Dell

These days, most folks start their day by firing up the computer and going straight to their online buddies—the social network, with all of their online pals ready and waiting for them to spill the beans on the ups and downs of their day that lies ahead. For them, it is the highlight of their day because filling everyone in on the details of their professional life is just exciting and interesting (at least they hope!). 

But before they go and spill all the beans about what’s going on in their life, every business owner or entrepreneur should ask themselves, "Does anyone care? Am I saying too much about myself or the way I conduct business with others?” 

Consider whether all of their daily “tweets” on Twitter or status updates on Facebook could make people find them untrustworthy instead of enthusiastic. We have all heard the stories of online escapades leading to professional disaster. But what of those business owners who successfully blend business and personal life in a social networking context? 

“An entrepreneur, almost by definition, is most passionate about her company, product or idea," says Armen Berjikly, founder and CEO of ExperienceProject.com, the world’s largest social forum for anonymously sharing life experiences.  

Business owners who would never think of divulging sensitive business information online, might instead make the mistake of over-sharing trivial details. "I feel very comfortable mixing in business highlights with my Facebook status, with the important caveat that I not send so many updates that I wear out my welcome,” says Berjikly. “To divorce your personal life from your business life is simply not feasible,” she continues. “Traditional social networks, like MySpace and Facebook are designed primarily to do one thing: disseminate the minute details of your life to distant connections.” Applying this practice to business information, however, might not be advisable.  

So when is it good to draw the line? Here is a quick list of DON’Ts: 

• Don’t overshare personal information.
• Don’t post too often, desensitizing or annoy your audience.
• Don’t leak sensitive business data that isn’t publicly available.  

Thank goodness for social networking fans, there are also some DOs: 

• Do mix it up: Customers and colleagues who see your softer side are likely to feel better about doing business with you. Include updates on your family or weekend plans. Upload video of your last vacation or pictures from a birthday party. The best use of social networks is to build deeper bonds with people you might otherwise have little opportunity to know.  
• Do send personal messages: Reaching out to individual customers and colleagues to wish them a happy birthday or send a get well soon message is a good idea. Social networks give business owners the opportunity to interact with their business networks, building a layer of personal connection that would be difficult otherwise.  
• Make it relatable: Social networks were designed to keep people connected. If you are going to write about your professional life, make your ups and down relatable to other people's lives. Posing questions and asking for input or comments can be a great way to keep people involved with your social networking profile.  
• Make it business: Don’t forget to take advantage of the benefits to your business—giving your hours of operation, phone number, location and contact info as well as inviting people to events are made easy with most social networking tools. Be sure to upload your logo and photos of your business location. Your friends will be supportive and your customers will always know where to find you.