Charlotte Proudman complimenting a man on Facebook is not hypocritical

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pIf you thought the cheek of the Feminazi lawyer a href=http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ive-been-called-a-feminazi-for-calling-out-a-sexist-man-on-linkedin--but-i-spoke-out-for-all-women-10494300.html target=_blankCharlotte Proudman/a knew some bounds, you were wrong. It turns out that it knows no bounds. Not a single bound at all. For not only is she a trained barrister, but also a hypocrite./p pOn Monday, a senior law firm partner called Alexander Carter-Silk thought that her invitation to connect with him on LinkedIn was an invitation for him to pass comment on her looks. With the typing ability of someone using only one hand, he wrote: Charlotte, delighted to connect, I appreciate this is probably horrendously incorrect but that is a stunning picture!!! You definitely win the prize for the best Linked in picture I have ever seen. Always interest to understant peoples skills and how we might work together. She then posted a screenshot of his message and her admonishing reply on Twitter. This stand of hers was mostly met with praise, although now she probably wishes she had thought twice. Because, wait for it, the Daily Mail a href=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3229951/Ooh-la-la-hot-stuff-s-prim-barrister-centre-sexism-storm-said-men-ogled-web.html target=_blankthen revealed/a that on she has complimented (or ogled) some of her male friends on Facebook over the last two years./ph5READ MOREbra href=http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ive-been-called-a-feminazi-for-calling-out-a-sexist-man-on-linkedin--but-i-spoke-out-for-all-women-10494300.html target=_blankI was called a Feminazi for calling out a sexist man on Linkedin/abra href=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/daily-mail-columnist-sarah-vine-criticised-after-comparing-feminists-to-nazis-in-latest-column-on-barrister-charlotte-proudman-10494650.html target=_blankSarah Vine criticised after comparing feminists to Nazis/a/h5pIm actually Facebook friends with one of the reporters who wrote the Mails story. What the piece seems to imply is that Proudmans Facebook comments made her public shaming of Carter-Silk hypocritical. Under this logic, Facebook and LinkedIn are really the same thing. Taking this into account, I was tempted to send him a message, asking if hed like to go on my Facebook profile and endorse me for some of my professional skills. But I realised that he was probably too busy trying to find more examples of women complimenting men on Facebook, so I left it./ppI feel sorry for anyone who doesnt know the difference between a Facebook friend and a LinkedIn connection. Its right there in the terms friend and connection. If someone asked you what you were doing at the weekend, would you say Oh you know, probably just kicking back and hanging out with some close connections of mine?/ppThe world of social media must be a very confusing, lonely place for anyone who thinks the two sites are the same. You can imagine their bemusement when they post things on LinkedIn. Why is no-one liking my photo on the beach with the boys, where our thigh muscles are bulging out our shorts, with the caption #QuadGoals? Also, zero likes on my latest FUCK YOU CAMERON status? Whats going on?? Likewise, Facebook must be a real head-scratcher for those who have accused Proudman of hypocrisy. It would be hard for anyone not to feel crestfallen when their friend requests to managers they want to work for go unaccepted./pp a class=escenic-gallery href=http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/the-women-who-are-shaping-our-world-10093413.html id=10093413 The women who are shaping our world /a /ppWith so many social media sites and apps to choose from, it can be tricky to gauge whats appropriate for each one. But whats obvious is that you shouldnt treat LinkedIn connections like close friends on Facebook or matches on Tinder. You dont even need to be up to date with modern technology to know this – before the internet were men like Alexander Carter-Silk posting lonely hearts ads in the jobs sections of newspapers?/ppSome women have also criticised Proudman, and said that they appreciate unsolicited compliments. This is fine, but doesnt discount the fact that there are plenty of women who dont. And if youre a man sitting in front of his computer screen, thinking about sending a leery, garbled message to a woman youve never met, how are you supposed to know which camp she falls in?Is it really worth the risk? And if youre doing it in a professional capacity, do you know how bad that could look? Or is? And how neatly it fits into the a href=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/10674940/Gender-discrimination-still-rife-in-British-workplaces.html target=_blankwider reality of casual and not-so-casual gender discrimination in the workplace/a?/ppIts also easy to forget that behind each profile photo is an actual person. Would Carter-Silk have said the same thing to Proudman at a professional networking event for lawyers? If he had, I would have loved to have heard him say Always interest to understant out loud./ppEveryone likes compliments. But people also love context. And if you dont want to be accused of sexism, you should at least try considering it./p