What’s in a Brand?
Posted by: Jany on: April 7, 2009
Whatever you think about “personal brand” and “online reputation,” recent events with Facebook, FedEx and Cisco fiascos prove that no matter on which side you stand, you’re being judged. This happens in real life, undocumented, and online, forever archived. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should buckle down, lock your Twitter, and cease interacting online.
At the end of the day, no matter where you interact online, be it Tumblr or Digg or foursquare, you should still consider who’s your audience, who’s likely going to see this and how much of yourself you want to reveal. Maybe you’re going to be slightly more sarcastic on Tumblr than you are on Facebook, but that doesn’t mean you should bad mouth your employer or client on Tumblr, while writing saccharine notes to them on Facebook. It’s about being congruent with yourself. You’re still you, but decide what aspects of your life you want to share online and how much of it.
Unlike corporate identities, such as Coca-Cola or Sony, people aren’t going to be talking about you whether or not you’re online. However, it definitely behooves you to go out and join conversations and add your own two cents. More and more, there’s talk about the human network. Yes, it’s powerful, but the “human network” has also always existed. So contribute to the online version and allow people to see what you have to add, and you’ll never know who you’ll impress.
I remember last year when consumer companies were starting to get very nervous about Christmas sales, articles in BusinessWeek and Harvard Business Review discussed the importance of not cutting marketing spending during a recession. Studies show that companies who power through a recession will do better because 1) people who have money now will buy their products and 2) a stronger brand identity equals more future revenue as well. Well, if you’re nervous about how your ‘personal brand’ is fairing after reading about how someone got fired from a Facebook status update, just remember: don’t be afraid to interact. Just be smart about it.
Managing Online Reputations with Social Media Resumes
Posted by: andreeng on: March 10, 2009
Let’s face it – static resumes were never convenient. Hours of tailoring your one page resume for dozens of positions may yield only one interview… if you’re lucky. And that doesn’t necessarily mean a job offer!
Enter the “Social Media” resume. In an era all about online reputation and your “personal brand,” the Social Media resume offers a dynamic way to represent yourself as a three-dimensional person. In other words, we’re driving the business of ourselves.
We often need more than a page of text to explain how we can best be “an asset to your reputable company.” What we need is:
- a live, easy-to-update, and shareable version of our resume.
- widgets, such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc., that allow others to see our web footprint.
- direct links to articles of our successes, our design portfolio, or hard metrics on Google Analytics, Technorati, and more.
- a place to add our blog, Twitter or other information that show our passion and intellect.
Done right, the Social Media resume showcases our skills and experience as well as how our personalities would mesh in a team, how well we’re connected in our network, etc. Sounds great, right? But unless you’re already “internet famous,” how does it really impact you?
My dad always told me, “When a door is open to you, you have to be ready to walk through it.” The Bad Pitch Blog echoes that advice: who you know and what you have to offer are both important factors in whether or not a reporter/analyst/prominent blogger will reach out to you for an article or post. Taken out of the reporter/pitcher scenario, it still holds true. So what if you have 2,000 friends on Facebook? What do you have to add to the conversation? Here’s where I think the Social Media resume helps. It’s an online repository for your knowledge and success fodder. When you meet someone crucial in your network, you will be heard.
And now it’s the opportune time to start cataloging your successes.
Welcome
Posted by: andreeng on: February 25, 2009
Hello!!!
Chris and I would like to welcome you to the Sonewe blog! Our mission here is to bring the world together into a single network, establish meaningful relationships, and make relationships work for you in your professional career.
We think that the traditional print-out resumes are outdated. Offering real insight to employers means showcasing your personality and not just through Google search. Our goal is to allow you to show your professional online presence with links to your favorite Social Media sites, such as Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and without those party pictures that you don’t necessarily want the whole world to see.
We are really excited about the features that we’re adding to Sonewe. It’s a great way to manage your online personal and professional lives. Our Beta launch is coming out soon; we’re hoping by early summer, so look out! Stay tuned!
Andrée Ng
CEO & Co-Founder, Sonewe
andree@sonewe.com
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