In a follow-up to Fred’s Friday blog about Facebook, I have to ask the following question, if you are on Facebook, do you use it to network professionally? This was the topic of discussion at our Long Island Women’s meeting last week and it made for an interesting dialogue.

I have recently noticed that people are turning to Facebook for professional recommendations. I have recently, in responses to requests on Facebook, given the names and phone numbers of my chiropractor (and husband), Gotham member Philip Gura, my ophthalmologist, Gotham member Todd Bragin, my dermatologist, my primary care physician, as well as criminal attorney and Gotham member Alan Schwartz.

Many at our meeting agreed that Facebook has become an important networking tool and have been using it to enhance their business presence on the internet. Others expressed their concern with networking on social media. They voiced their hesitation with networking on social media due, mostly, for the potential for unintended recipients of their message to distort its intended implication.

The conclusion at our meeting was that Facebook has recently become a valuable networking tool. Yet, one must use it with caution, mindful of the potential for abuse. What do you think? Do you network professionally on Facebook?