Final
(rev.1 vs 01.16.09 original)
Stepping up your Networking
Actions to make your networking efforts pay off
February 6, 2009
Purpose
 To provide more specific advice on how to
approach networking so that you can find
contacts, uncover job opportunities and
position yourself as the most promising
prospect.
In order to get the most out
of this presentation, read
“Stepping Up Your SelfDirected Job Search” first.
2
Agenda
 Background: Reminder of what you need to
have in place before you start networking
 Discussion: Close up on networking
 The implications of the principle: Making it easy
for people to help you
 Resulting action plan for you to follow
Approach by target
Approach by media
 Q&A and feedback
3
Part One
Background
Refresher on “Stepping Up Your Self Directed Job Search”
4
Reminder: The 4 principles that
should shape your job search
 Know where you want to be in Company X
and why
 Create the perception that you have already
done the job that you are pursuing
 Make it easy for people to help you
 Own the process
If you aren’t familiar with these, please read the “Self
Directed Job Search” presentation on the COC site
5
Reminder: How these principles
shape your job searching tools
Your Tools
+
Principle
 Resume
+
Create the perception that
you have already done
the job that you are
pursuing
Tailor your current Tepper
formatted resume so that it reads
as if you’ve already done the job
you are pursuing
 Research
+
Know where you want to
be in Company X and
why
Become intimate with the
resources available to you via the
COC and Hunt Library so that you
have a list of 35 companies that
you are pursuing and you know the
function within each that you want
 Networking + Make it easy for people to
help you
=
Your resulting action
Arm yourself with a targeted
networking plan that asks your
contacts for advice and/or other
contact names so that you are
moving forward and your contact is
open ended
6
Reminder: The first two principles need
to be realized before networking begins
 Know where you want to be in Company X
and why
 Create the perception that you have already
done the job that you are pursuing
It won’t be “Easy for people to help you” unless you
can be super-articulate about what you want to do
and why you are the best candidate for the position
7
Pre-networking checklist
 You have a target list of 35 companies and can articulate why
you are interested in Co. X
 You know what function/position you want to be in (finance,
marketing, etc)
 But you also have in mind a back-up position you’re
interested in pursuing
 You can articulate succinctly why you are pursuing this
position and what you bring to the table so that your
audience gets the perception that you have done this job
(by a different name) before
Once you’ve done these things, you are ready to network!
8
Part Two
How to “Make it easy for people to help you”
What this means for you in actionable terms
9
The conversation that may be
going on in your head
I understand the concept,
“Make it easy for people to help.”
But, what is the implication for me?
What do I need to go do?
Hmmm….if I say to myself,
“I need to make it easy
for people to help me, so
I need to ________” … I
can derive implications.
YOU
10
Lets try it: In order to make it easy for
people to help you, you need to _______
1. Ask for things that are easy to give: 1) advice 2) names of
friends or colleagues who may have other insights 3)
feedback on your resume.
2. Be super clear about your ultimate goal – a job doing
________ at Company X (or a company like X)
3. Be ubiquitous
4. Reach broadly so that you are not relying too heavily on any
one person
5. Remember that you are always selling yourself…..don’t
waste time asking a bunch of questions…get to what you’re
offering
6. Be likable by showing your appreciation and keeping it short
11
You may be thinking…
Can we get more specific?
12
Take a step back and think about all
the real-life situations you may find
yourself in as you network
Talking to 2 potential audiences
4 ways to Network
People you know
People you don’t know
In person
Scenario A
Scenario B
On the phone
Scenario C
Scenario D
Via email
Scenario E
Scenario F
Via the web (Facebook and
LinkedIn)
Scenario G
Scenario H
Lets make an action plan so that you know what to do in each
of these situations (
= Go do this! )
13
Close up on #1 & # 2: Ask for things that are
easy to give AND Be super-clear about your
ultimate goal
 You are not asking for a job. You are asking for:
 Advice on how to get a job;
 And/Or, names of people who can help you because they are in
the industry you want to be in. Or, because they do the job you
want to do;
 And/Or, for your contact to look at your resume and see if they
have any feedback (which you can ultimately take or leave)
 That said, you need to balance this with being
clear that you ultimately want to get a job in ___ at
Co. X.
14
How does this look in real life with
People You Know (PYK)?

Spell out what you are trying to do so that your contact has a very clear
idea of what you are asking them to think about
In Person
Say
On the phone
I am ultimately trying to get a job in Corporate Finance in
Columbus Ohio.
As a first step, I am trying to create a network of people who may
be able to give me advice on how I could best approach each of
my target companies.
Ditto
Do you know anyone who works at any of these target companies
or anyone who works in these industries that I can call?
Add: Let me read a few of these company names
to see if it jogs your memory. Read. What is the
best way for me to get this list to you?
Do
Show them your list of 35 target companies specifically.
Ensure that they receive your list.
Ask them to think about if they may know someone there.
Write down any information they give you at that point.
Set up a time (within a few days) where you can call to dig deeper
on who else they may know.
Ditto
15
How does this look in real life with
People You Know (PYK)?

Spell out what you are trying to do so that your contact has a very clear
idea of what you are asking them to think about
Via Email
Write
Via LinkedIn or Facebook
I am ultimately trying to get a job in Corporate Finance in
Columbus Ohio.
As a first step, I am trying to create a network of people who
may be able to give me advice on how I could best approach
each of my target companies.
Ditto
Do you know anyone who works at any of these target
companies or anyone who works in these industries that I can
contact?
Here is my list of companies:
Do
NOT attach your list; Put it in the body of the email so the reader
does not have to work to access it.
Set up a time (within a few days) where you can talk so that you
can dig deeper on who else they may know.
.
Ditto
16
What else?

Make your list reader friendly and pass-along-worthy (pretty counts).
Otherwise, it will just get tossed.
Sophia’s List of Top 35 Companies where she needs you to
help her find networking contacts Given to JD on 1.08.09
What I need from you: Names of people who work at these companies or in
the ___________ industry.
Please read this list carefully and think about whether or not you know:

Someone who works at any of these companies (anywhere)

Someone who may know someone (you have a super-connected friend or
colleague, you know - someone who works in this industry but not
necessarily in finance, etc.)

Someone in the geographical area who may ultimately know someone
Company/Industry
1
2
3
4
5
6
Descriptive
Title and date
for
accountability
Purpose
Thought Starters
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Company A
Company B
Company C
Company D
Company E
Company F
Location
Specificity and
more thought
starters
No one is going to
read or remember
this
7
Consider using company logos or other cues
to make this more visually interesting
17
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?

Say
Do
Spell out what you are trying to do so that your contact has a very clear
idea of what you are asking them to think about
In Person
On the phone
Make small talk, then sell: I’m a Tepper MBA with __ years of work
experience. My experience and education have really honed by
problem solving skills, my ability to work in teams and my results
orientation.
Get to the point: I’m a __ year Tepper MBA with __ years of
work experience in ________. I’m networking with the
ultimate goal of finding a job in Corporate Finance in
Columbus Ohio. At this point, I am just looking for advice.
I am ultimately trying to get a job in Corporate Finance in Columbus
Ohio.
Name references: I got your name from_____________. I
am also a… Tepper MBA, U of M graduate, Electrical
Engineer, etc.
As a first step, I am trying to create a network of people who may be
able to give me advice on how I could best approach each of my
target companies.
I am trying to connect with people who may be able to give
me advice on how I could best approach each of my target
companies. These include Name 3 or 4 companies.
Eventually (if they don’t offer to help) as you build rapport: Do
you know anyone who works at Name 3 or 4 companies or anyone
who works in the abcd industry? Or, anyone in Columbus?
Do you think we could set up a time to talk for about 30
minutes? My objective is to get your feedback on the things
I’m doing to network and to see if you have any advice.
Get their contact information if there is any potential (The target
says, “Let me think about that….Or, I’m sure I can help you but can’t
think of anyone off the top of my head.”).
If you don’t get them in person, leave a message and then
follow up with an email so that they hear from you twice.
Follow up with a phone call or email. This person is now in the PYK
category (see preceding pages).
18
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?

Spell out what you are trying to do so that your contact has a very clear
idea of what you are asking them to think about
Via Email
Write
Do
Via LinkedIn or Facebook
A descriptive title: 1st year Tepper MBA looking for advice from
professionals in Corporate Finance
NA
Name references: I got your name from_____________ I am
also a… Tepper MBA, U of M graduate, Electrical Engineer, etc.
Name references: I got your name from_____________ . I
I’m a Tepper MBA with __ years of work experience. My experience
and education have really honed by problem solving skills, my ability to
work in teams and my results orientation.
I’m a Tepper MBA with __ years of work experience. My experience
and education have really honed by problem solving skills, my ability to
work in teams and my results orientation.
I am in the midst of a summer internship job search. As a first step, I
am trying to create a network of people who may be able to give me
advice on how I could best approach each of my target companies.
These include: Name 3 or 4 companies or name an industry.
I am in the midst of a summer internship job search. As a first step, I
am trying to create a network of people who may be able to give me
advice on how I could best approach each of my target companies.
These include: Name 3 or 4 companies or name an industry.
Do you think we could set up a time to talk for 30 minutes so that I can
get your advice? My resume is attached so that you can see my
background.
Do you think we could set up a time to talk for 30 minutes so that I can
get your advice?
Attach your resume.
NA
Make your list very reader friendly so that the reader understands what
they should be thinking about
NA
Follow up with another email if you don’t hear back within a week.
Follow up with another email if you don’t hear back within a week.
am also a… Tepper MBA, U of M graduate, Electrical Engineer, etc.
OR, We are connected on LinkedIn/Facebook via
________________________
19
Close up on #3 : Be ubiquitous
You must be




Continually in touch with your network
Easy to find
Quick to respond
Affiliated with the “group” you are trying to
become a member of
 Keeping your network informed of your job
search progress
 Staying in touch even after you are employed
20
How does this look in real life with
People You Know (PYK)?
 Stay in touch with your network as best as
you can. Remind the key players of what you
are doing and that you need their help. Do so:




In person
By email
By Phone
Via LinkedIn or Facebook
21
How does this look in real life with
People You Know (PYK)?
 Be meticulous about your record keeping.
You need to create a system that allows you
to easily access:




Contact name
How you got to them
Date(s) you communicated
Actions you need to take as a result of this
communication
There is NO “right way” to keep records. It’s a matter of personal preference.
That said, you need to create a system that works effectively for you!
22
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?
 Actively use LinkedIn to get your message out there
 Join as many relevant groups as possible including: Carnegie Mellon,
Tepper, MSCF, Quant Finance, High Frequency Trading, all prior firms that
you have worked for, your undergraduate, your city, your function, your target
company names; other relevant cues.
 Regularly read and participate in discussions and blogs with the goal of
finding networking targets.
 Fill out your profile as if it’s a billboard:
 List your prior work experience/titles. If possible, do so in a way that
positions you for the job you are pursuing.
 Complete “Education” section
 Write a very descriptive “Summary” that captures all your key selling
points and the highlights of your resume.
 Feature your resume on your page (under “Experience”)
23
For perspective, here is a very
communicative LinkedIn summary
Good LinkedIn Summary
Kathleen M. Taradash was formerly the head of fund of funds and secondary fund
research at Cambridge Associates LLC. There she specialized in non-marketable
alternative asset fund-of-funds and secondary fund investments on behalf of the firm.
Before joining Cambridge Associates, Kathleen practiced as an attorney in the private
equity group at Proskauer Rose LLP. In this role, she represented venture capital and
private equity funds and managers in capital formation, investor communications, and
investments. She also represented institutional investors with respect to investments in
venture capital and private equity funds. Prior to this, she was an attorney in the
business practice group of Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP. There, her corporate
practice included diverse public and private company transactions. Her company
representation experience includes venture capital financings, securities compliance,
technology licensing and commercial agreements, mergers and acquisitions and
general corporate representation. Kathleen also has experience representing
investment banks in public offerings and private placements.
Kathleen received her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Tulane University and
her JD, with high honors, from University of Connecticut School of Law, Intellectual
Property Program. She is admitted to the bar in New York, Massachusetts (inactive)
and Connecticut (inactive).
What works:
- Function
specific
lingo
-High level
description
of her
experience
- Super
clear
takeaway
for the
reader
24
For perspective, here is a LinkedIn
summary that misses the opportunity
Bad LinkedIn Summary
(This is a 1st Year U Michigan MBA student profile)
Accomplished professional with solid experiences in strategic analysis,
product marketing and supply chain management in the electronics
industry; seeks continuous challenges and incremental business
responsibilities.
• Organized and self-motivated with strong skills in problem solving,
quantitative analysis, communication, teamwork, and interpersonal
relationship management.
• Multi-lingual individual with sensitivity to cultural differences and proven
track records in developing businesses in overseas markets including
China, India and Japan.
What is
missing:
- No
function
specific
lingo
-No clear
description
of past
experience
-Unclear
what the
reader
should takeaway
25
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?
 Actively use LinkedIn to find contacts and reach out to them
 Join as many relevant groups as possible including: Carnegie Mellon, Tepper, MSCF,
prior firms, your undergraduate, your city, your function, your target company names.
Then check in regularly to see what is being discussed, what the update is, what the
latest “connection or group updates” are, etc. You may find an opportunity to chime in
or a contact name.
 Use the “Search” feature to find contacts. Search based on:
o Your current company list
o Former work places
o Former colleagues’ names (even if you have been out of touch)
o Your desired function (Private Equity, Trading, etc)
 When you “Invite ___ to join your network,” do not use the generic message that
LinkedIn automatically generates. Instead, write in the email: 1) how you are
connected to the person 2) explain that you are networking and 3) tell them you are
looking for advice.
 Some people are more willing to let outsiders join their networks than others. So, you
should try to connect to PYDK via building connections (which LinkedIn shows you) vs
randomly emailing them. However, you never know when you may get lucky with
a random email.
26
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?
 Actively use Facebook to find contacts and reach out to
them
 Look at all your friends’ friends to see if any of them provide clues as to how
they may be helpful to your job search.
 Email all your friends and tell them what you are doing; ask if they can be
helpful
 Write on your own or your friend’s wall, “Do you know anyone who works at
Microsoft?” and see if you get any replies
 BE PROFESSIONAL! Do not post questionable pictures, comments, etc.
Employers DO look! (see appendix for specifics)
LinkedIn is much more of a
business-only tool than Facebook
(which seems to be 100% social). So,
focus your efforts on LinkedIn and
use Facebook opportunistically
(walls, emails to friends, etc.)
27
One important thought about
Facebook
 Again….Be meticulous about your record
keeping.
 Be careful to accurately record interactions
including making note of when a PYDK
becomes a PYK
28
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?
 Again….Be meticulous about your record
keeping.
 Be careful to accurately record interactions
including making note of when a PYDK
becomes a PYK
29
Reminders of other ways to “Be
ubiquitous” (previously discussed)
 If your target companies cluster geographically, find contacts and then
go and meet them in person…go there!
 Join any/all professional groups and attend meetings
 Tap into all of your current networks (everything from your
undergraduate network to your extended family).
 Look at the first year class and second year class resume books so that
you can see if any of your classmates worked at one of your target
companies prior to coming to Tepper.
 Go the extra mile and look at last year’s graduating class resume book.
If you find someone who worked at one of your target companies, ask all
the 2nd years if they know that person or keep in touch.
 Try 3 times to connect with a contact (via email or phone) before moving
on. If they haven’t responded after 3 times, they are probably not willing
to help. Note that either email or phone is appropriate for a first contact.
There is no “right” outreach protocol.
30
Close up on #4: Reach broadly
 There are two camps of people (PYK and PYDK).
These comprise all of your potential contacts.
 You already have a network in place (PYK) …reach out to them!
 Your goal is to grow the network via every possible avenue
Implication for you (and we can’t say it enough):
Tell everyone (PYK) about your networking efforts
and what you are trying to accomplish!
31
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?
 Investigate and broaden your network with help from Hunt library
In order to …
Get quick biographies on 1.4 million
people (at various professional levels)
Use…
 Marquis Who’s Who- can also create lists by many
criteria (occupation, location, college, special
interest, etc.)
Find lists of executives for your target
companies and contact information
 Leadership Directories- for major companies
(includes email)
 Venture Xpert – major players at VC/PE firms and
also at the companies they acquire)
See who is in the news at a target
company
 LexisNexis Academic – do a “People” search
 ProQuest – only database that includes the WSJ
Find many other resources for job
searching
 The Tepper Job Search @ the Library
 Questions? Contact Roye Werner at Hunt Library:
412-268-2453 or rwerner@andrew.cmu.edu
If you’re off campus, to use databases you’ll need to
connect via the VPN
32
How does this look in real life with
People You Don’t Know (PYDK)?
 Use LinkedIn and Facebook and others like them
(see pages 23-27).
33
Close up on #5: Remember that you are always selling
yourself…..don’t waste time asking a bunch of
questions…get to what you’re offering
Remember that you are selling your brand so
every interaction matters.
34
How does this look in real life with
PYK and PYDK?
 Frame your conversations/emails in terms of what you can do for Company X, not
why you would like to work at Co. X. Remember that it is about what you can do for
them…not what is in it for you.
 DON’T: “I want to work at Company X is because it is the leader, most
innovative, smart, etc.” Company X already knows this and will not be
impressed by your compliments.
 DO: “Based on my research, I think my background as a problem solver and
team player as well as my passion for _________, will allow me to come in and
hit the ground running at Co. X.”
 If/when you meet/talk, use the opportunity to sell yourself AS you pose questions
about the company. Remember, you are looking for “advice.”
 DON’T: Ask impossible-to-answer questions like, “What is the company’s new
product strategy for the upcoming year….?”
 DO: Use your company research to highlight your selling points. For example, “I
see that Company X is on a new product introduction streak. Should I be
focusing efforts talking about my new product launch experience? In the past
I….”
35
Close up on #6: Be likeable
No one is going to help you if they don’t like
you…especially in this economy when people
are worried about their own jobs.
36
How does this look in real life with
PYK and PYDK?
Say/Write “please” and “thank you.” If
you don’t, then the whole Tepper
community (present and future) looks
bad.
A real life example follows
37
Letter received by COC from an Alum
(Jan 2009)
Hey COC counselor - How are you? How is it going?
I wanted to raise an issue with you that is somewhat concerning to me:
I have recently been contacted by a few of the students who have received second rounds with Company ABC asking me
for help & I have spent some time and effort giving them tips and locating people who work in the specific product groups
that will interview them. In all of these cases I have not received one reply thanking me for my help. This is concerning to
me not because I care about the thank you's - but more because these people are probably acting the same way with
people they don't even know who are not committed to them or maybe even to Tepper in any way.
Just to give you an example:
A person sends me an email saying they are interviewing with group X asking for help. I send them a very elaborate 2
page email giving general tips, telling what I know about group X and saying that I will try and find someone who works in
group X to connect them to. I get no reply to the email. A few days later I find someone who agrees to talk with them and
I make the connection. Again no reply (not even a confirmation of receipt). A few days later, the student sends me
another mail saying that this person I found for them did not reply to their email - could I find someone else? I give the
contact person a call and he says that he was sick and asks that they contact him again. I send the student an email
asking them to contact the person again. Again - no reply. This is very strange to me - when I was looking for a job - I
was so grateful to anyone who was willing to spend 5 minutes to help me... I see it as a matter of basic
manners (and you know me - I'm not this formal guy) – I also found that showing gratitude
makes these people prone to spend more time helping you if needed.
Moreover these contacts in the product groups that are going to interview the students can help the
student if they are impressed with them by saying a good word to the interviewer, OR do the
opposite if they are offended by their manners...
I am sure that some people will be really offended by this and not feel like helping these people again.
38
How does this look in real life with
PYK and PYDK?
Keep it short … enough said
39
Part Three
Discussion and Q&A
Here is where you can add your ideas
40
What else?
 Do you have any advice to give other
students in order to help their networking
efforts?
 Was there anything missing in this
presentation that we need to include in order
to help with your networking efforts?
 Do you have any other questions or
comments?
41
Part Four
Appendix
1. Getting started with the networking tools here at Tepper
2. Article from NYT about using privacy settings on Facebook
42
Start networking with COMPASS
 Find Tepper Alums/friends of Tepper via COMPASS:
 https://alumni2.tepper.cmu.edu/compass/Login.aspx
 Look in green Quick Link box on COC home page; listed
as Tepper Alumni Database
 You can search for alums by People or Company
 Name
 Alum chapter
 Geography
 Advanced
But….
43
The most efficient way to search is
via “Advanced” (first hit “People”)
 Go to People
 Go to Advanced
 Degree year
 Level (MBA, PhD)
 Job function
 Title
 Alum Chapter (use for broader reach vs. “Geography” or “Zip code”)
 Company (Type in first few letters or words for list to appear)
 Industry (Type in first few letters or words for list to appear)
 Status as “Recruiter” or “Corporate Presenter”
 Note that the issue we face with COMPASS is that the data has not been
100% vetted and the interface is evolving.
44
Or, here is what Alumni Relations
recommends:
Visit www.tepper.cmu.edu/alumnidirectory and click on the link “Forgot
Password”
A screen opens asking for your email address and to fill out the
reCaptcha form.
If you enter an email address that Compass recognizes, then you are
sent a link to follow in order to set your own own password.
 If Compass does not recognize your email, you are given the TepperAlumni@andrew.cmu.edu email to contact for assistance. We monitor
that email address daily and will answer any questions/requests then.
For Carnegie Mellon, any alum can log in or register if they have not all
ready. For questions, the main CMU alumni phone number is 800226-8258.
45
CMU resources are also available
 Find CMU Alums/friends of the university via
http://www.cmu.edu/alumni/index.html
 Get your Personal Access Code (PAC) through the Alumni office (J.
French or G. Weems janicef@andrew.cmu.edu or
weems@andrew.cmu.edu
 Hit Current Students on the left
 Hit Online Community link (in the middle of the page, part of text).
This will take you to a page labeled Connect which provides links to to
other networking channels including:
 Carnegie Mellon on Facebook
 Carnegie Mellon's LinkedIn page
 Carnegie Mellon's YouTube channel
46
Here is the Connect page from
the All-CMU Alumni site
Connect
Carnegie Mellon offers a number of tools to help alumni connect with the university, each other and current students—including
our own online community, the Carnegie Mellon LinkedIn Network and our channels on social networking sites like YouTube
and Facebook.
Find and Contact Classmates
• Search the alumni directory
• Sign up for a you@alumni.cmu.edu email forwarding account
• Become a Carnegie Mellon Fan on Facebook
Catch Up On and Discuss the Latest News from Fellow Alumni
• Read and submit Class Notes online
Go to
Network to Advance Your Career
• Connect through Career Networking
• Connect via Carnegie Mellon LinkedIn Network
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47
Words of Wisdom from the NYT
BASICS On Networking Sites, Learning How Not to Share
By RIVA RICHMOND
YOUR boss saw pictures of you drunk at last Saturday’s party. An old flame found out you’re seeing someone else. The nosy
neighbor discovered you were laid off.
These and many other uncomfortable scenes are repeated daily on social networking sites, where millions of people now gather to
share the details of their lives with, well, practically anyone they’ve ever known — and quite a few people they don’t know at
all.
Like well-behaved kindergartners, we love to share. And Web sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn have grown hugely
popular by making sharing bigger, faster, easier and awfully fun. With so many people participating — 35 percent of Internet
users in the United States aged 18 or over now use an online social network, according to a December survey by the Pew
Internet Project — life on these sites can be very rich. Yet, evidence of your nocturnal exploits, ill-considered comments and
business secrets can also go global in an instant.
Much of the danger lies in the fact that, increasingly, our “friends” on social networking sites are actually a mix of people —
friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues — with whom we would normally share only a piece of our lives.
The good news is that the sites, eager to prevent jittery users from scaling back what they share, have been busily adding features to
give us more control over our information. These privacy settings are not always easy to find and use, and they can get
downright complicated. But if you think before you post and put the privacy settings to work, you can socialize and network in
the way that is comfortable for you, with less worry about mishaps.
The first decision is whether to make your profile publicly available or to keep it more private. More than a third of adult users
allow all comers to see their profiles, while 60 percent restrict access in some way, according to the Pew survey. Here, it’s
helpful to consider your goals. Do you simply want to connect with the friends you already know? Or are you looking to make
new friends or cultivate business contacts?
All the big social sites give you control over public accessibility, but each starts at a different place on the public-private continuum.
The full profiles of MySpace users aged 18 and over are available to everyone on the Internet by default. Users can make their
profiles private fairly easily, but the onus is on them to do so. Go to “Account Settings,” then “Privacy Settings,” then “Change
Settings,” then “Who Can View My Profile.” From there, you can customize who gets to see what.
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Words of Wisdom from the NYT
(continued)
On Facebook, the default is a private profile — users decide how far to open the door. You can choose to limit admittance
to friends or allow in members of your “networks,” which may include people who went to the same school, work at
the same company or even live in the same city or country. To make adjustments, go to the “Settings” tab, select
“Privacy Settings,” and work your way through the options there.
Facebook has long allowed users to create more circumspect “limited profiles” for less-close friends. But about a year ago
it expanded that notion and enabled users to create many “friend lists” — one for college buddies, another for work
friends, another for family — and control the information they share with each. This makes it possible to distribute
party photos with only our best friends, and family reunion photos with just your family.
If you’re looking to keep a low profile on Facebook, it would also be a good idea to look at the “Applications” section in
Privacy Settings. Just because you have shielded parts of your profile doesn’t mean you have done the same for
Facebook applications that have access to much of the same data by default.
On LinkedIn, which is used for professional networking primarily, most people want public profiles, and that’s the default.
The information LinkedIn users share tends to be professional credentials, not details of their social lives, so there’s
less need for privacy. “You should think of LinkedIn as your safe self for the public world,” spokeswoman Kay Lau
says.
But LinkedIn users will still want to be careful what they divulge. James J. Talerico, Jr., an independent business
consultant based in Dallas, uses the site heavily to network with potential clients looking for financing and investors
interested in projects so he can match them. He recently changed his settings to conceal his list of nearly 2,000
contacts, after noticing that a competitor viewed his profile. (Click on “Account & Settings” from your homepage,
then scroll down to adjust the privacy settings.)
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Words of Wisdom from the NYT
(continued)
“There are so many opportunities with social networking now that they outweigh the potential risk,” Mr. Talerico
says. But as in offline business settings, “you have to be cautious and you have to set those boundaries.”
Whether your profile is public or private, for security reasons, it’s a good idea to avoid posting your home address,
phone numbers and other data that could help identity thieves defraud you — including details like your mother’s
maiden name. Even if your profile is private, there’s little to stop your online contacts from copying and sharing your
data with others. So it’s a good rule of thumb to avoid posting pictures or confessions that would humiliate you or a
friend if they reached the wider world, because they very well could.
One of the best-known cautionary tales in this regard is the one about the tipsy Tinker Bell. Last Halloween, a young
intern at a bank reportedly e-mailed his bosses begging off work the next day for an implied emergency trip home to
New York. Co-workers saw a picture of him on Facebook the next day in a sprite costume with a wand in one hand
and a beer in the other. His boss e-mailed the shot to the intern and blind-copied the entire office. Within hours, the
photo and e-mail messages were splashed on a popular blog and around the Internet. (You can see the whole story on
Gawker at tinyurl.com/db9t2o.)
Maia Gilman, a freelance architectural designer in the New York area, considers carefully everything she posts on
Facebook, avoiding negative comments about anyone she knows and regulating the political views she expresses.
Ms. Gilman is also careful about posting photos of her two sons and has asked babysitters not to post any at all. As a
self-employed person, “everywhere I go I’m meeting a prospective client,” she says. “You put your best foot forward
because you don’t know who you’ll meet.”
The reality of online socializing is not all that different from actual socializing. Amanda Lenhart, a researcher at the
Pew Internet Project may have put it best. “We are different people with different people,” she said.
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