Over at Facebook the private users are up in arms about the conversion of their profiles from the next-to-the-last version to the latest "Timeline" version.  The outrage expressed in the reposting of images that "demand" the option to use the old format or to deny the Timeline format entirely is unfortunately misguided, I feel.

I have tried to point out to folks that they should not be operating with the thought that they actually have a say in how any of these social networking sites operate.   Statiing it plainly, as long as Facebook remains a user-fee-free service they can and will do whatever they want with THEIR site. YOU and I are borrowing their space for free. They can have pink pig butts squeal into the center of the screen advertising bacon-flavored toothpaste everytime you change pages and WE have no "right" to "demand" that they stop. Like politics, one should not simply complain, one should take action: vote with your browser. There ARE other social networking sites, Google Plus, Tribe, Friendster, etc. If you don't like Facebook, move to another site with a better interface and bring your firiends and family with you. THAT they will pay attention to as they are making themselves filthy rich by mining every iota of personal data that you enter into your profile pages and are selling it to advertisers. (Someone pays for the site, after all.) 

For me, I roll with the changes.  And though I know that every name, date, event and brand name that I enter into my personal profile is being scanned, analyzed, measured and turned into a commodity I accept that as the cost of being able to discover lost friends, maintain a connection with distant friends and relatives or important business and entertainment contacts.  Until the system starts calculating how long it has been since I last bought milk and automatically sends a delivery truck to my door without my knowedge or approval I consider this a fair trade.

What I do NOT do is support are games and apps unless they are from reputable and known sources.  I have been working with CDBaby for years, for instance, and I have no issue using their Facebook tool to promote and sell my vocal group's music.  Now, I can't say for certain, but it can't be a coincidence that the people on Facebook who complain most often about their accounts being hacked are also the same ones that add dozens of games and weather apps and other "useful things" to their site.  In the terms of use for these apps they clearly state that they are accessing all of your data, including your user name and password.  Well, does it really take much of a stretch of imagaination to think that either the "developer," through malice or lack of secure coding has allowed access to user information to unscrupulous employees or outside hackers.  Someone is taking this access and are cracking into people's accounts and are spamming their personal networks or are using the username and password sets to log into other sites that they users have connected to themselves in their profiles.  (Are YOU one of the people that use the same user name and passwords for most of your accounts?) 

All of that said, these dangers are part of using the internet, just like driving a car means you could get boxed in and forced to rear end a car by insurance scammers or carjacked in a parking lot.  Dangerous games, but no one said life would be easy.

I've been a business professional for a few years and I've worked in some high-stress environments.  I've observed some behaviors, good and bad, that influence how your boss and coworkers regard you.  I urge you to consider these five basic technology tips for the workplace environment.

1.)  When texting someone don't assume that you're in their phone's address book; tell them who you are at the beginning of your text.  Not everyone has the time or know-how to synch their contact lists.

2.)  Summarize your email in the subject line.  In a work environment people can get hundreds of emails and they don't necessarily have time to read them all.  If you have an item that is urgent, SAY SO in the subject line.  Here are some examples:

• Latest ad edits for Moldmakers Digest; please review before Friday
• URGENT Mr. Takadaki bringing wife to dinner tonight; rez already changed; want assistant to buy gift?
• PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE Smith at Crescent wants to change PO 13341

What should be obvious is that urgent items should be handled with a phone call, but I've worked with people who wanted emails to document or accompany the phone call so they have a reminder.

3.)  LinkedIn has become a valuable business networking site.  If you are wise you have joined groups and participate in discussions.  When you DO you should neatly summarize your subject line (much like the email subject lines above) and then in the body of the message, open with who you are, what company you represent and then write your message like a college-educated business professional.  LinkedIn is NOT Facebook!  There is no excuse for "phone shorthand" (i.e. "tht is gr8," etc.)  If you can't string words together to make a legible sentence and sentences into paragraphs please hire someone who can before you embarass yourself.

4.)  If you use Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail or AOL for your professional email instead of a domain-associated email (i.e. bob@greatmachines.com) don't be surprised if your email is erased without review at worst or not taken seriously at best.  If you have a company web site you should have company email.  If you don't have a company web site by this time in 2012 ... I don't know if I can help you.

5.)  Unless you're in the marketing department in charge of social networking outreach you have no business being on Facebook, Twitter, Tribe, MySpace, etc.  Save it for your lunchbreak and don't do it on your work computer.  Even if you don't have any expectations of privacy (and you should not) it looks bad to be "goofing around" at your desk while other people are working.  The same goes for personal phone calls and personal emails:  unless you have a serious family issue leave your work time for work.

Dean

Just updated 3/12/12:

I am forced to add this one after looking at LinkedIn today.

6.)  When writing, whether in blog posts, newsgroups, email or letters, no matter how important the question or how big the news there is never, ever a need or logic to stringing multiple question marks ("What is a good vacation to you???") or exclaimation points ("Bad News for AMR!!!!!") together.  Convey the importance of your news with your words, not your punctuation.