Why are you LINKED? (WEEK 4 - COM 125)

I am not a fan or member of Facebook, Twitter or even Myspace. I simply find it superficial and too troublesome to upkeep. Moreover, I think it is a waste of time updating people on every single thing that happens (twitter) or daily events (Facebook). This leads me to mention about the displacement hypothesis reaction whereby spending hours on Facebook “stalking” people or uploading pictures will take time off some other more productive or healthy activity. Sometimes, we add people who we don’t even know, which can lead to various unwanted consequences too.



Worst still, it might minimize your chances of getting a job or even cost you your rice bowl via pictures of even comments. Here are some facebook faux pas that we should be aware of. Also, I find it very childish updating your personal status. Do you really have to tell the world if things are really “complicated” in your life?

There is nothing more "complicated" than Facebook itself

More importantly, I agree that Facebook is a good way to keep in touch with friends from overseas but I do not think it is necessary for trivial use in Singapore. Having said that, I believe that the more important thing is how you use social networking cites. In a recent study at the Ohio State University, a positive correlation was discovered between Facebook usage and academic grades! However, the study suffered major criticism due to various methodological flaws.

This leads me to move on towards a more useful and professional social networking site which I might submit to in the future, LinkedIn. The video will help you understand how this simple social networking site functions.



The usefulness of LinkedIn is integral for businesses, in particular for the individual businessman. A registered user can maintain a list of contacts that they know and trust. More importantly, it is a way or marketing yourself to your various others via your immediate connections.

This is particularly helpful if you’re seeking a better job, offering freelance services or simply maintaining positive relationships with others to increase your business and social circle. Additionally, job seekers can look up the profiles of potential managers and get a brief overview of the company before deciding whether to apply for a job there or not. It provides information about whether the company’s culture or protocols are aligned with the job seekers personality. Indirectly, it places the job seeker in a “head-hunting” position.

LinkedIN application

More importantly, this site helps the user become more productive and acknowledge the correct “paths” to take to accomplish their goals. As highlighted in the video, it may not be the lack of connections we have but instead, it is our ignorance that prevents us from finding and locating the other contacts linked to our immediate connections.

Another interesting feature of LinkedIn is LinkedIn Groups. Users can search for various groups that share similar profession or interest about a certain industry. They can discuss about various topics and this provides an excellent way to further increase or enhance business relationships. Hence i believe that the value obtained from social networking sites is based on how one uses it. In other words, WHY are you linked? There are various pros and cons of these sites. What do you think Mr Choy?