I was running an educational session on using social media to further media relations 
objectives here at Fusion PR. Towards the end, we allowed time for people to share their experiences and thoughts.
While most seemed to agree that it is generally a good thing when a journalist friends you, some in the group seemed uncomfortable with the idea of mixing personal and business lives on social networks.
I have never understood this line of thought. It seems to me that your work is part of your identity, your personal brand, so-to-speak. Exactly what are people afraid of? If your Facebook profile shows a side of you that you'd rather not reveal, to your business contacts are anyone, well then, why do you have those details or photos there and why is it public?
Anyway, the debate kind of reminds of me of an amusing Jim Gaffigan bit (yea, I know, they are all amusing, this comedian rocks); one where he talks about funny unintended consequences when you mix groups of friends:
You ever mix two different groups of friends?
That can be stressful
You always feel like you have to prep 'em.
You're like, . These people over here, uh, they don't think I drink.
And don't be thrown by my british accent.
Yes, it is true that we sometimes act and behave differently with different groups of people; yet the above routine illustrates the folly of trying to be too different.
Good question and discussion! I fall into the camp of trying to separate what I consider personal from professional, yet I know that there is no real separation on social media. It’s more that I control what I share professionally and what I share personally, and still leave it open for people from either camp to select into those communications.
Working on a social media policy for my employer has opened my eyes to the idea that there is no real separation, and that users have to come to terms with that. It doesn’t mean you can’t still control what you say, you just might not be able to control who sees/reads it anymore.
Krista, thanks for reading and commenting