Chatting with a client this week who works in Higher Education, we got onto the subject of Social Media. He was commenting on how easy it is for people to get themselves into hot water when putting information out into the public domain. It prompted me to think about my own use of online Social Media as well as that of my contacts and clients.

Generally speaking, our preferences are no doubt shaped by our influencers and the environment in which we grew up. I’d certainly describe younger clients as technophiles. Not only are they entirely comfortable using new technology and computerisation, they use it authentically because for them, it is the most natural way to communicate.

There isn’t much room for technophobia in the workplace these days. It’s forced upon us to some extent and I think that’s where people can get into difficulty. We may not be aware of the way a particular platform works or we might simply forget that what we say is potentially visible to a wider audience.

My approach is to be techno-selective. I’d much rather pick up the phone or meet you face-to-face and yet I appreciate that isn’t always practical, or appropriate. So I choose the forms of online media I am willing to engage in and happily discard (or delegate) the rest. That way I can remain authentic in my communications with people, regardless of the medium I am using.

Anyone for coffee?