I can see what Ashutosh means, though, that not everyone wishes to be as visible as you are online. I was just recently discussing this very subject with a friend who also prefers not to put her name out there in the blogosphere for all to see. I think it really depends on what you are searching to get in return by putting yourself out there on the net. Like you said, though, no matter how you choose to use the net to interact with co-workers, friends, or total strangers, it is important to be conscious of the fact that everything you write is available for all to see.

I have made a mistake by adding one or two of my professional colleagues on my facebook account which i will rectify when I change jobs now.

It’s hard to express yourself freely when you have your professional colleagues on your facebook. imagine this, i have my juniors as my friends on facebook, i give out a rant that i need to introspect what I am doing. it will send a signal i am uncomfortable in my job and they will get jittery.

I don;t want to be “correct” in my expressions with my friends, i want to be me.

Great post. I have realized that while I would like separate personal and professional accounts for Twitter, social networking sites and blogs, I agree with Amber that they can be the same. From an administrative perspective it’s cumbersome to maintain and grow separate user accounts. I have a personal Twitter account and a business twitter account. However, as I add more companies it is unlikely that I will add more Twitter accounts. My blog is essentially a business blog. Any business that I do will pretty much have a focus that is evident in my blog. So, in my case my blog is a “one to many relationship” where one blog can refer to multiple companies.

You’re right about control of what you self-publish as well as your responsibility to monitor what others publish. But monitoring and controlling are different, and one can’t always prevent negative tweets or hide all the Facebook photos (tagged or not).

And while we all edit or filter ourselves, it’s often a matter of publishing content for certain audiences. People read a blog or follow tweets because the subject or writer interests them; having more than one blog or Twitter account can be as much about content as personal vs. professional.

Good post, off to balance my act.

I have found though, that having 2 Facebook profiles has helped in my own time management. Here’s how: I have many FB friends who are old friends I don’t keep in touch with or see very often, acquaintances, colleagues, etc. I have one profile I maintain with these friends. I have another profile, with far fewer FB friends – who are actually my close frends and family offline. This way, I can keep up with them in a meaningful way.

Whether you look at it as time management or relationship management, it works for me!