Hello, world!
If you’re one of this blog’s “early adopters”, you probably already know me pretty well. Why, you may be wondering, am I doing this?
The best answer is: I don’t know yet.
A lot of the blogs I read seem to exist for one or more of the following reasons:
- espousing a philosophy: political, social, or otherwise (the evangelist)
- spreading ideas because you’re very knowledgeable in a field or industry (the thought leader)
- spreading knowledge gleaned from other sources (the aggregator)
- to express yourself (the artist)
- to make money (the entrepreneur)
I think I’ll be in the thought leader and aggregator category. Maybe, someday, the entrepreneur.
So the degree to which I can present interesting ideas will determine the future of this effort. That and a lot of patience.
But there are other forms of social media…two of which are featured on this blog (look to the right!)
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com
This is an online network. You enter your work history, expertise, and interests. Then, you get “linked in” with everyone you know, forming a network of contacts. Over time, as you meet new professional contacts, you can both agree to be a part of each others’ networks. You can write recommendations for others, and they can write recommendations for you. What happens next is up to you. You can reach out to connections of your connections, networking for whatever reasons you may have. You can join groups, meeting like-minded or similarly-experienced people. Your LinkedIn profile serves awfully well as a resume for job recruiters; the more you put into your profile, the greater the odds that a recruiter will ask you if you’re interested in any openings they may have. Use the link to the right to check out my LinkedIn profile. If you want me in your network (yes, please), send me an invite!
Twitter www.twitter.com
If maintaining a blog is today’s way to keep an audience informed about your big ideas, the broad sweeping things you find important, Twitter is how you keep your audience up to date on the minutia of your life. It’s easy. When you want to update your crowd on what you’re up to, you type it in. You have 140 characters. What an ingenious way to keep your crowd, your followers, up to speed on what you’re doing, what you’re thinking, what’s on the top of your head. You can follow the twitters of others, just as they follow yours. Find the people you know who are twittering, and follow them. Find the thought leaders who interest you, and follow them.
Blogs for the big-picture idea networks, Twitter to give the minutia to your faithful followers (check out www.twitter.com/barackobama), LinkedIn to network with professionals in and out of your industry.
That’s only scratching the surface of social media, and what’s cool about Web 2.0. These, for the time being, are the vanguard of my online presence.
{ 0 comments }