We all show our style through the clothes we wear, but the same also holds true for how we present ourselves using social media. While some people prefer to post sparingly, others publicize their every move. And while certain individuals use these platforms primarily to share their knowledge, still others use them mainly to meet new people.

The following quiz will help you identify your dominant online networking style and provide ideas for maximizing your efforts. Choose the answer that best matches your tendencies:

1. When it comes to posting photos or videos of you online, you:
• Post photos or videos weekly, tagging each and every one of your contacts along the way.
• Don't like to reveal too much of yourself and keep photos or videos to a minimum.
• Never post photos or videos of yourself online.
• Post numerous photos or videos that reveal every aspect of your life.
• Post professional photos or videos that relate to your field of interest.

2. With respect to quizzes and games on sites like Facebook, you:
• Can't get enough of the ones that reveal your personality traits and enjoy sharing your results with others.
• Use them to interact with friends, but aren't apt to play games solo.
• Occasionally play but don't share your results with others.
• Find them to be a waste of time; you have more important things to post about.
• Have never heard of these online activities.

3. When it comes to your LinkedIn profile, you:
• Have a robust profile that lists your many professional associations, career accomplishments, images of samples from your portfolio and numerous professional contacts.
• Have a profile that is professional but shows a little personality, and a network that includes a good mix of personal and professional contacts.
• Don't have a profile.
• Have a partially complete profile; you don't want to give out too much information or have simply neglected to fill in the details.
• Have a fun profile that shows your professional and personal accomplishments, and includes hundreds of contacts, many of whom you know only vaguely.

4. Your coworker, whom you like well enough but isn't a close friend, asks to friend you on Facebook. Do you:
• Decline the request because you don't have a Facebook page.
• Immediately accept his request and view his friends, adding everyone you know – even those with whom you aren't that familiar.
• Ignore or politely decline his request; you don't feel comfortable friending colleagues.
• Accept his request and add him to your "professional/work" Group.
• Accept his request since your Facebook postings are mostly professional.

5. You receive a notice on Facebook that a friend has added her sixth sheep to FarmVille – that day! Do you:
• Hide her feed. Who has time for that?
• Ignore her – she's one of your many friends who's into gaming.
• Puzzle over what she's talking about.
• Privately let her know that you're not interested in her constant gaming announcements.
• "Like" or comment on her status update.

6. You're at lunch with a friend who tweets and posts several times during the meal. Do you:
• Use your smartphone to post about how annoying it is to be with someone who's ignoring you.
• Do some tweeting and posting yourself – you rarely go a full hour without making updates anyway.
• Make a mental note not to spend time with this person in the future.
• Use the time to catch up on some articles you have bookmarked.
• Have no idea what she is doing.

7. When choosing people to follow on Twitter, you:
• Follow mostly business contacts and thought leaders.
• Don't have a Twitter account.
• Follow people very selectively – they have to be interesting, or personal friends.
• Follow anyone and everyone, and strongly encourage them to follow you back.
• Follow mostly your friends – and lots of them.

8. Your friend just posted and tagged an unflattering picture of you on Facebook. Do you:
• Post and tag an equally unflattering picture of her with the message, "We make a great pair!"
• Untag yourself.
• Laugh it off; it's just one of many silly photos of you online.
• Don't have to worry about it since you don't have a Facebook page.
• Untag yourself and immediately change your privacy settings so people cannot tag photos of you without your permission.

9. When it comes to Facebook privacy settings, you:
• Use them religiously, even though you don't have a lot of Facebook friends.
• Leave your profile open; you have nothing to hide.
• Have numerous Groups and friend lists to help you manage hundreds of connections and make sure nobody receives inappropriate information.
• Leave your profile relatively open, since you post primarily on professional topics.
• Don't have a Facebook page.

10. When it comes to the time you spend posting to social media sites versus reading others' posts or messages, you:
• Spend a little more time reading others' posts than you do posting.
• Spend much more time reading others' posts than you do posting.
• Spend about the same time reading others' posts as you do posting.
• Spend much more time posting than you do reading others' posts.
• Spend little, if any, time reading or posting online.

11. Before posting something online, you:
• Make sure it's something most of your connections will be interested in.
• Check it several times to make sure it's clear and free of errors.
• Don't think about it too much – you post a lot each day!
• Check to make sure it's going to the right distribution list.
• Rarely, if ever, post anything online.

12. When someone googles you, he or she is apt to find:
• Very little information.
• Your professional blog, Twitter feed and other information pertaining to your field.
• Lots of information about you, but nothing too embarrassing.
• All kinds of stuff – some of it professional, some of it not very professional.
• A few professional profiles and some locked personal profiles.

13. You're in the theater watching a really bad movie. Do you:
• Post several comments about the lackluster plot before you've left the theater.
• Advise your Facebook friends to avoid this snoozer as soon as the credits roll.
• Plan to advise your friends not to see the movie – in person rather than using social media. You never know if a business contact might be a fan.
• Have no plans to share information about the movie online, since you rarely post.
• Post a negative review of the movie by your favorite professional critic – that way, the unflattering comments aren't coming from you.

14. You receive a request to connect on LinkedIn from someone you don't know. Do you:
• Review his profile before deciding whether to connect. If the person is in your field, you'll make the connection.
• Immediately accept the request and scour your new contact's connections to see whom you might add to your network.
• Review his profile and see if you have any mutual friends. If so, you'll connect with him.
• Decline the request; you avoid connecting with people you haven't met.
• It's not applicable; you don't use LinkedIn.

15. You're traveling and want to find a good restaurant for a business meeting. Do you:
• Direct message a few local contacts on Facebook and Twitter.
• Put out an APB (All Points Bulletin) for recommendations via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Send messages to a few professional LinkedIn contacts who live in the area. You might be able to meet with them, too, while you're there.
• Do all of the above – and log onto some local chat rooms to ask for their opinions as well.
• Look online or ask your friends for information via email or in person.

 

Choose "yes" or "no" to the following statements:

16.	I “check in” via Facebook wherever I go.	Yes	No
17.	Posting on Facebook seems self-indulgent to me.	Yes	No
18.	I have my own YouTube channel.	Yes	No
19.	I think social media can be a waste of time.	Yes	No
20.	I've changed my profile picture on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn within the last week.	Yes	No
21.	I’m uncomfortable revealing a lot about myself online.	Yes	No
22.	I have more than 300 Facebook friends.	Yes	No
23.	I tend to “like” things on Facebook more than I comment.	Yes	No
24.	Social media is the primary way I stay in touch with family and friends.	Yes	No
25.	I think people post way too much information online.	Yes	No

 

Answer Key:

Give yourself the points that correspond with each answer for questions 1-15. For questions 16-25, give yourself one point for each even-numbered question you answered "yes" and subtract a point for each odd-numbered question you answered "yes." Add up your total points to find your dominant social networking style.

1.	A (3); B (1); C (0); D (4); E (2)	______
2.	A (4); B (3); C (1); D (2); E (0)	______
3.	A (2); B (3); C (0); D (1); E (4)	______
4.	A (0); B (4); C (1); D (3); E (2)	______
5.	A (2); B (3); C (0); D (1); E (4)	______
6.	A (4); B (3); C (1); D (2); E (0)	______
7.	A (2); B (0); C (1); D (4); E (3)	______
8.	A (3); B (2); C (4); D (0); E (1)	______
9.	A (1); B (4); C (3); D (2); E (0)	______
10.	A (2); B (1); C (3); D (4); E (0)	______
11.	A (2); B (1); C (4); D (3); E (0)	______
12.	A (0); B (2); C (3); D (4); E (1)	______
13.	A (4); B (3); C (2); D (0); E (1)	______
14.	A (2); B (4); C (3); D (1); E (0)	______
15.	A (1); B (3); C (2); D (4); E (0)	______

 

Add/subtract points from questions 16-25: +/- ____________

The Novice: Less than 15 points
You haven't yet caught the social media bug. As those around you whip out their smartphones to exchange information, you prefer more traditional methods, like good old conversation. You may find the technology behind social media unappealing or shudder at the idea of having yet one more thing to add to your to-do list. Still, you may have some curiosity about this type of communication and want to do some exploring.

Tips:

• Start small: Have a friend walk you through a social media platform where you can connect with a couple of good friends and get used to it. You might find that you enjoy the interaction.
• Pay attention: The first step as you enter the world of social media is to listen. Observing how others interact can help you learn the "rules of the road."
• If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, you could benefit from creating one. Many recruiters search online for qualified professionals.

The Listener: 15-29 points
Nobody needs to tell you, "Lend me your ears." You're observant and "listen" more than you talk when using tools like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. You're interested in what you can learn using social media, and often show your support by giving a thumbs-up to others' posts or ideas. You tend to be selective about whom you friend or follow, and may wait for people to ask you to connect rather than actively seeking out new contacts on your own. You value your privacy and keep much of your information on lockdown: Friends would be well-advised to think twice before posting certain photos of you without your permission.

Tips:

• Don't always wait for people to connect with you. Actively reach out to new professional contacts – most people will appreciate the gesture.
• Your listening skills make you a valuable information source, so don't hesitate to share what you know. If you're forwarding along an article or someone else's post, give your own take on things, too.
• Be sure to complete your social media profiles. You may have a tendency not to include a photo, for example, or to reveal only bare details of your work history on LinkedIn. Instead, add enough information to give people a complete professional picture. You might want to show a little of your personality, too.

The Authority: 30-44 points
You have a knack for unearthing information in your field or area of interest. You may prefer to use social media as a professional tool rather than to keep in touch with your pals. You tend to discuss facts more than feelings and seek out substantive information that can enhance your reputation as an expert. Although you're quite comfortable with social media tools, you aren't anxious to reveal too much personal information online.

Tips:

• In addition to providing interesting insights in your area of expertise, show a little personality every once in a while; it'll make you appear more human.
• As you build your own reputation as an expert, be sure to give others in your profession a boost, too, by sharing their ideas and wisdom.
• Keeping up with all of the feeds in your area of interest can become all-consuming. Don't let online activities replace in-person meetings. User groups and trade associations can help you forge useful connections.

The Social Butterfly: 45-59 points
You without a smartphone in your hand? Never! You and your friends use these devices to track each others' every move. You likely have hundreds of connections – in fact, you may count half of your graduating class as your Facebook friends. When someone follows or friends you, you immediately return the favor. You aren't sloppy with your social media efforts: You have dozens of different lists and feeds that you actively maintain. You like seeing your network grow and find that whether you're lunching in Tokyo or heading to your local cafe for coffee, it just takes a few clicks to find someone to join you, given your growing network.

Tips:

• Although you embrace social networking, don't let it drive you to distraction. Spending a few hours each day without electronic messages can help you be more productive.
• Remind people of how you've met. You probably have a great memory for names and faces, but your contacts may not. When reaching out to new people, remind them how you know each other.
• You may be so drawn to online activities that you have trouble giving people your undivided attention when meeting in person. When chatting face-to-face with contacts, put your smartphone down.

The Open Book: 60 or more points
You've probably been accused of giving "TMI" (too much information) before, but you have nothing to hide. Your professional and personal lives are closely intertwined, so you may not segment out business and work contacts online. You're just as likely to share a great recipe as tweet about an industry conference you attended. It's not hard to find photos or videos of you online: You post plenty of pics of yourself, as do your friends. You feel comfortable speaking your mind and aren't afraid to discuss your feelings or events of the day. You post often and may link your feeds. You enjoy the connections you make with others online and want them to know the "real you."

Tips:

• Understand that not all people are as comfortable revealing themselves online. Think twice before tagging someone in a photo or posting something controversial on a contact's wall.
• Consider using Facebook Groups or lists. Your friends may want to hear all about your painful trip to the dentist or last night's crazy party, but your boss probably doesn't. Segment your audience so that only your closest confidantes get the nitty-gritty details.
• Keep your posts positive. In general, people prefer uplifting information. It's OK to vent on occasion, especially if it's in a humorous way, but don't become a "Debbie Downer." If you're struggling, post less frequently.