I believe you are in charge of… “Brand You”.
Social media, including sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Brazen Careerist, can help you connect with people who can assist you with growing “Brand You”, broadening your personal and professional reach. However, it works both ways. Social media when used the wrong way can backfire and tarnish “Brand You”. It’s important to be careful and consider what you shouldn’t do, as well as what you should do to perpetuate “Brand You”.
There are many approaches taken these days to having an online presence. The most popular one taken by Gen-X is not to have one, taking a reactive “please remove” or “avoidance strategy” (no content is better than bad content) to showing up on a Google search.
If we’ve learned anything from Mark Zuckerberg, it is that Gen-Y has accepted the end of privacy on the web. Gen-Y wants their network, or fans, to know what they are doing at all times. They get excited at comments because it shows that people care about them and what they have to say. People like me who are members of Gen-X have not embraced this perspective as readily as our Gen-Y counterparts. I think most Gen-Y would say this is out of our own insecurities or need for control.
The fact of the matter is we are always competing for the mind share of a perspective employer or customer, Gen-X needs to get with the program. In the age of the all knowing Google you will be searched and compared to who you are competing against. Think hypothetically for a moment if 3 people are competing for the mind share of a perspective buyer (be it employer or customer), and they can’t find your online presence, but can find the online personal brand of your competition?!? Chances are you will not be the beneficiary of this transaction.
The only way to be really be in control of “Brand You” in the age of Social Networking is to have your own deliberate and promoted presence on the Web. Ensuring you are in control of what perspective buyers of “Brand You” are going to see, because you ensured your own content is first, second and third in Google’s search results.
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photo credit: -Delphine – Very very busy with my work.
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