I must share an experience I had with LinkedIn. I consider this to be a professional website, one that’s used by corporations around the world. It doesn’t have the same feel/tone as MySpace, Facebook, and other social media websites which can be used to find a date or long-term relationship. With that said, be cautious when you ‘connect’ with people because it may be more trouble than you think. They misinterpret or internalize conservations/information.
I ‘connected’ with a man who’s in one of my writers group. He seemed interesting, and I was fascinated that he’s a foreigner. Travel writing is one of my specialties, so naturally I was interested in hearing about his experience as a foreigner in the U.S. I was also interested in learning more about his country of origin. Unfortunately, I believe he misinterpreted my interest as something else. He kept emailing me but I ignored the emails, hoping he’d get the message. I didn’t hear from him so I thought he received the message loud and clear. Wrong! He recently emailed me and invited me to visit him. I found this to be very creepy since I felt I didn’t communicate any ‘romantic’ interest. I sent him an email apologizing for any confusion and removed him from my contact list.
My experience is great lesson in The Art of Communication. While you can’t read peoples’ minds, you must be careful when you communicate with them, especially if they’re not from your country of origin. When you use social media websites to promote your business and someone contacts you, make sure they know you mean ‘business’ and are not looking for a romantic relationship. Some people are not as socially adept or advanced as you may be. And, cultures are different. Social cues can be missed if you’re not careful.
If you use social media websites to promote your freelance writing or other business, make sure you connect with people who are there to do the same. Certain websites such as LinkedIn are usually not used to find a date or partner. However, if you should happen to fall in love while conducting business, more power you! Be careful when you social media to promote your business. You never really know who you’re connecting with!
Rebecca