Social Media Primer – Creating an Effective Online Profile

Many thanks to all who attended and spoke at the Social Media Primer last night in Herndon, VA. Many thanks to Jill Foster, Shashi Bellamkonda, Ken Fisher and Mayra Ruiz-McPherson for bringing such dynamic information to the attendees.

It was quickly obvious that there is a lot of interest in social media in this region and a growing need for more info. We had a packed house with a wonderful panel and loads of questions from the audience. Here is a down and dirty summary of my presentation on “Creating an Effective Social Media Profile”. Please feel free to ping me with any questions or comments. Can’t wait to connect with you all in the social space!

Also, please enjoy these outstanding photos of the event ala Shashi!

Twitter

Examples of good and bad Twitter profiles…

GOOD Business Profile – @quickenloans (Profile is complete. Interesting background image.)
GOOD Personal Profile – @chrisbrogan (Great profile and follows all the guidelines!)
MY Personal Profile – @gooddogzbeth (Good profile. I hate that iPhone uses coordinates – need to fix that. Planning to fix my background image to something other than my happy hamster.)
BAD Business Profile – @BBC (Irrelevant and ugly background image. No bio. No location.)

• Use a real photo – we want to know YOU.
• Include your real name.
• Include your location.
• Include a good bio – you’ve got 140 characters – use them.
• Include your website or blog address.
• Use a simple but creative background tile.
• Twitter Grader:  http://twitter.grader.com/ (for those of you hung up on numbers, Twitter Grader ranks your profile based on the folks you follow, who’s following you, your updates, the completeness of your profile, etc. I’m not sure what this REALLY tells you but everyone wants to know where they rank!)

Examples – it was tough to get examples of Facebook profiles due to privacy settings. Here is a link to my Facebook profile which follows most if not of the guidelines below. You be the judge!

DOs

• Include a personable photo of yourself. Try to make it social and not a biz head shot.
• Interact with your friends. Write on their walls. Comment on their photos. Engagement is key.
• Keep your profile complete and up-to-date.
• Develop a connection strategy. Mine? Befriend people that matter to you.
• Check photos in which you’ve been tagged to ensure that there is nothing out there you don’t want others to see.
• Be yourself – transparent and authentic.
• Post photos that say something about you and are tasteful. You never know who might be looking at your profile – a potential client? a recruiter?
• Privacy settings are your friend.

DON’Ts

• Don’t post questionable photos. What may seem acceptable to you may not be acceptable to potential employers or clients.
• Don’t deluge business contacts with application requests.
• Don’t post personal information that you don’t want other folks to have.
• Don’t be too shy. Social media is about being “social”.
• Don’t post sensitive information in public areas.

This is a great example of how to improve your LinkedIn profile as provided by Guy Kawasaki.

BEFORE – LinkedIn Profile Extreme Makeover
AFTER – Guy Kawasaki’s LinkedIn Profile
My LinkedIn Profile (feel free to critique)

• Your summary is your elevator speech. Make it pop.
• Work within your network to beef up your recommendations. With permission, recommendations can also be used as testimonials on your website.
• Find your own strategy for connecting. LinkedIn suggests connecting only with folks you know. Some folks connect to everyone to expand their network. See what works best for you.
• Include a “human” photo.
• Keep your profile complete and up-to-date.
• Get a vanity URL using your name.
• Be sure to add your specialties because people search on it.
• Include past jobs and any board or advisory positions.
• Complete the Additional Information fields – web links, awards, interests and activities.
• Be sure to include how you want to be contacted and WHO you want to contact you.

• Make Your LinkedIn Profile Work for You
• Keeping Your Facebook Profile Professional
• Build a Facebook Profile You Can Be Proud Of

Tagged as: facebook, LinkedIn, social media primer, twitter