Five resources for building your personal brand on the social web (in no particular order).

The Art of Establishing Your Personal Business Brand | Reputation Professor

http://reputationprofessor.net/tag/establishing-your-personal-business-brand/

Each of us sports around our very own, unique personal brand. The many things that separate and identify us as individuals serve to become known as our personal brand. All of the principle components of our personal brand; to include first impressions, demeanor, accomplishments, and the value we place on interaction with others determine the [...]

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The Personal Branding Blog: Navigating YOU to Future Success | Dan Schwabel

https://www.personalbrandingblog.com/

Founded on March 14th, 2007 by Dan Schawbel, the leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y, this blog teaches you how to create your career and command your future, using the personal branding process, as outlined in Me 2.0.  You will learn how to position yourself for success so that you become known for your passion and expertise. In the digital age, your name is the only currency and by reading this blog and consuming the information provided, you will have a competitive edge in the marketplace. The content on this blog includes video podcasts, interviews with experts, insightful articles, research reports, games and much more.

HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Twitter | Mashable

http://mashable.com/2009/05/20/twitter-personal-brand/

Today, Twitter has roughly 6 million users and is projected to grow to 18.1 million users by 2010. With all those people, the chances for networking are endless and connecting with new people can lead to career opportunities, so it is essential that your personal brand exists on the service.

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HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Facebook | Mashable

http://mashable.com/2009/04/02/facebook-personal-brand/

With over 200 million active users, Facebook has become a personal, product and corporate branding hub. Every brand that exists on Facebook has the same core features and benefits, such as the ability to create a page, share resources, add multimedia and much more. You have a unique opportunity to leverage this platform for career success or as a playground for you and your closest friends.

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HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn | Mashable

http://mashable.com/2009/07/27/linkedin-personal-brand/

Whether you’re a job seeker, consultant, entrepreneur or happily employed, LinkedIn can be an incredible asset for your career. You can connect to over 43 million professionals in over 200 countries around the world. LinkedIn is not just a virtual resume that should be tucked away for a rainy day. Instead it acts as a resume, cover letter, references document, database of your contacts throughout your life and a place where you can learn, share and interact in a professional manner. The following four steps, will help you build a powerful brand on LinkedIn so that you attract jobs you’re passionate about, while fostering a network that can support your career moving forward.

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I recently worked with an external PR team to develop the verbiage around a corporate social media education campaign, geared to an internal, employee-only audience, the point of which was three-fold:

• Provide a succinct definition and overview of social media/networking as a whole
• Provide an explanation of why it was important to us as a company and the benefit we hope to derive from our continued participation
• Provide a deeper dive into a select number of platforms which serve to represent the most important elements of our corporate social media strategy

In doing so, it occurred to me that, as a marketing professional immersed in the social web, it is easy to take for granted that what is a given to me is not necessarily so to those who have not make a career of new media. This was confirmed, of course, when I rolled out the campaign internally and began receiving a number of requests from coworkers who were interested in participating but were having a tough time getting started.

While many of these people were engaged on a personal level – sharing photos of their children or exchanging conversation with friends, old classmates, and the like – on popular networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, a question emerged; how does one extend their presence on the social web to establish their personal business brand and become a trusted advisor in their respective field?

As branding expert Heather Huhman points out, in her post entitled “Establishing Your Personal Brand on Niche Social Networks”, there are three basic principles that apply no matter where you emerge on the spectrum of social media.

• Don’t “spray and pray”

It’s easy to make the mistake of diving right in and branding yourself on dozens of social media sites, but keep in mind the adage “quality over quantity” and remember to remain selective in your choices. Social media is not a “one size fits all” solution and it’s important that you do your research to determine which platforms make the most sense and provide you with both a community and an audience that is receptive to your message.

• Don’t be all business

Selling yourself is important, but try not to diminish the value that others place on your message by inadvertently turning yourself into a 140 character digital billboard. Remember that one of the many values of these platforms is that they enable you to engage with your audience, rather than talking at them, so loosen up a little and have some fun; you have the opportunity to ask questions, be helpful, start a dialogue, and become part of the community.

• The rules are the same

No matter what platform you land on, the Golden Rules will always apply: listen, be relevant, mind your brand, engage, and give more than you get.

I ran across an article this morning on HubSpot about social media etiquette that was rather timely, as it was just last night that I had noted how rude, catty, and downright vicious some of the tweets were that I saw rolling across my feed. While in this case these bully tactics were on the part of one individual who is, interestingly enough, a seemingly well respected “mommy blogger”, I find that, as a generalization, people often lose their moral and ethical compasses when they step out onto the Web. Hiding behind a computer  seems to give some people the courage to do and say things that they would never dream of repeating in real life.

While one would think it goes unsaid,  it is important to reiterate that the rules of etiquette that apply in face-to-face conversation and interaction are the same rules of etiquette that apply when navigating the social web.

HubSpot  outlined a few simple reminders that we should all take into consideration when engaging on the Web.

• Etiquette matters.

While social media is certainly the place to have real conversations free of corporate jargon and PR-esque overtones, it is not the place to be impolite, uncaring, rude, bossy, aggressive, or self-serving without considering the long-term consequences. And while some may argue that they aren’t on these platforms to represent a brand and therefore anything goes, I would argue that we all have a personal brand to protect. Integrity rules, no matter where you are. Remember the Golden Rule; treat others the way you’d like to be treated.

• Conversation matters.

Developing relationships and engaging with others is the greatest benefit of participating on the social web. No one likes that guy at a party who can’t stop talking about himself, and no one likes that guy in social media either. While the sharing of information is important and often a primary corporate objective when delving into this space, too much of a good thing can be, well, a bad thing. Ask more questions, respond to others, participate, be helpful, be kind. Don’t overwhelm others by shoving your credentials and accolades down their throats - modesty reigns.

• Connections matter.

It’s not a matter of “collecting” friends or fans or followers.  It’s important to surround yourself with individuals of a like mind, who are interested in what you have to say and whom you are interested in learning from and interacting with. I read recently that it’s better to have 50 friends in a social network who hang on your every word than 5 million who couldn’t pick out your avatar in a crowd. I couldn’t agree more.

• Love conquers all.

Above all, speak from you heart about the things that matter to you; avoid trying to be someone you are not. Your passion and enthusiasm will shine through and attract other like-minded individuals.   

Read the full article on Hubspot, “What Did Jane Austen Know About Social Media?”.