Hello Cashier! Oh, can I get the Facebook discount?

Social media is everywhere.  Literally everywhere! If you aren’t on Facebook you’ll probably finding yourself feeling a bit like Greg via Meet the Parents: outside the circle of trust. Ok, well maybe trust is going a bit far, but you’re very likely out of the loop. What started out as a thing for college kids and then teenagers has blossomed into a massive social networking platform where kids and adults alike have profiles and interact instantly from all over the world. Even Grammy and Gramps have hopped on the social networking train with as much as 32% of internet users aged 65 and older having a Facebook or other social networking account. Despite the minimum age requirement of 13 years old, as many as 38% of adolescents on Facebook are younger than the minimum required age. Around 4% (or 800,000 users) are reportedly under 6 years old! Facebook appeals to all ages. Being such a powerful communication tool it’s no surprise that Facebook has gone far beyond its initial days of coordinating sorority parties and discretely checking out the other students at your school and “poking” them to flirt in good fun.

Facebook has become a major platform for marketing. As many as 82% of small and medium businesses and 66% of big businesses market on Facebook.  25% are using Twitter. There’s a growing push on Pinterest as well (“pin it to win it” contests are an increasingly growing trend). Why are businesses using social networking? What’s in it for them? Social networking allows businesses an instant and direct link to their customers like no other advertising method has before.  Particularly for big businesses with corporate offices outside of the small town environment that kind of communication is huge. I'm a 20 something mom of 3 and the first place I turn when I want to get more information about a business is Facebook. I get all kinds of information from there. Several local businesses do special discounts for "likers" on their Facebook page. Just mention that you're a

fan! When I used to have a question about a product I'd have to seek out a businesses website and find their contact tab to submit a form and wait what seemed like forever for a response. Now I just find their Facebook page. It seems with the transparent nature of Facebook communications that businesses take customer service there more seriously. The whole world can see the issue or question posted and see how you respond to it. Facebook customer service can make or break a company. I usually get helpful responses within a few hours when I post a question to a company's Facebook wall. The social interaction benefits business and consumer alike.

Have you ever seen a sign like this
posted on the window of
a local business?

Many people take a very casual approach to social media and networking. That may not be the best idea anymore. Many businesses are now using a form of social media background check. Yep, you read that right... SOCIAL MEDIA background check! Still have some old photos from college lingering on your Facebook profile? You might consider deleting them or locking down the privacy settings (there is an "only me" option that would keep your photo stored on Facebook without it being viewable to anyone else). Potential employers are looking straight to social media as a character witness to potential employees. Just about anything could be a red flag to an employer, even your friends and their transgressions! The business of internet background checks is actually becoming a real business. One company out of Santa Barbara, California actually specializes in doing the dirty work of investigating potential employees and providing the report to employers.

This photo could be a huge waving red
flag to a potential employer.

Ever made a comment you thought to be funny on a fan page? Ever vented your frustrations about a negative experience with a business in a less than flattering way on their public Facebook wall? All of those things are tied to your name and will likely come up in a search. If you're looking to enter the world of big kid jobs (Taco Bell probably need not apply) you should take a look at your online presence. Start cleaning house and removing anything that might be a red flag to employers (there's even ways to remove data from Google!).

Have you ever had social networking impact your life in a negative way? How about a positive way?

and finally, our Sunday Funday ;)

Resources courtesy of:

http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2013/PIP_SocialMediaUsers.pdf

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/38-of-kids-on-facebook-are-under-the-minimum-age-of-13/11745

http://streetfightmag.com/2013/03/29/study-82-of-smbs-use-facebook-for-marketing-25-use-twitter/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/224386

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/job-tweets-background-checks-employers-now-include-postings/story?id=13908874