I Look So Much Better on Facebook!

Illustration by Koren Shadmi, New York Times

I have to admit, I am very conscious of what I put on Facebook. I scrutinize over what my profile picture, what book I am currently reading, and what my interests say about me as a person. In fact, I think we have all overheard, or perhaps said it ourselves, that a certain someone looks better on ____insert social networking site here____ than in person. Do we pay too much attention to our online profiles or not enough?

We know first impressions can be the most lasting, and in today’s world, you may be unaware of the first impression you are making on a potential friend, professor or even employer; because instead of meeting face-to-face, they are meeting you in a virtual world. Today, you can simply look someone up on Google, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter…the list goes on. Are you aware of what your virtual self says to the world?

This piece ran in the New York Times, and I think it sheds some interesting light on social networking groups and how we present ourselves. Below I have listed some more professional sites, that may be of interest to you now or after graduation.

• As if you needed another network to belong to, it may be worth your while to join LinkedIn, a professional networking site where your profile is basically your resume and instead of friends you have contacts. Contacts can highly recommend you and speak to your work ethics and also introduce you to potential employers. Additionally, LinkedIn also has a job center.

• Finally, Ava Living touts itself as the premier interior design social networking site. You can check out “inspiration of the day” while also looking at other designer’s work.

Things to consider:

How many of you plan on changing your profiles after graduation? If you are a professional, do you take into account a a potential employee’s online profile?