Have you ever sat and gone through a drawer full of pictures? Besides traveling down memory lane; I am sure you have found yourself laughing at the hair, the clothes and in some cases even the circumstances. There’s the picture of me for example in fourth grade with a curly perm afro, velour shirt and a full set of braces! Wow.. how could they have let me out of the house looking like that?
Today the kids are snapping away pictures of themselves faster than it’s possible to imagine. Many already have their own channels on YouTube and are engaged socially via images of themselves in a way that this generation is leading. I for one learn lots about what is happening in Instagramming and Tumbling from my own teen and folks, this is the way they communicate. This is our future.
One of the most important lessons this generation can still learn from us, that carries over into their digital world, is the use of manners, ethics and first impressions. What to say and what not to post is something that parents are still teaching and teens are learning to navigate carefully. I for one have taken this Brave New Digital World by the horns and tried to demonstrate that this is the YOU that is seen by all and yes, it is all there in it’s pretty and ugly realism years from now. So be careful who you project to the universe!
As we go through this holiday season, now is a great time to reflect on who you are and what you have accomplished this past year. It is also a great time to decide to project a new you, a more professional you especially in the social media world in the upcoming year. Reaching out into the wild web with a thoughtful resume will surely put you in a better position for a new job, an opportunity to meet someone or to reinvent yourself! We all know profile pics and daily face book posts that are sometimes telling and amusing although who is not already tired of seeing what some of us are having for dinner or doing on a vacation? The reality is this is the way we communicate and what we share tells so much about us. The real question to ask yourself is what you have out there exactly what you want others to see and to know?
Recently I joined Linkedin… within one month I had 10 million links. Now if that doesn’t make you stand up I don’t know what will! The profile pics that I have seen on there are “good” but I have set about as one of my tasks to improve them. You are a brand… that brand is YOU is my newest motto. Your profile pics should be a reflection of who you want others to see you as their potential employer/employee or client. Posting a non professional pic actually projects a non professional image. It’s like screaming to the whole world and it’s a scream that is not in tune with what you are looking for. Recently we launched Headshot Wednesday’s where everybody can drop into the studio and have a professional headshot taken for $100.00 retouched and digitally downloadable. The response has been huge! In addition there’s a spot to tell others more about yourself and I have offered to write. Truly in our digital universe your page or channel is like your calling card. It’s out there so that everyone who drops by your page sees who you are and what you have done. Why not make sure that YOU look as fabulous as you can and what is written to describe you reflects the best you in 2014?
Happy Holidays & Take Care of YOU!
