How Social Media Keeps Us Connected

Social media brings people together – and while this may not be breaking news, the connections we create and the friendships that form from the likes of Twitter and Instagram never cease to amaze me. For someone like me who is always interested in my Russian heritage, to Sergey Polushkin who is always interested in connecting others to his Russian culture and his passion for why he loves working here at Cisco – social media can open so many doors!

We have never met in person, have only just met recently on Instagram, and yet Sergey and I are fast friends. He says, “The fact of how we met and how we are having this conversation right now shows how powerful social media and Cisco really are!” Once again, Cisco connects the unconnected.

“People ask ‘why social media’ and our meeting is a great example,” Sergey states, “We connected over photos on Instagram!” It is as simple and easy as that.

Sergey is driven to help people – and our #WeAreCisco tribe – see how social media can bring our global Cisco community together. Want to let the world know that you #LoveWhereYouWork with #WeAreCisco? Sergey offers five very convincing reasons to as why Twitter and Instagram can help you share your story.

Social Media is Part of our Daily Lives. Social Media is an opportunity to share your life with the world. There are so many different ways you can use it too, either from videos or photographs to texting and tweeting – there really is a platform for everyone! Mobile phones also make it so easy to share and are a convenient form of communication. You open it up and all of your friends are right there, you can quickly send an update and share so many interesting things with each other, and make new connections too!

People are Curious about the #CiscoLife. When you work at Cisco people are instantly curious about what the life and culture are like. There are so many great opportunities and great projects we are working on! People really want to know what goes on behind the scenes – what cool things are you experiencing, how do you live inside that company? People love to hear about big companies that have a great culture that focus on their people and the world around them – Cisco is a prime example of this! I’ve found it to be what my audience is most excited to learn more about.

People don’t just want stock images! They want real stories and real photos. There are some beautiful logos in the world, but that only goes so far – social media offers an “informal” and genuine look at our great company. Through social media Cisco employees have an amazing tool to express themselves and what they’re working on in a very unique and personal way. The more authentic you are on social media – the more people identify with your story and engage with you. They can then see the real Cisco.

It helps to create a more “One Cisco” feel for us all and connects us to the world beyond Cisco. We are a very global company, but social media can help us to reach out to our co-workers around the world and start great conversations with them! It is a true Cisco advantage that leads us to moments like these and shows us the “power of Cisco” to connect us all. It also helps us to connect with others outside of the company who may not realize all the great happenings at Cisco! If they see us talking about these events on social media, it may spark an interest to work with us or work for us because they are watching on places like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Learning, Engaging, Giving Back. At Cisco, we are very focused on inclusion, diversity, and giving back – of course, here at Cisco Russia we are proud of these traits that make us a very powerful and compassionate company. From when I was able to travel to Las Vegas for GSX to helping a local Russian orphanage throughout the year, Cisco has given me so many opportunities to share in. These are great for telling our story on social media too! I enjoy that we engage more women in tech, are encouraging new partnerships, and really want people to succeed – that’s a positive company message!

Here in Russia we also have teams of co-workers who are on a winter swimming team – yes! They go swimming in the cold Russian winters! We also have runners who motivate one another. We all really thrive on focusing on our future. These all help to tell our local Cisco story, but also offer great connections for us on the global level too! There are hard times and easy times, of course, but together at work we rely on each other to accomplish our goals, and we celebrate the good moments. Our “One Cisco” approach makes us a great team, and social media can help to further these connections.

How many Cisco friends have you made through social media? If you’re sharing from the heart, you can’t go wrong! Join us on Twitter and Instagram and don’t forget to tell the world why you #LoveWhereYouWork!

Looking to #LoveWhereYouWork too? Apply now!