Survey Question 1: Is Personal Info Ever Appropriate?

FINAL UPDATE: SEPT. 3, 2005

(NOTE: This is part of a series of postings in which I’ve published the results of my new survey on people’s comfort zones regarding the overlap of professional and personal information online. More about this survey, including how to take or publicize the survey. Overview of numerical responses.)

SURVEY QUESTION 1: I think that web sites or weblogs where people primarily discuss their business, career, or area of professional expertise should NEVER offer ANY personal information – such as hobbies, whether they’re married or have kids, etc.

The big news here is that the often-touted perspective, “No one wants to find anything personal on a professional site or blog,” (which has been directed at me personally quite a bit lately) appears to be completely wrong. The people who prefer a “Berlin Wall” between the personal and the professional comprise a distinctly small minority of the online audience for business sites or weblogs.

In fact, offering at least some personal information in a professional context may even provide business advantages!

Here are the numerical responses so far for this question, and my initial observations about them…

Of the 176 respondents so far:

• 56 (32%) said: I DISAGREE: I think some personal information offered in a business context is OK.
• 49 (28%) said: I STRONGLY DISAGREE: I actually prefer to see some personal information, even in a business setting. I like to get to know the person behind the blog.
• 39 (22%) said: I SOMEWHAT AGREE: It depends on the situation. (The sole “other” response offered to this question so far clearly falls into the “it depends” category.)
• 15 (9%) said: Other
• 10 (6%) said: NEUTRAL: It doesn’t matter to me.
• 7 (4%) said: I AGREE: Personal and business info should always be kept completely separate. If you must disclose something personal, do that only in an entirely separate forum – preferably where I won’t stumble across it.

WRITE-IN “OTHER” RESPONSES

…From respondents whose answers didn’t quite fit the options I offered:

• The intent of the blogger trumps that of the reader. Readers will migrate to a blog that satisfies their needs. Personally, I’d prefer little of the personal info.
• A person’s web site/weblog is their creation. If I don’t like reading what they are writing, I don’t have to read it!
• IF it is professional, the personal information should probably be directly related to the point of the professional discussion. I think it undermines one’s authority to bring up personal anecdotes because it suggests that the conclusions are based not on scientific study but an “n” of one.
• I believe it’s a matter of personal choice. There is no obligation to open up, but there is an opportunity – especially if the person is a good writer. I believe getting to know someone through their writing is much preferable to reading PR bullshit. That said, I strongly believe that a person’s private life – especially when it comes to family, children, medical/health issues – is theirs to keep private, and I would hate it if the business world expectation came to the point where one is expected to do a full disclosure dump as if they were running for public office.
• I think that it adds a warmer touch to a business site to know a little bit about someone – their hobbies, what they like to read, etc.
• To increase trust or demonstrate social responsibility, a business professional can offer limited personal information – e.g. volunteer work for nonprofits, charities; boards on which one serves. Otherwise, keep personal information for one’s personal site.
• I’m for people being able to be their real, authentic selves at work. I’m also concerned that people’s personal blogs are being supressed and punished by employers. While I would like to get to a world where everyone can talk about their real ideas and identity at work and on their own time, we’re not there yet, which is why I’m also a strong supporter of a blogger’s right to blog anonymously if they choose to.
• It depends. Context is everything. Sometimes personal stuff adds tremendous value. Other times it does not. There is no one right/wrong approach to this!
• I don’t like the idea of trying to pigeonhole blogs into any set of rules. That’s the great thing about blogs. They can be anything. Reader preference shifts the focus from the writer to the audience. Not a very blogorific concept.
• Personal information should NEVER be offered when it’s irrelevant, or if it clutters the content, forcing users to sift through “noise”, searching for meat. Users are in a hurry. They don’t typically “lounge” around in a blog. Bloggers risk alienating readers needlessly by divulging private data such as religion/irreligion, sexual orientation, antics of children, tastes in music, political party, opinions on abortion and gay marriage, etc. Why would these details enhance a marketing message? Would you discuss these things with a new client, or at a business meeting? Would you want to know if your surgeon is gay, or Republican, or Muslim, prior to having back surgery? Would you want to know his favorite movies and music CDs? I just don’t get it. :^)
• I disagree: I think it’s up to the individual blogger to decide, based on their personal situation, their politics, etc.
• I think its up to whoever writes the blog to decide given their comfort zone and the policies of the organisation they are associated with. I like to see some of the personal info it makes the people real.
• It depends on what you mean by “should.” What standard are you measuring against? Do you mean should as in what would be the best way to present the site to make the most profit from the business? Do you mean what would be the best way to present the site so as to make the site’s author most comfortable with the presentation, even if that wasn’t optimal for the business? “Should” with respect to what measurement? Legality? Maximising the blog visitors’ comfort? So many ways in which you can consider “should.” For example, if someone has some unusual characteristic which is nothing to do with their business, but some people have prejudices against, then it probably makes sound business sense to not mention it on their website. So in that sense you could say that they “should” avoid mentioning it on their website because it doesn’t make good business sense. On the other hand, if the person concerned is so passionate about listing this characteristic that they want to do so even if it puts people off, then they “should” list the characteristic because they personally would be majorly uncomfortable if they didn’t.

AMY’S OBSERVATIONS ON THIS SO FAR:

(NOTE: I’ll probably add to this list. New observations will always be inserted at the bottom of the list. Please feel free to add your observations by making a comment to this post.)

• Personal disclosures seem mostly acceptable on business sites or blogs. So far, a total of 66% of respondents disagree with a blanket ban on personal disclosures, or are neutral on this point. An additional 22% said “it depends” (somewhat agree) which would allow for some personal disclosures. So in my estimation, the often-touted view that “no one wants to read anything personal on a business site or blog” appears to be dead wrong.
• Only a small minority (about 4%) said they prefer total segregation of professional and personal information online (a “Berlin Wall”). In most cases this probably translates into a small risk to the professional blogger/site owner who chooses to disclose personal info. However, it’s important to know your target audience well. As you’ll see by looking at the results for other survey questions, some topics are more sensitive/controversial than others.
• Adding personal info may increase your audience. So far, seven times as many readers of business sites and blogs prefer personal info, rather than abhor it. Look at the numbers: 28% of respondents “strongly disagree” with a blanket ban on personal disclosures, while only 4% support it. But again, know your target audience. Consider the potential effects of any personal disclosure carefully – both risks and rewards.
• Relate the personal to the professional. In write-in responses to the other survey questions, a clear pattern emerged: People are generally OK with even controversial personal disclosures as long as they are made relevent to the business topics being discussed. For instance, a post out of nowhere that says “By the way, I’m gay,” and focuses solely on that disclosure might get a slightly negative response (or ignored). In contrast, making that same disclosure in a business-blog post about customer service or human resources might be especially potent or positively received. Professional relevence lessens the perception of “flag waving.”
• Choosing to read a weblog is NOT like making a hiring decision. One respondent (above) voiced an argument I’ve heard often: “Would you want to know if your surgeon is gay, or Republican, or Muslim, prior to having back surgery?” Let’s think this through… Do the same criteria really apply for choosing a weblog to read and hiring a surgeon? Probably not. And I think that’s probably true in many professions – you just care whether they’re good at their job, and extraneous info doesn’t factor in. I mean, let’s face it – many doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. have simply dreadful personalities or communication skills, yet that doesn’t seem to stop them from getting work.
• Perhaps blogs can help mitigate rumors. I’m not saying that personalities or personal characteristics never factor into hiring or professional choices. We all know they do. That said, my experience has been that potential clients/employers already encounter personal tidbits about many professionals through all sorts of channels, usually second- or third- or tenth-hand. Given that, it might actually make sense to use a professional blog – in a gentle way – to become a first-hand source for personal 9especially potentially controversial) information. That might minimize the gossip effect.