An exploration of authenticity in social media and in real life.
In one of my recent social media gatherings, a group of us reflected on what it’s like to eventually meet each other in person. Someone mentioned that they find it interesting when they meet people and there is a disconnect between the online persona and the physical person. Someone that is an introvert in real life can easily become an outspoken extrovert when shielded by a monitor screen. No matter who you are, it’s always nice to bridge the online and physical connection, but it begs the question: which you is the authentic YOU? The introvert or the extrovert? The person you are putting forth in real life or the person you present to your online counterparts? And how do you choose who sees what?
In life in general, the dynamics of any relationship or connection are hard because we are not just about our personal brands. “We are complex beings whose emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical selves are in a constant dynamic state of change. We are social beings who find health, not in self-projection, but in self-giving, in actions of creating and sacrifice.” [Ed Brenegar]
In real life, our actions speak louder than our words.
Tagged as:
authenticity,
genuine,
personal branding,
social media
Just came across this excellent post from Michael Gotta, a senior technology solution manager at Cisco. He provides some very powerful insight into collaboration sites within the enterprise. One of his most compelling points is that when creating employee profiles for collaboration sites, make sure that you’re not just creating them as another form of the employee’s HR record, but instead as a means for employees to establish their personal identity. Approaching from this mindset gives employees higher control over how they are presented to their colleagues — the who and what they are within your organization. From this standpoint, you will achieve a higher adoption rate of employees creating and using profiles, and a much more effective collaboration network overall.
Original post: Don’t Think Profile, Think Identity, Michael Gotta, Cisco Enterprise Community
When organizations discuss the business value of social networking, the conversation invariably includes a discussion on employee profiles. Strategists, sponsors, champions, and management teams often (not always but frequently) make the assumption that employees will create and maintain their own profiles. These profiles will include rich information not captured elsewhere in corporate systems. Rich employee profile data that is broadly accessible by co-workers will enable the organization to improve its ability to locate experts, discovery new sources of talent, connect people across the globe working on similar business activities, and enable better community-building. While these benefits are all possible, I consistently find that profiles are a common adoption hurdle faced by project teams across virtually all industry sectors.
Tagged as:
e20,
employee profiles,
michael gotta,
personal branding
I have shoes… and LOTS of them. In fact, there’s probably only one thing I love more than social media and that’s high heels. When it comes to shoes, the higher, the better; the more colorful and unique… the more I have to have them. And if you looked inside of my closet, you would know this to be true. Shoes come in all shapes and sizes, colors and varieties, and it’s essential that you find the right fit. Kind of like social media — giving you a unique identity (think Carrie Bradshaw!), putting a little skip in your step, and adding a little swank to your swagger. And, when have found that combination that fits you perfectly, you will indeed drive conversation. In fact, I have found a lot of commonalities between slipping on a pair of high heels and stepping into social media. Here’s what I’ve found:
Instantly Achieve New Heights
It’s amazing what you can do when you achieve new heights! Most people don’t realize that I’m only 5’1″. And that’s because I almost always wear 4″ heels. In fact, the higher the better. The additional height allows me new visibility on what I’m trying to accomplish. If you’re someone who feels like you’re often looking from the ground up, try slipping into your own pair of social media shoes and see if it doesn’t put you at eye level or even higher than your competitors. Here are some basic methods for achieving new heights:
Tagged as:
personal branding,
social marketing,
social media
Today I had the wonderful opportunity to present to the National Black Public Relations Society on how to create an influential and credible personal brand in social media.
There are already a ton of great resources that will tell you where and how you create establish your personal brand in any given social networking platform. So, in this presentation, I chose to focus more on how a personal brand allows you to increase your visibility, demonstrate a unique promise of value and help you stand out among your colleagues, peers and social connections; how the ubiquity of social media tools has given communicators the perfect platform for being recognized as thought leaders, contributors and influencers to social conversation; and how, given all of this, can you balance your personal brand with your company brand.
Key points from the presentation are:
- Know the value of building, promoting and monitoring your personal brand.
- Learn tactics on what you should DO and NOT DO when building a personal brand.
- Appreciate the power of the social graph and how you can use it to extend your brand and social media presence.
- Understand the sometimes precarious act of balancing your personal interests with the interests of your company
Tagged as:
NBPRS,
personal brand,
personal branding,
web cafe,
webinar
