Social media is awesome. This concept of being able to stay in touch with friends and family, share ideas and concepts, and interact with new people with extreme ease deserves more credit than we give it. It's somewhat of an equalizer and levels the playing field of industries that were once solely dominated by mass media, marketing firms, job classifieds, and recruiters.

Does it have its downsides if used improperly or in excess? Yes. However, that's not what we're going to talk about today. Is it more useful for some people than others based on their industry? Also yes. Your mileage may vary.

A few weeks ago, however, I recently accepted a job offer. The process was pretty typical; I sent in a resume and cover letter, provided supplemental information relevant to the field, went through an interview process, and accepted the offer. The only atypical part? It all stemmed from a Facebook post - one that I put up. Nothing about it was overly elaborate; if nothing else it was more of a "Looking for a job; who's hiring?" type of deal. I made it public, and somebody I don't really know (who I also had only recently added) reached out to somebody I don't know at all, who contacted me about an opening. At that point, the usual process began.

Had I not put that post up, I can guarantee with certainty I would not know about that opening. If I wasn't more or less of an "open networker," I probably wouldn't either. But, I like to market myself, make new friends and connections, and see what people like me are up to. In fact, that makes way more sense than just keeping in contact with some dude from a college organization I barely talked to in the first place, which really is what a lot of people seem to use Facebook for.

The takeaway? Get your name out. Let people know who you are, and more importantly, what you do. I get people I hardly know sending me messages on Facebook because they know I'm a photographer, or a skydiver, or a whitewater kayaker, and they are looking for advice. They see a topic they're interested in or have a question about, and suddenly that lightbulb clicks and they say, "Hey, Matt does that." My goal is often to have people know who I am before I send that application in, something which many recruiters, managers, and HR reps have argued for years.

(Disclaimer: this clearly doesn't apply if your reputation is not a good one, but that should be obvious)

So, how do I do it? Easy: market yourself. Every time you restructure your profile or even share a post, think from the point of view of a content marketing or social media manager. I see a ton of "whos [sic] hiring hmu" posts from people whose public posts consist of off-color memes or nonsensical rants, and needless to say, their level of success is often considerably lower. Also, stay in touch with the right people, and don't be afraid to network. Sometimes you never know who ends up working for that short-staffed company that is on the prowl for a new candidate.

Now, how do you stay safe, protect your reputation, and avoid scams? Quite honestly, just use common sense. Fake profiles (of which I get a couple requests from a week) are often painstakingly obvious, and if you're unsure, you have all the time in the world to look into it. Worried about legitimate yet spiteful or malicious people trying to cause you damage? Again, use common sense. Facebook's privacy settings are some of the easiest I've ever worked with and don't fall into the "I need to like or share everything I agree with or think is funny" trap that too many people inexplicably fall into.

This stuff isn't as hard as it looks guys. Social media is an amazing tool, and if anyone agrees, I have proven results. Take the potential it provides, and try to make the most of it.