Worlds Have Collided

My old industry friend Len Muscarella has a bit of a grumble in his latest Interactive Media Associates newsletter about the increasing use of Facebook for networking by business colleagues.

Len was one of the pioneers of online media, having been one of the early executives at Prodigy, which in the early 1990s was one of the first and most cutting edge consumer online services. I worked with Len at Newsday when we brought him in to help us launch our own service on the Prodigy network. Len has seen more trends in his career then most of us ever will.

I understand where Len is coming from, but I think the cat is out of the bag on this one. The days are over when we could compartmentalize our business and personal lives, as if they were separate personae.

(I can't help but recall the Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza's fiancé meets his friends for the first time. "Worlds have collided!!" he shrieks.)

In today's world it's all out there, if we choose to use these services. And if we don't, we're left behind. So we've got to put it out there.

That's why I know that last night a leading venture capitalist went to a particular concert, or that a prospective employee recently had a new baby.

For some people this might be too much, and it does take some getting used to at first. But actually, it's not so bad to know you're doing business with a real person, with their highs and lows, joys and heartaches -- rather than an empty suit.

Now this doesn't mean that we must lose control of our public image. If you post photos on Facebook of yourself incomprehensibly drunk, or leering at members of the opposite sex -- well then you're stupid. Or maybe that's you. And maybe people will not want to do business with that person.

But if you want people to know who you really are, and what excites and inspires you, or where you come from, then Facebook is a great place to do it. You might find some common ground that you didn't know existed. You'll be human. And after all, we're all humans doing business with other humans.