Should You Be on Facebook?

Social-networking sites are all but putting business-card printers out of business. Instead of trading a 3.5 x 2-inch piece of paper, people are trading names and tracking one another down on sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. While LinkedIn has a decidedly professional bent, Facebook can be a much more intimate look into one’s personal life and inner circle of friends. Still, a lot of folks are on Facebook and use it as a professional networking tool. But is it right for you?

Because Facebook makes it easy to blur the lines between the professional and personal, most experts caution against this, unless, perhaps, you work in the entertainment industry. “When you think about Facebook and other social-networking sites, you have got to think about these profiles as an addendum to your resume,” says Lauren Milligan, founder of ResuMAYDAY.com.
Daisy L. Swan, of Daisy Swan & Associates, agrees, “Now that there are so many people who are going to be looking for new positions, it’s good to be able to be found — so long as you’re presenting yourself as the professional you want to be.”

Here are some tips to put your best face forward on Facebook:

1. Keep it strictly professional. Career strategist Swan says, “Have a consistent message,” meaning if you’re marketing yourself as a top accountant, make sure your Facebook profile reflects that image. Milligan tells users, “Keep the social aspect separate. I’ve had clients who’ve been way too attached to their Facebook pages and all the personal content on there, but I ask them, ‘What’s your priority? Finding a job or revealing all?’”

2. Mind your status. Your status can be used for more than goofy one-liners. Swan, for instance, shares, “You can use your status to let people know about additional projects you’re working on, which sends a message that you’re more than just what you do at work every day.” Also, if you friend your coworkers on Facebook, make sure you don’t accidentally throw yourself under the bus by revealing you weren’t really sick when you called in sick to work, as one Facebook user learned (see related incident on Shamebox blog).

3. Choose your friends and your groups carefully. Whom you friend and the groups you join are a reflection of who you are. Think through the requests you accept and the company you keep on Facebook as potential employers may take those things into account. One group of Virgin Atlantic employees recently started a Facebook group in which they openly traded insults and complaints about customers and colleagues — and 13 of those workers were fired. Resume and career expert Milligan reminds users, “If you’re an employee, you have to be considered an advocate of your employer at all times.”

4. Mind your identity. Another plus of keeping your privacy settings high or, ideally, keeping your profile strictly professional, is that you’re less likely to divulge personal information that could leave you at risk of identity theft. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s personal email account was famously hacked by someone who successfully guessed the answers to her security questions. Avoid divulging your pets’ names, your mom’s maiden name, and other details that could leave you vulnerable to fraud by including only professional details on any social-networking site.

5. Don’t get sucked in. Swan, whose practice is based in Los Angeles, says, “I’ve been hearing that entrepreneurs are getting a lot of encouragement to be on Facebook and they’re marketing full force that way. But it’s not the be-all, end-all solution for marketing. It may have some value toward your bottom line, but it may not if you’re spending too much time on it. Check your return on investment.”

Milligan adds, “It cannot be your priority. The time you spend on it cannot infringe on your professional life.”

As recruiters and companies look to Facebook as an additional source of finding new talent, it behooves you to at least be familiar with such sites. Swan states, “In terms of new partnerships and for job-search purposes, it can be a great networking tool to let people know about you, and it’s a great way to learn about people and companies and options. Just be sure to use these sites in a savvy manner to your benefit.”

Milligan warns, “If job-search tools will be available, if that is the conduit between you and a job, you’d better be professional.”

Should You Be on Facebook?

Social-networking sites are all but putting business-card printers out of business. Instead of trading a 3.5 x 2-inch piece of paper, people are trading names and tracking one another down on sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. While LinkedIn has a decidedly professional bent, Facebook can be a much more intimate look into one’s personal life and inner circle of friends. Still, a lot of folks are on Facebook and use it as a professional networking tool. But is it right for you?

Because Facebook makes it easy to blur the lines between the professional and personal, most experts caution against this, unless, perhaps, you work in the entertainment industry. “When you think about Facebook and other social-networking sites, you have got to think about these profiles as an addendum to your resume,” says Lauren Milligan, founder of ResuMAYDAY.com.
Daisy L. Swan, of Daisy Swan & Associates, agrees, “Now that there are so many people who are going to be looking for new positions, it’s good to be able to be found — so long as you’re presenting yourself as the professional you want to be.”

Here are some tips to put your best face forward on Facebook:

1. Keep it strictly professional. Career strategist Swan says, “Have a consistent message,” meaning if you’re marketing yourself as a top accountant, make sure your Facebook profile reflects that image. Milligan tells users, “Keep the social aspect separate. I’ve had clients who’ve been way too attached to their Facebook pages and all the personal content on there, but I ask them, ‘What’s your priority? Finding a job or revealing all?’”

2. Mind your status. Your status can be used for more than goofy one-liners. Swan, for instance, shares, “You can use your status to let people know about additional projects you’re working on, which sends a message that you’re more than just what you do at work every day.” Also, if you friend your coworkers on Facebook, make sure you don’t accidentally throw yourself under the bus by revealing you weren’t really sick when you called in sick to work, as one Facebook user learned (see related incident on Shamebox blog).

3. Choose your friends and your groups carefully. Whom you friend and the groups you join are a reflection of who you are. Think through the requests you accept and the company you keep on Facebook as potential employers may take those things into account. One group of Virgin Atlantic employees recently started a Facebook group in which they openly traded insults and complaints about customers and colleagues — and 13 of those workers were fired. Resume and career expert Milligan reminds users, “If you’re an employee, you have to be considered an advocate of your employer at all times.”

4. Mind your identity. Another plus of keeping your privacy settings high or, ideally, keeping your profile strictly professional, is that you’re less likely to divulge personal information that could leave you at risk of identity theft. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s personal email account was famously hacked by someone who successfully guessed the answers to her security questions. Avoid divulging your pets’ names, your mom’s maiden name, and other details that could leave you vulnerable to fraud by including only professional details on any social-networking site.

5. Don’t get sucked in. Swan, whose practice is based in Los Angeles, says, “I’ve been hearing that entrepreneurs are getting a lot of encouragement to be on Facebook and they’re marketing full force that way. But it’s not the be-all, end-all solution for marketing. It may have some value toward your bottom line, but it may not if you’re spending too much time on it. Check your return on investment.”

Milligan adds, “It cannot be your priority. The time you spend on it cannot infringe on your professional life.”

As recruiters and companies look to Facebook as an additional source of finding new talent, it behooves you to at least be familiar with such sites. Swan states, “In terms of new partnerships and for job-search purposes, it can be a great networking tool to let people know about you, and it’s a great way to learn about people and companies and options. Just be sure to use these sites in a savvy manner to your benefit.”

Milligan warns, “If job-search tools will be available, if that is the conduit between you and a job, you’d better be professional.”

Live L O N G E R

We all know the obvious ways to add years to your life: Don’t smoke, eat your veggies, wear a seat belt (even in the backseat). But there are other, lesser-known habits and attributes that can help you live to a ripe old age.
YOU SKIP SODA (EVEN DIET)I finally kicked my diet cola habit in my 20s, a good thing too, because scientists in Boston recently found that drinking one or more regular or diet sodas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome– combination of conditions that increase your chances of heart disease and diabetes. The exact culprit isn’t completely understood, but it could be the caramel color added to colas and other dark sodas, which increased the risk for metabolic syndrome in animals. Experts also speculate that exposing your tastebuds to the sweet fizzy flavor of soda conditions you to crave sugary foods, which can lead to weight gain. Whatever the reason, it’s an easy enough habit to quit. Club soda (sodium free, of course) with a splash of juice satisfies the fizz craving with just enough sweetness. For a good alternative, try Sassy Water.
YOUR LEGS ARE STRONGLower-body strength means you also have good balance, flexibility, and endurance. While you probably care more about how your legs look in a mini and a pair of knee-high boots right now, as you get older those attributes reduce your risk of falls, injuries, and hip fractures, all of which are associated with declining health in older folks. So do some squats, lunges, and stair climbing to look good now– and be strong and healthy later. It’s win-win! Get up to 10 pounds lighter and take 10 years off your body with this workout.
YOUR MOM HAD YOU YOUNGIf she was under age 25, you’re twice as likely to live to age 100 as someone born to an older mom, according to University of Chicago scientists. The reason, they suspect, is that younger moms’ best eggs go first to fertilization, which may mean healthier offspring.
YOU EAT AND DRINK PURPLE THINGSRed wine, concord grapes, blueberries (okay, not quite purple, but close enough) all get that deep rich color from polyphenols- compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may even protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research. So crack open a bottle of Pinot (don’t overdo it), snack on some grapes, or make a blueberry pie and ponder all the years that lie ahead. Talk about happy and healthy! Get healthy with these great recipes.

Live L O N G E R

We all know the obvious ways to add years to your life: Don’t smoke, eat your veggies, wear a seat belt (even in the backseat). But there are other, lesser-known habits and attributes that can help you live to a ripe old age.
YOU SKIP SODA (EVEN DIET)I finally kicked my diet cola habit in my 20s, a good thing too, because scientists in Boston recently found that drinking one or more regular or diet sodas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome– combination of conditions that increase your chances of heart disease and diabetes. The exact culprit isn’t completely understood, but it could be the caramel color added to colas and other dark sodas, which increased the risk for metabolic syndrome in animals. Experts also speculate that exposing your tastebuds to the sweet fizzy flavor of soda conditions you to crave sugary foods, which can lead to weight gain. Whatever the reason, it’s an easy enough habit to quit. Club soda (sodium free, of course) with a splash of juice satisfies the fizz craving with just enough sweetness. For a good alternative, try Sassy Water.
YOUR LEGS ARE STRONGLower-body strength means you also have good balance, flexibility, and endurance. While you probably care more about how your legs look in a mini and a pair of knee-high boots right now, as you get older those attributes reduce your risk of falls, injuries, and hip fractures, all of which are associated with declining health in older folks. So do some squats, lunges, and stair climbing to look good now– and be strong and healthy later. It’s win-win! Get up to 10 pounds lighter and take 10 years off your body with this workout.
YOUR MOM HAD YOU YOUNGIf she was under age 25, you’re twice as likely to live to age 100 as someone born to an older mom, according to University of Chicago scientists. The reason, they suspect, is that younger moms’ best eggs go first to fertilization, which may mean healthier offspring.
YOU EAT AND DRINK PURPLE THINGSRed wine, concord grapes, blueberries (okay, not quite purple, but close enough) all get that deep rich color from polyphenols- compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may even protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research. So crack open a bottle of Pinot (don’t overdo it), snack on some grapes, or make a blueberry pie and ponder all the years that lie ahead. Talk about happy and healthy! Get healthy with these great recipes.

Jobless Indian father kills family, self

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — A man distraught because he could not find work shot and killed his mother-in-law, his wife and three sons and then killed himself inside a home in an upscale San Fernando Valley neighborhood, police said.
Police outside a home where an unemployed father is believed to have killed his sons, wife and mother-in-law.
Authorities said the man had an MBA in finance but appeared to have been unemployed for several months and had worked for major accounting firms, such as Price Waterhouse.
The two-story rented home is in a gated community in Porter Ranch, about 20 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The shootings were discovered after 8:20 a.m. Monday, after a neighbor called police to report that the wife had failed to pick her up to take her to her job at a pharmacy, Deputy Chief of Police Michel Moore said.
Ed Winter, assistant chief from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, identified the suspect as Karthik Rajaram, 45.
Winter said the victims included Rajaram’s mother-in-law, Indra Ramasesham, 69, and his 19-year-old son Krishna Rajaram, a Fulbright Scholar and honor student at UCLA. Watch police say the gunman was “embroiled in a financial crisis” »
Also dead were Rajaram’s wife, 39, Subasari Rajaram, and their two other sons, 12 and 7. Some of the victims had been shot more than once, and their identities were not immediately confirmed, he said.
“Due to the nature of their injuries, it’s been a little difficult,” Winter said, adding that there were no signs of a struggle.
Police first found the mother-in-law shot in her bed in a downstairs bedroom, Moore said.
Upstairs, the couple’s eldest son was shot in the master bedroom; the wife in another bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head; the two younger sons in the bedroom they shared, both shot in the head. The 12-year-old was on the floor and the 7-year-old in bed, Moore said. Watch more on what police had to say about tragedy »
The suspect was also in that bedroom, a gun still in his hand.
The killings are thought to have occurred after 6 p.m. Saturday, when the man was last reported seen, Moore said.
Inside the house, police also found three letters, one to law enforcement acknowledging responsibility for the killings, a second to friends and relatives and a third that appears to be the suspect’s will, Moore said.
“He attests to some financial difficulties, and he takes responsibility for the taking of the lives of his family members and himself as a result of those financial difficulties,” Moore said.
Neighbors, family and friends told police that the suspect, who had not worked for several months, had said in recent days he was having had extreme financial difficulties, Moore said.
One of the letters, intended for friends and marked “personal and confidential,” detailed his financial transactions that resulted in “an unfortunate, downward spiral,” Moore said.
“His narrative is one of talking about this tragedy befalling him and his contemplation of an available exit or solution,” Moore said. “One is taking his own life and the other is taking the lives of his family and himself. … He talked himself into the second strategy, believing that was, in effect, the honorable thing to do.”
Moore said the several-page narrative appeared to have been written over a period of time. “This was something that was not a spur-of-the-moment type of event,” he said.
Moore said it was clear to police that the family members were close and “had an affection for each other.” He said the parents had given up their master bedroom to their eldest — who was spending the weekend home from college — “out of respect.”
“This is a perfect American family behind me that has absolutely been destroyed, apparently because of a man who just got stuck in a rabbit hole, if you will, of absolute despair, somehow working his way into believing this to be an acceptable exit.”
No neighbors reported having heard gunshots, and there was no sign of forced entry at the house, Moore said.
Rajaram was involved in a financial holding company as part owner “at least,” Moore said.
There is no evidence he had had any history of mental difficulties, nor was there an indication he had sought counseling, Moore said.
Neighbor Trish Harrison, who lives three houses from the crime scene, said the family had lived in the community for about a year, but kept to themselves and had little interaction with neighbors. The parents were from India, she said.