Points of Life Converge on FaceBook

My life seems to have a range of “phases”, and segments. At this time, there is family, church, and business. The way people see me in each of those roles can be widely different.

Family and church has always overlapped and blended well. Family and business have always had a little overlap, but not as much. And the way my business associates view me is probably quite different than how my grown kids see me.

I got on FaceBook largely for professional reasons. I use it primarily as a business tool. So my first associates there were those that I had known online in other capacities.

Then some of my family found me… ok. So now we have extended family and my business associates being exposed to one another. Hmmm. Some interesting dynamics there, especially since most of my extended family really has NO idea of what I really do, or that I even have a professional reputation.

Then some of my church friends found me. Ok again. But it makes for an interesting mix – again, most of them really don’t understand what we do in business, or how we do business. The parts of my life that have normally been separate are beginning to intersect on FaceBook in a way I had not anticipated.

Then highschool friends started finding me. Hmmm. Even more interesting. Highschool was a LONG time ago. I was a very different person then in many ways (though those who don’t know me will think not much has changed). Some people from highschool are not necessarily people I WANT to find or associate with. Now people I’d lost contact with are thrown in with people whom I associate with for other reasons.

I think this is the only place in my life where all of those different facets of relationships come together like that. It isn’t something that would happen through the normal course of life. And I’m not sure whether it is a good thing, or just a disconcerting thing.

For sure, it means that you can’t maintain more than one persona. You have to be more consistent in the person you present to the world. Being duplicitous is likely to backfire. I have always tried to just be myself in networking, so that comes easy. But I can see that for some people, this convergence could present some awkward intersections of parts of their lives which they might want to keep separate.

I don’t know that I have a conclusion about this, more of just an observation that something unexpected happened. Most of my networking venues are geared toward business, but FaceBook covers the spectrum. That means that all areas of your life and relationships may eventually intersect there. And for some people, it might present some interesting outcomes!