Social Media: A Place to Boost or Squash Self-Esteem & Ego

I’m beginning to see how Social Media has the opportunity to elevate or squash an ego. So here goes……….

Linked In

I’m a LinkedIn Whore. Yes, I admit it. If you want to be connected to me on LinkedIn I will accept your invitation. It doesn’t cost me anything. I keep a business presence there; so the way I look at it, it can only help both of us if we are linked; who knows who in your world is looking for a keynote, general session or breakout speaker for their next meeting. And if at some point I see you’re a jerk or unscrupulous, I can just unlink.

So… if you want/need your ego boosted send me an invitation. Since chances are, for many, it is all about having the most links I am glad to do my part to boost an ego. I myself am not actively seeking links on an hourly basis, On most days my self-esteem is high; I threw my ego away a long time ago. My public profile is http://www.linkedin.com/in/richdigirolamo. If you start selling me crap within 30 seconds of connecting I have my ways of revenge – but I only share them with clients. Be careful. Be very careful. 

Chemical Wedding ipod

Facebook

Now let’s move on to Facebook. This is my place to play. This is my online place to be who I want; sometimes silly; sometimes profound; sometimes professional. This is my place to be selective with who I want as a friend. So with that in mind, please keep these ego boosting/lowering thoughts in mind before you decide to be my friend:

• If you have been an attendee at a keynote or breakout presentation of mine I will friend you. Chances are you liked what I had to say and want to learn more about me, who I am, and what I do. And since you like me, I am certain we come from a similar mold so of course I wll friend you. I want to know about you too. Quick Ego Booster!
• If we are members of the same professional group(s) I may ignore your request to be my friend. If you’ve walked by me in a hallway looking the other way, not returned a phone call after offering advice/help, or abruptly ended a conversation because you saw someone “better”, “more popular” or a part of the “in crowd” this is my chance to deflate your ego. I will ignore your request. Please stop sending them. I would think by the third request you would get it. And anyway, I’ve already decided you have ulterior motives.
• If I have no idea who you are when you invite me to be your friend, please do not get upset when I ask you to remind me of how we know each other. I meet a lot of people, am getting old and sometimes need a reminder.
• If you are an old classmate or someone I grew up with, I’d love to hear about your part to make the world a better place. Just remind me of how we know each other.
• Ex’s of any sort will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. You should be able to figure it out anyway. If we haven’t been in touch, there is probably a reason. Although if you are in a hiring capacity, please re-read the LinkedIn section.

Twitter

I still have no clue what this phenomenon really is all about. Follow me. Don’t follow me. Unfollow me. I’m just having fun posting random thoughts on my two accounts: http://twitter.com/richdigirolamo Hangin’ with the Homeboys rip and http://twitter.com/employeemorale. At least I’m humoring myself by posting and watching everyone try to boost their own self-esteem and ego. 

Well that’s my Social Media world. And while at times it can be overwhelming and irritating; the possibilities of what can be done with this new way of doing business, staying in touch, and reconnecting definitely have me hooked.

And as for the ego thing………..your ego boosting or lowering is now totally in your hands; you now know how I base my decisions.

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