Personal and Professional Branding

We've focused a good bit on representing ourselves professionally in online spaces this week in particular and in these first weeks of class in general. As always, if you've been inspired by something we've talked about this week and have a topic in mind to blog about, go for it! However, if you're struggling this week, here are a couple ideas to consider: 

What would you call your top 10 tips for presenting a professional image online, especially as college students? (Think Letterman's top 10 style!) 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

We've talked about personal and professional branding and how important it is to maintain a positive impression online. However, sometimes we say and do things that end up getting us into trouble. In light of this, how important do you think it is to be authentic and true to yourself online? Had you ever considered the importance of a personal brand being about both your online and offline selves? Some would say that your online reputation is your most valued possession. Do you agree or disagree with that? Why is maintaining an online reputation important?

This is Stan from the Old Disney show, Dog with a Blog. Because, you know, online no one knows that you're a dog. Unless you tell them and have your own blog called Dog with a Blog.

Include at least one photo along with your blog post this week. And, as always, blogs are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

"Twitter do your thing..."

 Have you thought about the information you share online? What does it say about you? Is your secure information protected?

Photo Courtesy of Online Gladiators

Our topics for this week are Ethics and Legal Considerations of Social Media. There are so many ways that hackers, scammers, and phishers can access our information. Is any of it actually private?

One option for blogging this week is for you to tell me what you think about privacy. Are you being proactive about protecting your identity and information online? Explain what you do to keep yourself safe online.

Another option for blogging is related to privacy. Oftentimes, we don't think about how our content might come off before we post it, which can lead to instances where we might be publicly shamed online. It's happening more and more, where social media users highlight what other users say and do as an almost modern day witch-hunt - with the oft tweeted hashtag, "Twitter do your thing." Cancel culture is here for better or for worse. So what do you think about shaming? What about the notion of cancel culture? How are these things related to impression management?

As a part of your response (regardless of which angle you take), come up with a set of guidelines (a list of 3-5 governing ideas/techniques) that you would give a high school senior in terms of online protection (that might also have to do with keeping themselves safe from being the target of public shaming) as they begin thinking about an adult life away from home for the first time.

If these aren't up your alley, you can of course talk about something else (like the deadly sins of social media or when expectations were violated)... just make sure you bring your post back to topics we've discussed this week in some way. Add a photo and make sure your writing is broken up into readable (or snackable, as Freberg likes to say) chunks. 

Blog posts are due on Fridays by 5:00 p.m.

Thinking more deeply about Social Media and Impression Management

You'll note that in class we've begun talking about the many selves we have to maintain in our daily lives, and social media can further exacerbate the need to keep up with multiple identities.

Impression management is literally about putting our best face out there for audiences to see as they encounter us in social media spaces. We have talked about truth, performance of self, and how it relates to impression management.

Some questions to ponder as you think about your blogs and your themes as they relate to this week's topic:

• How many selves do you feel like you project on your social media profiles? 
• What is/where is truth and why do we choose certain features to promote in online settings?  
• What do you think some of the ethical considerations should be as we decide which face to present to people online? 
• What do you think are some of the pitfalls/dark sides to impression management? 

Even if your class blog is geared to something very specific, impression management still matters. Why is understanding impression management in this digital age so important?

Courtesy of Mastering the Dynamics of Communication Technology Blog

Another option for this week's blog post is to reflect on what you've posted on your social media platforms recently. What did you post? Where did you post it? Who did you want to see it? What were you motivations behind posting? Did you get the response you were hoping to get?

Whatever you decide to blog about this week, include at least one photo in your post! Posts are due by Friday, February 12 at 5:00 p.m.

Your First Post - Spring 2021

Welcome to COMM 373! Your first post should be a basic introduction to who you are and what your blog will be about. It's your first post, so you can really carve out your place in this space. Remember, while you will have freedom to write about what you want from week to week this semester, you'll also want to make sure you relate weekly posts in the future to something we talk about in class. Alot of what we talk about is #relatable so... take that as you will! 

Photo Courtesy of Michael Lee Stallard: Helping Leaders Create Cultures that Connect

So this week: Introduce yourself. Who are you? That's a LOADED question. Unpack it (using as much self-disclosure as you deem fit for an online space, of course). Things you might want to include: Your first name, where you are in life right now, how COVID has impacted you (because what's more relatable than that?), what you want to do... things like that.

Now, as you went through the process of creating your blog, you [probably] made some specific decision in terms of the theme, background, images, font, etc. etc. Was there a reason for that? Offer some insight into your decisions. Do you have a theme you want to stick to throughout the semester?

Next - what are some of your interests? If you're struggling, this could help with some direction for your blog. Personalize this space. Make it your own. Give your reader (me, your classmates, anyone else who stumbles upon your blog) an idea of what you plan to do. If you want, feel free to add a photo but it's not necessary to -- at least not right now. 

Your blog post should be a few short paragraphs. Notice how in this post, you have small chunks of writing with space between paragraphs. It makes for a more pleasurable reading experience. Remember, you're writing for a specific audience, and I encourage you to share your blogs with others, too.

Don't forget, posts should be up by 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 5. You do not have to send your post link to me - I have the address for your blog's homepage, so I should be able to find it (I hope!). Happy blogging!