should support and help to grow all neighborhoods.

Social media has helped to build careers, launch businesses and start new industries.

It can be harnessed to promote, lift, encourage and attract.

As we continue to evolve with the changing times we must remember to care for the image and the projection of ourselves, our brokerages and the industry we serve. Can we do that while remaining true to ourselves and our beliefs? It was said, as far back as the Bible “Intelligent people think before they speak” and it is as worthwhile today as it was back before there was any way for anyone else to hear what you said except the people with you in your thrush-roofed hut.