Your No. 1 Brand – Yourself

Personal Branding – what is it, really?

Do you just plaster yourself with labels, run through the streets and bombard everyone with your verbal (or online) screams of “follow me!” Do you actually create your own brand? Are you now the new product that people should consider utilizing? Do you need personal slogans and logos so people don’t forget Jim Bob?

(By the way, Jim Bob will be a recurring character throughout these blogs. He’s one of my favorites.)

According to Wikipedia, personal branding suggests the idea that success is a result of self-packaging. Actually, the term may have originate from one of Tom Peters’ articles in 1997, The Brand Called You.

In the article, Peters discusses the evolving environment of branding and media, specifically that practically every company and organization is trying to “brand itself” into the public’s memory. This is achieved through logos, slogans and various mediums. Peters suggests that individuals take advantage of this new perspective and “brand themselves.” He suggests individuals evaluate what they have to offer that’s unique from others and develop those skills. I find the following comment especially interesting.

The good news — and it is largely good news — is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.

Is it still personal branding if everyone can stand out? That sounds illogical to me. If everyone is standing out, then no one is standing out. However, I do agree with Peters that all have opportunities to be a brand worthy of remark. Each of us have something special to offer to others and should be willing to share that part of ourselves with them.

For more information about personal branding, you also might want to check out http://personalbrandingblog.com/.

Any thoughts? How do YOU approach personal branding?

Make it Tiki with a Wiki

In JB #4520, good new-fashioned Social Media, we talked about Wikis.

If you’re like me, you think you know enough about Wikis to give the silent-Ahh-yes-you’re exactly-right nod but not enough to actually say much outside of that nod.  Perhaps Wikis have something to do with that tiny site known as Wikipedia or the Wet Paint site my PR group used a couple years ago. Hmm…

Wikis are great sources to manage group projects and improve communication. Now I wonder why the heck I didn’t consider using them sooner, especially now that it’s the last semester of my senior year!

What is a Wiki?

Who should use Wikis?

People who

A) Are managing group projects and events.

B) Need to communicate with everyone but want better interaction than conference calls and mass e-mails.

C) Want an archive of information that is open to each member of the group to change as necessary.

Case-in-Point

I’m mentally kicking myself for not using a Wiki as we were plannning the OSU JB Communications Networking Expo. Throughout the planning process we struggled to find a medium that would work.

Facebook: Created a group to post information on discussion boards, the wall and message the team.

Positives  – We knew what everyone on the team looked like from profile pictures. Otherwise it was mostly…

Negatives – Members typically didn’t post any information on the discussion board, it didn’t offer an avenue for all team members to update each other and members rarely communicated progress.

Basic e-mail: As the chair, I regularly sent e-mail updates about meetings, team assignments and progress.

Positives – Team members were well informed about what was going on and a few maintained regular communication that way.

Negatives – Didn’t provide an avenue for group discussion, not all team members responded and updated group on progress, information primarily came from one source and information wasn’t archived in one central location for group access.

See why I have scuff marks from frustration?

Thank goodness I learned more about Wikis now – instead of years later! Also, this site has been really helpful for my many, I’m-not-raising-my-hand questions.

What about you? Anything that you’ve considered (or have) used Wikis for?

Twitter isn’t just social

Last Tuesday, multimedia OPUBCO editor Mike Koehler visited OSU on a mission to help JB 4520 learn the increasingly viability of social media. He highlighted what an important role that online video and Twitter played during Oklahoma’s recent ice storms and tornadoes.

During the ice storms, his media team utilized videos and Twitter to inform people of the changing (and possibly dangerous) weather conditions. A team drove around Oklahoma City with a video to continuously show the road conditions, which was also open to chat and Twitter.  They started the Twitter feed #okice, which was OPUBCO’s first attempt to use Twitter for weather information.

Mike said his team was a bit surprised at how quickly and easily citizens got involved in the communication process. People contributed information regarding school closings, road conditions and severe weather sightings. However, he also said that the most common comments were safety concerns of the team on the road. People really wanted to help others in the most efficient way available.

What does this mean? We can utilize social media not only to update the public on current events, but also on crises and problems for which people need immediate information. Twitter is not just a “how ya doin'” or news article feed, it’s also a way to connect people with rapidly changing information and help connect them with each other. How cool is that?

Social media serves as more than just day-to-day updates or references to more information – it also can be used for of-the-moment, vital information. Our class observed that when we waited out the tornado weather together. Twitter and other social media kept us informed.

It’s nice to know that social media isn’t entirely “social,” it may become a vital information source.