I've moved my blog to WP: idefiningi.wordpress.com
March 9, 2012
rep (n.)
I've taken on a number of new roles in the social media world over the last couple of months and it's really got me thinking about this funny thing we call "klout". (Do note that, however, I have not chosen it to be my word. Rather, it's rep.) Today, I want to talk about reputation, and what it means to represent yourself in the world these days.
It's been a bit of an upward battle for me, trying to see where I (should) fit in. Let me explain. Almost being a grad from the Master in Publishing program at SFU, I'm at bit of a crossroads when it comes to what form my career will take (a little bit like publishing itself, don't ya think?)
It's making me think hard about how I represent myself to the world, how the world sees me - and especially when it comes to the online world, how tangible my reputation even is. Also, once garnering a kind of reputation I can be proud of, what do I do with it?
I've long been a bit nifty with gadgets, and I enjoy using them (as well as fighting them when they don't work). You can say I'm a bit of a Machead, but I am not an early-adopter. Heck, I just got onto Pinterest (and I'm a bit addicted). I've also long been a traditionalist when it comes to art forms: I still scrapbook; I still print my photos; I still cringe at the thought of saving my writing in the cloud (I just don't trust it entirely - even having my entire blog exist solely in digital format makes me wince sometimes).
I'm crossing the line between online and offline constantly, trying to see how to best balance these two planes on which we all operate as 21st century citizens. Being a publishing graduate student, however, this just adds a whole other element to my navigation of the world.
Facebook decided to change our profiles into timelines, emphasizing our "story" over what once was primarily "the wall". I think this is more than significant. This switch brings our personas to the level of community and corporate pages - our stories can be subscribed to. It also embarks to give value to a business' history, present and future and how it tells its story. The holy, omnipresent Facebook has framed the world of society and commerce as a bunch of entities that have reputations to uphold, stories to (re)present. Amidst it all, I'm left to wonder how to best utilize my energy and time to make sure that I represent myself (and my affiliations) effectively and in the right places. It's plain tough (if not impossible) to successfully manage a personal portfolio that exists on a few dozen networks - both offline and online.
I'm gradually delving deeper into the world of social media, becoming more active in more places: As a social media coordinator/online marketer for Global Mechanic Media, as well as a social media engagement officer for the IABC, I'm all over the map: I'm figuring out new strategies and using new tools to boost publicity and increase engagement online; I'm pushing cool new products (like Sir Bit!) and developing content strategy - and all the while I'm also trying to balance my engagement. I engage on a face-to-face level with people in appropriate industries, attend meet ups, find local tweetups, and network at conferences. I'm doing all of this, mind you, while also having what we once unambiguously called "a social life" - I attend concerts and go to parties; I work hard at being a good friend, daughter and girlfriend - generally speaking, while being tapped in online, I also participate in the "real" world (can we still call it that?)
What I'm finding is that I'm incredibly engaged on both a professional and personal level when I use online networking and content discovery tools in tandem with making "real" connections. I try to strike a balance so that when I assess my "klout", I'm assessing my online and offline rep - so that I'm influencing others and being influenced in the most appropriate places and in the most beneficial ways to myself and those around me. We want to feel human. Yet, I also think the human experience is evolving to be very active in an ephemeral place: online.
There's much to be had online, and if we're not active there, are we missing out on an aspect of what it means to be a social being today?
In today's world, I think we benefit from having all kinds of (somewhat paradoxical) "social skills": an ability to multitask while being able to concentrate; being adaptable but also committed; being human, yet always correct; being in many places at once, but always present; being able to think quickly, but also deeply; being open but also judgmental; being hopeful while also cautious and cynical; being creative yet reasoned and restrained; being charming and genuine; being connected and independent...the list goes on.
In a couple of weeks, I'll be sharing some of my (layman) knowledge and experience of social media at Using Social Media to Advance Your Graduate Career panel at SFU, Burnaby. As I think about what advice I'll be imparting, I know I won't be able to stress enough how necessary it is to be personable, not just social, to maintain a good rep.
It's making me think hard about how I represent myself to the world, how the world sees me - and especially when it comes to the online world, how tangible my reputation even is. Also, once garnering a kind of reputation I can be proud of, what do I do with it?
I've long been a bit nifty with gadgets, and I enjoy using them (as well as fighting them when they don't work). You can say I'm a bit of a Machead, but I am not an early-adopter. Heck, I just got onto Pinterest (and I'm a bit addicted). I've also long been a traditionalist when it comes to art forms: I still scrapbook; I still print my photos; I still cringe at the thought of saving my writing in the cloud (I just don't trust it entirely - even having my entire blog exist solely in digital format makes me wince sometimes).
I'm crossing the line between online and offline constantly, trying to see how to best balance these two planes on which we all operate as 21st century citizens. Being a publishing graduate student, however, this just adds a whole other element to my navigation of the world.
I'm gradually delving deeper into the world of social media, becoming more active in more places: As a social media coordinator/online marketer for Global Mechanic Media, as well as a social media engagement officer for the IABC, I'm all over the map: I'm figuring out new strategies and using new tools to boost publicity and increase engagement online; I'm pushing cool new products (like Sir Bit!) and developing content strategy - and all the while I'm also trying to balance my engagement. I engage on a face-to-face level with people in appropriate industries, attend meet ups, find local tweetups, and network at conferences. I'm doing all of this, mind you, while also having what we once unambiguously called "a social life" - I attend concerts and go to parties; I work hard at being a good friend, daughter and girlfriend - generally speaking, while being tapped in online, I also participate in the "real" world (can we still call it that?)
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| For a great article about managing time on social media. |
There's much to be had online, and if we're not active there, are we missing out on an aspect of what it means to be a social being today?
In today's world, I think we benefit from having all kinds of (somewhat paradoxical) "social skills": an ability to multitask while being able to concentrate; being adaptable but also committed; being human, yet always correct; being in many places at once, but always present; being able to think quickly, but also deeply; being open but also judgmental; being hopeful while also cautious and cynical; being creative yet reasoned and restrained; being charming and genuine; being connected and independent...the list goes on.
In a couple of weeks, I'll be sharing some of my (layman) knowledge and experience of social media at Using Social Media to Advance Your Graduate Career panel at SFU, Burnaby. As I think about what advice I'll be imparting, I know I won't be able to stress enough how necessary it is to be personable, not just social, to maintain a good rep.
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