When worlds collide

I’ve had a number of conversations recently where people have asked whether or not they should keep separate social networks for friends (ie Facebook) and professional contacts (ie LinkedIn or Plaxo). However quaint (I borrowed that term from my colleague and lifestyle blogger Limeduck), the reality is that world do collide. While it is easy to ignore that Facebook friend request from that dude you hung out with at middle school band camp, what do you do when your boss friends you?

There is no easy answer to that question.  I am not much of a Facebooker and not inclined to oversharing (what, you don’t want to hear about my kid’s latest temper tantrum) so I really don’t worry much about worlds colliding.  The truth is that you really can’t keep your “worlds” separate.  As George Constanza learned on Seinfeld you can’t keep “Relationship George” and “Independent George’s” worlds from colliding.  My advice is to embrace it.

So here are my tips to avoid the discomfort when worlds collide:

• Think before you friend – Do you really want to reconnect with this person?  How well did you know them in the first place?
• Less is more – I know that you like to share but oversharing may come back to haunt you one day.  Needless to say I am glad there was no Facebook to document my college years.
• Understand you are in public place – Join the conversation but understand that others are listening.

And finally have some fun and stay tangy.