Social Media Profiles: Building a Personal Brand
Building my social media profiles seemed like an easy task at first. I already had Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles. But this assignment made me analyze each of these profiles as I prepare to become a professional New Media Driver!
I’ve always considered my Facebook account to be my "personal" account. I started Facebook in late 2004 when it was only for college students. It was a great resource for keeping up with friends, planning weekend outings and sharing photos. With Facebook's changes over the years, we now have grade school students, helicopter parents, bored grandparents and crazy aunts on Facebook. Not to mention the rapidly growing business side! With each new phase of Facebook, I reconsider my image on the site. I’ve made baby steps to professionalize my profile, but I still want to be welcoming to my college friends who remember the “good old days” of Facebook. I look forward to reading my other classmates’ thoughts on Facebook and if they consider their profile to be personal or professional.
Then there’s LinkedIn, a.k.a., Facebook for adults! This where I house my professional connections, such as co-workers and former professors. As I began working on this assignment, I realized I need to spend some more time with LinkedIn. There have been many developments since I originally built my profile, and I see the groups I joined becoming more active. I believe there’s opportunity for great conversation here. I’d also like to receive a recommendation! Being employed, I didn’t see the value right away, but I think it really adds to someone’s profile. I recently received a recommendation request, and I’m going to give them a recommendation in hopes of receiving one back.
Twitter has become my favorite social networking tool in the past year. I like the short and sweet aspect of tweets. I learn so much in just 10 minutes breaks throughout the day. And I like to share information I come across with interested individuals. I follow a wide range of people, from celebrities to old friends to industry leaders. I’ve made some great new connections through Twitter and I hope that continues. I seem to find new value in Twitter each week, so I hope this bubble talk goes away!
Finally, the Google Profile, the only one I didn’t have before this class. It took me some time to see the benefit of this profile, but as I was finalizing it, a light bulb turned on. I see the Google Profile as a personalized landing page, or a digital business card. It’s an opportunity to house all of your contact information and share a little bit more about yourself. I imagine Google Profiles will continue to grow in popularity.
This assignment was a great opportunity to reflect on the personal brand I created before this class and to consider what I would like to modify to better my digital image! Check out my #NMDL bio for more information about me!
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