Do you just want to be Facebook friends?

Note: Following is a monthly client letter distributed via email earlier today.

Dear Clients and Colleagues:
As the world now seems to revolve around the newly public enterprise called Facebook instead of the sun, it's virtually impossible not to pose a question that deserves a better answer (see subject line.) First some trademark perspective.

The social media universe has now come full circle. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or LinkedIn, everyone is on their chosen channel(s,) but few if anyone married over the age of the 30 can encapsulate its value. The attitude has generally been since everyone else is doing it so there must be something worth exploring. Short of a few uprisings in the Middle East and other breaking news moments such as the recent same day retirement of Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood, the channels' ability to make a difference remains open to wide interpretation.

Take this down to a sliver called the executive marketplace and the playing field gets pretty clear pretty fast. High ranking executives have lost their jobs as a result of bad Twitter feeds (see http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/05/cfo-fired-for-boring-twitter-blog-and-facebook.html) while others such as Whole Foods CEO John Mackey Foods have gotten into trouble making inappropriate comments when weighed against their special interests. Couple that with major advertisers such as General Motors pulling Facebook ad dollars, and there's a "show me the value" mentality now emerging among decision-makers despite what personal usage metrics may indicate.

The real point here, however, lies in the cracks. Call it the bad social irony of social media. While the tools can obviously broaden networks and enrich thought horizons, the spread also has had the opposite effect. It's now quite acceptable to ignore people who actually call you, or worse yet, ignore the call while vice versa turning to a kinder, more passive LinkedIn profile for caller background. And I'm not talking about strangers -- quite to the contrary, people who actually know each other or have expressed a desire to help, do business with and/or be in real relationship as opposed to on-line pen pals.

Here's the requested call to action: If you want to simply be Facebook friends then state your case. There's nothing wrong with that intention; in fact, in most cases, it may be the right path. However, if you're a leader and you really want to build, develop and maintain relationships because that's one of your primary responsibilities, then don't fall into this trap. It's a dead zone of artificiality, avarice and laziness that quite frankly is no longer acceptable. Socially, business or otherwise. Last time anyone checked, clicks weren't the same as calls. Or at least not yet.

Happy social media-ing,

JG

Jeremy Garlington
Point of View, LLC
Five Concourse Pkwy./Suite 2850
Atlanta, GA 30328
Web log: "The Garlington Report (TGR)": www.povblogger.blogspot.com -- "Why do CEOs lie on resumes? Hint: Because they can."
Phone: 404-606-0637
Email: garlingtons@msn (primary); jgarlington@pointofviewllc.com (consultancy)