The following is a guest post by James Adams.  Enjoy it, and share your thoughts on these tips in the comments section below.

Your personal brand separates you from the nameless masses. The label that you place on yourself identifies who you are and what you do. To promote that personal trademark, your strategy needs to include social networking venues like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn and Technorati. Establish long-term goals for your personal brand and work toward a definitive purpose. Here are several tips for developing your personal brand.

Planning is essential

Before embarking on your brand quest, set specific goals. What do you want others to think when you speak about yourself? Take a critical and objective look at where you are now. Set realistic goals based on those observations. These goals should not be hollow. It is easier to create a map when you know your destination.

Find your niche

Where do your opinions diverge from the conventional thinking? What aspects of your expertise have not gotten enough attention? What sets you apart from those who have already created their personal brand? Knowing this information will help you further define your own identity.

Treat it like a strategy game

In strategy games, you need to think several moves ahead. You need to have contingency plans for your opponent’s activities. The best time to come up with alternatives and branding ‘moves’ is before you go live with your ideas.

Engage social platforms

You have been told that you need to have a presence within every single social networking sphere. Each audience is different. Each sphere adds to your brand and your personal reputation. Start with two or three methods of engaging your audience. Use forums and LinkedIn. Use Twitter and your personal blog. Pick two of these platforms. Watch the activity within these arenas to determine whether they are appropriate for your needs.

Perform a trial run

Bloggers can lose interest in their subject long before they have established a personal reputation. Before advertising yourself and establishing authority, make sure that you can follow a writing schedule. This will prove that you can stay on subject as well as give you content.

Execution is the next step

After developing a framework for your personal branding strategy, you need to execute your plan. Each step for the first year should be planned. You should know how often you will post on your blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook. You should know what your profile will say on LinkedIn, and which blogs on which you want to guest post. Give yourself ample time to determine the effectiveness of the campaign.

Domain name

Choose your domain name based on the personal brand which you wish to create. If you are the X expert, make sure a correlation is made between you and X. The simplest option is to fashion a domain based on your name or a permutation of your name.

Interaction

You know who the movers and shakers are within your field. They are the ones with thousands of unique monthly readers. They are the ones with whom you need to associate. Interact with the bloggers of your favorite blogs by intelligently commenting. Do not say, ‘hey, nice post,’ but give those people an idea of why you enjoyed the post and why it was poignant. This gives you exposure and a reason for readers to come to your blog.

Scheduling

Create a schedule which is based on your personal habits. Do you write your words for the week in a single sitting? Do you wish to have a theme for the following week? Each move which is made should be absolutely deliberate. Focus on having more interactions which will positively promote your brand.

Planning is the foundation of your personal brand. Execution builds the structure of that brand. Your brand is your business and your reputation.

James Adams currently works at Cartridge Save where he reviews and compares printer ink.

Photo credit, susanne nybergh.

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To some, Lady Gaga is the ultimate poster child for personal branding success – and to others, she represents a perfect example of taking it too far.  Gaga is truly a polarizing figure, and her tendency to do things like wear dresses made of meat ensures she will remain that way.

Yet, one particular lesson learned from Lady Gaga isn’t extreme or shocking – in fact, it is quite simple and rooted in common sense.  During a recent concert (which I attended, insert jokes in the comment section), Lady Gaga hinted at her upcoming album and a few early critiques she has received.  The critical consensus is that the album might not appeal to those who aren’t fans of hers already.  Her response… “Who cares?  Nothing matters more to me than my current fans.”

Thus, I give you the Lady Gaga Rule of Social Networking:

Appreciate the importance of your current network.  Finding new connections should be secondary to maintaining existing relationships.

Admittedly, this can be a difficult rule to remember – especially across the social web.  With your number of Twitter followers, Linkedin connections, Facebook friends, etc on constant display, it’s easy to get caught up in the “hunt for more”.

And of course it is true that Lady Gaga likely has about 200 million more “connections” than you.  No matter. This principle applies whether your network totals 4500 or 45.  As with most things in life, successful networking is “quality over quantity”.

What are a few ways by which you can show your appreciation for your current network?  We are presented with endless opportunities everyday, really.  Here are a couple of easy ones:

• Dig through your old Rolodex or contact list and dial up a few old connections with whom you’ve lost touch.
• Monitor your Linkedin connections for recent profile updates.  Profile updates show when a connection may have been hired, fired, or promoted – all instances in which you’d likely want to reach out.
• Make a Twitter list of your favorite tweeters (especially folks you know “in real life”) and seek opportunities to retweet their articles or individual tweets.
• Check your email inbox – any messages from your network that have gone unresponded to for far too long?

None of the action items described above are rocket science.  (Unless you are a rocket scientist who has lost touch with your fellow rocket scientists…)  But, tasks like these are essential to nurturing existing relationships.

So, while the lure of the “new connection” and unseen opportunity around the corner can be enticing, keep the Lady Gaga Rule of Social Networking in mind.  Show each friend or current/former colleague how much you value them – and avoid turning a solid relationship into a bad romance.

Photo credit, VJ Alisa.

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Confession: I’m obsessed with thinking up new and original ideas. Unhealthily obsessed?  Maybe.  Some time ago, a reader here commented that there’s “nothing new under the sun”.  In other words – people have been on this Earth for a long time and nearly every good idea has already been taken.  And she was 99% correct.  But that remaining 1%?  That 1% is what keeps me up at night.

Many bloggers today run successful websites and drive loads of traffic by repackaging and finessing work that sits elsewhere on the web.  Take an existing idea, tweak it a bit, slap it on the web, and repeat.  This practice is nearly fool-proof in attracting site visitors and wooing search engines.  But, it is fool-proof in all ways but one – these bloggers are actually fooling themselves.

In my view, your blog should be an outlet of your brain.  Take those one-of-a-kind neurons firing around in that head of yours, and deliver messages that are uniquely yours.  Communicate enough unique messages, and before you know it your “personal brand” tends to emerge.

But, if you are simply regurgitating the ideas of others, you aren’t building a personal brand. You are showing that you can turn on a computer, search the web and use copy/paste.  You and about 3 billion other people.

What can you do then, to recognize great ideas that are already out there?  Lots.  Take this article by Naomi Dunford entitled Make Them Love You. THEN Ask For Money. I read it, and instantly loved it.  My first instinct wasn’t to steal this idea and repackage it on my blog.  My first instinct was to share the hell out of it.  In no particular order, I:

• Tweeted a link to it.
• Shared it in Google Reader.
• Bookmarked it to Delicious.
• E-mailed it to a friend.
• Stumbled it.
• Commented on it.
• Vowed to myself I’d find a way to link to it here (check).

Naomi deserved full credit for a superbly intelligent article, and my network deserved to learn from it.  Mission accomplished.

Admittedly though, reading brilliant ideas from writers like Naomi does make me jealous for about half a second – until I realize that we all have the same opportunity to stretch our brains and find a bit of our own brilliance.  That thought is precisely what keeps me up at night.

Case in point:  This article of mine from last year on using QR codes on resumes and business cards seemed to be an utterly crazy idea at the time.  I hadn’t seen the idea anywhere else.  And when I published it, the post seemed to be a major flop.  But strangely enough, fast forward to today and that article of mine gets more Google hits than any other.  Being that it was (at least to me) my own original idea, it makes me pretty damn proud.

So, my suggestion to you is this:  If you are blogging to build a brand – strive to find ideas that you can claim as yours and nobody else’s. Will you swing and miss at times?  Absolutely.  But keep in mind that those other content regurgitators are never going to hit one out of the park – but you just might.

What do you think? Am I overvaluing the power of new and original ideas?  Or, do you have an original idea of yours that made you particularly proud?

photo credit: Cayusa

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The Stone Age…The Industrial Revolution…The Information Age…we’ve come a long way in the last several thousand years.  Where exactly are we today?  We’ve entered The Era of Social Sharing. Today’s generation is one that salivates to share anything and everything.  Articles, images, videos, location, status updates, etc.

In this web-driven world, sharing and networking go hand in hand.  Give folks the information they want, when they want it – and you become indispensable.  If you need a little help finding ways to share content online, try one of these 11 methods.

11.  Google Buzz

When Google Buzz first launched, there was an amazing amount of, well…buzz.  The buzz has since died down to a bit of a low hum, due to initial privacy concerns and a tendency towards information overload.  But, the fact remains – via its’ GMail integration, Google Buzz has an enormous user base built in.  And it works via mobile.

10.  Digg

Digg.com is a way to share articles and videos that you find particularly compelling.  If enough of your fellow Digg’ers do the same, the content finds its way into a featured position.  Not the most efficient way to share every piece of relevant content you come across – but a good spot for the best of the very best.

9.  Flickr

For the artistically inclined, Flickr represents a fantastic way to share images across the web.  Even for the utterly un-artistic like myself, Flickr is a unique place to store and link to relevant graphic images.

8.  Stumbleupon

Stumbleupon is an often forgotten way to share content online.  The main premise is simple – add links to articles you like, and they enter the stream of randomly served pages that users see.  If other users also like the article, it is served to more and more people.

How do I know that Stumbleupon is still a relevant mode of content sharing?  Roughly 40% of this blog’s traffic is referred by the site.

7.  Google Reader

I can’t explain how much I love Google Reader as a content absorption tool – I simply couldn’t live without it.  But, it is also a fantastic method for sharing content.  By clicking the “share” button after reading an article, it instantly enters the streams of those who follow me.  My RSS feed delivers work from my favorite authors, and my shared items list serves as a repository for the best of the best.

6.  Delicious

Delicious.com is a tasty way to bookmark favorite articles and websites for both storage and sharing.  Firefox and Chrome add-ons make it a one-click process to bookmark any site on the web.  The simple tagging feature allows you to organize bookmarks by category for future reference – at the same time allowing your network to easily sort through your favorite articles.

5.  Linkedin

To some, Linkedin is a static Rolodex of contacts.  To others, it is a dynamic place to share and view content of all sorts with your immediate network and relevant groups.  I highly recommend the latter!  Linkedin is constantly updating their interface to allow for super-simple sharing of status updates, profile changes, and interesting web content.

Who better to share relevant info with than your closest network of professional contacts?

4.  Facebook

Like it or not, Facebook is the 800 pound gorilla of social networking today.  Yet, many forget that the site represents a way to share so much more than mundane daily updates.  By sharing compelling articles in your news feed, you just might surprise a few friends and family.  Similarly, by “Liking” pages or links, you are sharing your approval of that content with your network – a very powerful way to spread content around.

3.  Twitter

Ah, yes – Twitter, the golden child of the social sharing era.  Over 20 billion tweets have been sent to date.  And yes, 40% of them contain pointless babble…but so many other tweets represent a concise way to deliver insights and/or link to long-form content.

Most of the content I share or absorb in a given day comes from my Twitter network.  The most trusted form of shared content is that which is retweeted – signaling that multiple people find it to be compelling (a good sign you will too).

2.  E-Mail

You might not view your old Yahoo! Mail account last used in 1999 to be the ideal form of content delivery.  Yet, behind Facebook, e-mail still represented the 2nd most common way to share information as of 2009.

For the quick and direct delivery of content (one-to-one or one-to-many) e-mail simply can’t be beat.  Tweet an article to 5,000 followers and 10 might read it.  E-mail the same article to 10 colleagues and all 10 just might click the link within minutes.

1.  Your Blog

As usual, there is no better way to communicate than via your very own blog.  For example…when I collect and broadcast the best personal branding articles of the month, I’m able to accomplish several things at once.  I efficiently distribute the info to a wide group, I show the authors my appreciation for their work, and I store the list to be viewed by anyone at a later date.  Triple whammy.

What about you?  Do you use these tools regularly, or are there any other super modes of content delivery that I’ve missed?

Share the Love by gr3m.

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This article by Cassie Wallace is a follow-up to Why Undergrads Can’t Ignore Social Media.  For more of Cassie’s digital marketing, SEO or social media work, visit her website or say hello on Twitter.

Last time, I discussed why undergrads are lacking strong online social media presences, and why they really can’t keep ignoring it.

As I wrote in the 1st article in this 2-part sequence, expanding your social media usage beyond Facebook stalking allows you to “populate the first page of search results for your name with content you control and establish yourself as someone who “gets” it to potential employers.”

“Okay, that’s great,” you’re thinking. “But what do I do?”

First, find out your Google Grade. If you haven’t done much online, it’s probably not so good. And since a majority of employers scope out applicants on Google, that’s not so good either.

So here are the 5 easiest, yet most crucial, ways to establish a stronger brand and produce better search results for your name. (Don’t believe me? Google me. I didn’t have 1 result on the first page 6 months ago.)

1.  Reserve your domain name. It costs about 25 dollars a year on GoDaddy to register and host a .com. Use your full, most frequently used name. Tip: If the .com is taken, try hyphenating or buying the .net or .org.

2.  Read. Keeping up on current trends in your field is crucial to knowing the best way to position your personal brand. In fact, 85% percent of your personal branding efforts should take place behind-the-scenes. Following relevant people on Twitter is an easy way to stay informed; also, sign up and familiarize yourself with Digg, use Google Reader to subscribe to and stay in touch with blogs, and stumble with StumbleUpon to unearth random yet relevant tidbits. Tip: These tools have a learning curve. Take it slow, but keep on plugging. Eventually, your Google Reader will look like a perfectly organized library of industry information.

3. Get at least 85% complete on LinkedIn. This means your current job, 2 previous positions, where you go to school, a profile summary, text in the specialties section, and a photo. The remaining 15% is awarded in increments of 5% for each of 3 recommendations that are required to become 100% complete. It can take some time to connect with people and encourage them to recommend you (and you definitely should).  But, the rest you can do on your own, so there is no excuse for not doing so. Tip: If you haven’t had 2 previous internships, research positions, or other relevant experience, use a job from high school like churning out bagel sandwiches. It looks better than nothing.

4.  Tweet, tweet. Ideally, your Twitter handle would be your full name. If that’s not possible, try to do some variation on it or at least something unique to you. Fill out all of the information, including providing an interesting, professional bio.  Tweet about recent news in your industry, and follow others in your field. ‘Social’ize with them. You’ll be surprised with how quickly you can make connections with people on Twitter; the communication barrier between a CEO and a freshman in college is significantly lowered. Tip: That said, don’t be obnoxious. Learn, synthesize, and comment, but don’t shout opinions like a know-it-all youngin’.

5.  Put something on your domain name. The sooner the better. Even if it’s a one-page, slick, professional, black & white version of your resume with your photo on the side, Google will find it.
Tip: Now that you have something solid on here, put this domain as your Twitter URL and one of your LinkedIn links (the other 2 could be your school and last internship company).

Give it a few weeks to a few months, stay active on social media networks, and check your Google Grade again. I guarantee it will improve, even if I can’t give you your money back for this free post.

Cassie Wallace is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University who specializes in social media and search engine optimization. You can find her marketing portfolio at http://cassiewallace.net, and connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Photo credit, mburpee.

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The following is Part 1 of a 2 Part series by guest blogger Cassie Wallace, a Carnegie Mellon student with marketing and SEO expertise.  Find out more about Cassie here, or click here to read Part 2.

I’ve been hearing some interesting things from my college friends when it comes to social media.

One told me she wouldn’t use LinkedIn because “she was just a nobody” (she’s a Masters student, applying to top PhD programs, with impressive research and community involvement under her belt); another asked what exactly employers didn’t want to see online; and a third professed to just adding whoever requested to connect on LinkedIn without ever filling out the profile because she didn’t know what it was all about.

What?!? What happened to our generation being digital natives?

Their lack of understanding of and hesitance about social media for professional applications intrigued me. While almost 100% of my friends, their friends, and their friends’ friends have Facebook, most of my peers’ LinkedIn profiles are only about 25% complete (if they have them at all) and few have Twitter or other social networking accounts. But I have never thought in depth about why.

So why? Why, although millions of college kids use Facebook religiously, do they avoid other social networks?

Here are some of the reasons undergrads might lack strong, cross-network online personal brands (add your ideas in the comments section).

Privacy and paranoia. Many people, young and old alike, feel secure on Facebook because they can set custom privacy settings that seem to block out the world. However, as time and trial have showed, Facebook’s privacy is far from lock-tight. And besides, you shouldn’t be doing or saying anything you don’t want the world to see anyway.

Obliviousness. I think many students have just never given a second thought to the fact that they could leverage the internet to help them professionally, beyond using job boards. (Pass this article along so we can change that!)

Busy schedules. Effective social media engagement takes time. You need to set up profiles, maintain them, build and foster relationships, and read and comment on other people’s content. College students, while often thought as fun-loving partiers, actually struggle to balance rigorous coursework, extracurricular activities, and function as independent adults for the first time. However, this can often be an “excuse” instead of a “reason” – 15 minutes less on Facebook and 15 more on Twitter sounds efficient to me.

“I’m not there yet.” Students often fall into the trap of seeing professional communication and networking as something for the realm of “professionals”, forgetting that they will join those ranks in a mere few years. If students feel they nothing to talk about, they should still log on and listen – eventually something will strike a chord and elicit a response, putting their social media communication in motion. And internships and undergrad research definitely count as experience.

No matter what their reasons, undergrads can’t continue ignoring the other social networks. While Facebook has its place, other platforms can be more valuable for your personal brand, allowing you to populate the first page of search results for your name with content you control, and establish yourself as someone who “gets” it to potential employers, who are definitely using social networks.

While a Managing Director or HR person wouldn’t friend you on Facebook, he or she might see your intelligent YouTube tutorial videos, engage with you in a Twitter chat, and or see an answer of yours on LinkedIn.

If you’re only a sophomore, the job search seems ages away. But these and other effective personal branding tactics can pay off in both large and small ways along the road – whether it’s an internship or project offer now, a connection to another Director, or even that being remembered during a job interview.

Next time, I’ll go beyond discussion and give actionable ways that undergrads can begin establishing their brand online.

Cassie Wallace is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University who specializes in social media and search engine optimization. You can find her marketing portfolio at http://cassiewallace.net, and connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Photo credit: Icky Pic.

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You probably think you have a darn good grasp of how you portray yourself to the world wide web – and maybe you are right.  But, is it possible that the overall message you convey is different than expected?  Here is an unusual method to potentially discover unseen truths about your online communications – and three ways to go about it.

The following semi-unscientific method uses Wordle.net to create “word clouds” of any website or chunk of text you specify.  Essentially, the application ranks all the words used by frequency, and enlarges those words used most often.  Learn more about word clouds and Wordle here.

What do you think the most commonly used words would be for your:

• Blog?
• Twitter stream?
• Linkedin profile (or resume)?

Here is the word cloud for this blog, Personal Branding 101.  See anything interesting or unexpected?  I notice that my own name doesn’t show up anywhere and I mention social media tools a heck of a lot.  As expected, “personal branding” and “personal brand” dominate the page.  What would the top four or five words be for your blog?

This image is a little more interesting – it is the word cloud for my Twitter stream, going all the way back to my first tweet a year ago.  Who knew I sent so many RTs about personal branding?  (OK, maybe that was obvious).  But, who knew I said “thanks” so darn much?

To gather data for your entire Twitter history, visit TweetStats.com, enter your Twitter ID, and click “Tweet Cloud”.  In the middle right, there is an option to convert to a more aesthetically pleasing Wordle.

This final option will be most intriguing for job-seekers.  Ever wonder what the net impression of your resume or Linkedin profile might be?  Simply copy/paste the entire contents into the Wordle text field, and…presto.

Here is the word cloud for my Linkedin profile.  Interestingly (yet expected), the focus shifts from personal branding to advertising, media, and investments (as that is what I do for a living).  What would you expect yours to show?

This method is by no means fool-proof.  It is simply a fun, easy way to explore the messages you broadcast across the web.  Try it out, and let me know what you discover.

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If you are reading this article, chances are strong that you are technologically savvy.  Either you’ve bought an iPad, are thinking about it, or are dreaming of the possibility.  In any case, you are likely wondering if the iPad is just a fancy toy, or if it is a powerful personal branding tool like we’ve never seen before.  I’m leaning towards the latter – check out these ten iPad apps and decide for yourself.

[Note to you: Check out this similar article on Personal Branding Blog that beat me to the punch by a few hours. Note to self: Publish your posts immediately!]

1.  WordPress (free)

Admittedly, blogging from the iPhone version of WordPress was a tall task due to the small size of the keyboard.  Now, the experience is not unlike blogging from a desktop or laptop.  Check out Ben Parr’s Mashable article detailing one of the first blog posts written via the iPad.

2.  Tweetdeck (free)

Tweetdeck has always been my favorite desktop Twitter app.  Given that the folks at Tweetdeck are always one step ahead of the curve, it comes as no surprise that their iPad app was ready immediately, and launched without a hitch.  If your motto is “Give me Twitter or give me death”, this app is for you.

3.  Sketchnotes ($2.99)

When I first heard of the iPad, I wondered how long it would take to create an app that allowed for both typing and manual “writing” of notes.  The answer?  It took no time at all, as Sketchnotes was available immediately.  Here is a video of Sketchnotes in action.

4.  Kindle (free)

In 2010, books aren’t dead – they are just “different”.  In fact, technology like the iPad may actually help the book industry long-term, not hurt it.  Going on a beach vacation?  Bring one iPad, not a suitcase full of books.  Which leads me to #5…

5.  iBooks (free)

At the outset, many will stick with the Kindle app they know and love – but eventually, Apple’s own iBooks will likely rule the digital book scene.  Incorporating with iTunes, your music, movie, and book libraries will all become one.  Efficient, cheaper, and better for the environment.  Can’t argue with that!

6.  Box.net (free)

Today’s version of  “the dog ate my homework” is “I can’t access the file”.  And you know what?  Box.net pretty much blows that excuse out of the water.  With the web-based service of box.net, you can store all your content and access it via desktop, mobile, and yes…even iPad.  Saving to desktop is out, storing “in the clouds” is in.

7.  Evernote (free)

All the cool kids today are in love with Evernote, and the iPad version is only going to take that love to a new level.  Evernote is a cloud-based application that allows you to take notes, pictures, and audio recordings, and store them by date, category, or location.  Never let another brilliant idea slip into oblivion – capture it with Evernote.

8.  Dragon Dication (free)

Dragon Dictation is a simple, yet brilliant, application that is truly the wave of the future.  You speak, it types, you use the text however you like – text message, e-mail, blog post, whatever.  With Dragon Dication, “write” your next blog article while laying on the couch.  How is that for productivity!

My only caveat is that the speech-to-text function is not perfect.  But, with the iPad’s larger keyboard, editing is now a breeze. Check it out in action.

9.  Feeddler RSS (free)

My Google Reader feed has replaced any traditional outlet as my #1 source for news.  Completely customizable, I cut through the clutter and read only what I want to read.  Why use Feeddler RSS for iPad instead of simply accessing Google Reader directly?  Because it stores and syncs your feeds for offline use while you are away from wifi or 3G.  Brilliant!

10. iWork ($10 per app)

The iWork suite combines Keynote, Numbers, and Pages – roughly equivalent to PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.  In a world where we demand everything be free, $30 seems like a steep price for the lot.  But, the ability to create powerful documents and presentations from a park bench is priceless, so let’s not squabble.

Given the fluid and ever-changing nature of technology today, this list of top iPad apps might be outdated by the time you read this.  Picture and video related apps are noticeably absent, as the iPad has no camera.  Facebook and Linkedin do not presently offer official iPad apps.  Expect that to change.

What do you think?  Does owning an iPad offer a competitive advantage, or is it just another shiny toy that serves as a distraction?

Photo credit, www.Apple.com.

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Remember when “one” used to be so amazingly exciting? Your first car, your first kiss, even your first job.  You’ve probably experienced some pretty thrilling “ones” while building your personal brand as well.  Every one of your early Twitter followers or blog subscribers probably knocked your socks off.  Fast forward to today.  Does every new “one” pump you up like it did before?  If not…why not?

I’ll admit it.  I remember my first few Twitter followers vividly.  I couldn’t believe that each of them wanted to follow ME, and listen to MY silly tweets.  I studied their profiles carefully and pondered how they might have found me.  I also remember my first blog comment, and the proud feelings that surrounded it.  But, unfortunately I must admit that today I sometimes forget to even check my new Twitter followers.  Who are they, what are they about?  I don’t have the slightest clue, because sometimes I forget the value of “one” – and fall into the trap of seeing “just another one”.

If I hadn’t written this article, I never would have noticed that my last few new Twitter followers included:

• Mary Boyle, @CareerExplore, a psychologist with IT, career, and accounting expertise (wow!).
• Matt Javit, @MattJavit, a passionate guy who runs JoeBots.com, helping average Joe’s get “wired and inspired”.
• Todd Schnick, @toddschnick, a radio show co-host and business blogger who is training for a half marathon.

Those three people sound pretty damn interesting, don’t they?  Each one certainly offers something unique that I can learn from.  BUT…I almost missed them.  I almost let my laziness and take-people-for-grantedness prohibit me from seeing the value in paying attention to each of them.  What about you?  Are you missing valuable “ones” every day that simply fade into the crowd?

Technology has made it so we can automate just about everything – especially social media.  Brilliant, right?  We can be “social” without ever lifting a finger or actually paying attention to anyone.  Except for one thing…those kind of actions turn social media into a wasteland of senseless, thoughtless, robotic self-broadcasting.

What can you do about it?  Easy.  Remember what it was like when “one” felt like a million. Make real connections.  Make less connections if you have to – but just make them count.  Did someone retweet you?  Seek them out, and retweet something of theirs.  Get a new blog comment?  Find their best blog post and leave a thoughtful comment of your own.

None of this is rocket science, to be sure.  Just a simple math lesson, and a subtle, self-directed kick in the ass to remind me that “one” is as valuable as ever.

Image credit, John Ayo.

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Many blog experts graciously and frequently share their secrets on how to create and maintain an amazing blog.  Unfortunately, I’m neither a blog expert or willing to pretend like one.  Instead, I’ll share with you seven features of my own blog that presently keep it from being superb.  As you read the public airing of my own “suckiness” below, ask yourself whether or not you are making any of these same mistakes.

1. Inconsistency

The top blogs pump out consistently great content literally every day.  Me?  Not so much.  I post an average of 1 article per week here at Personal Branding 101.  I can imagine that if my favorite blog only posted once a week…it wouldn’t be my favorite blog any longer.  Consistency is key when attempting to establish and continue an ongoing relationship with blog readers/subscribers.

For a great example of a consistently awesome blog, check out Altitude Branding by Amber Naslund.

2. Boring design

You know the popular joke about blogs that have clearly been designed by someone’s 14 year nephew?  Well, I don’t even have a 14 year old nephew.  Loyal readers might see the inner beauty of a site, but new visitors are fairly likely to “judge a blog by its cover”.

Check out Jorgen Sundberg’s site Undercover Recruiter for an example of a simple, yet cool design.

3. Lots of words, no video

Last I checked it was 2010, not 1998.  Adding video to a site is so incredibly easy today that there is no justifiable excuse for omitting the element.  Simply including a quick video now and again allows you to connect with your site visitors in a way that just isn’t possible with text articles alone.

For a great example of a wordsmith who also uses video extremely well, check out Chris Brogan and his video archives here.

4. Few links to external resources

No blog is ever going to be a one-stop shop on a subject, no matter how small the niche.  Since my goal is to help educate my readers on the subjects of interest to them, I need to do a way better job of linking to external resources.  By not including a blogroll or resources page, I am doing a disservice to my readers who want to learn more elsewhere.

Check out  Mohammed Al-Taee’s “Resources” section of AltaeeBlog.com for the best example I’ve seen yet.

5.  Lame “About” pages

About pages are the digital equivalent of the Wal-Mart greeter for your blog.  Unfortunately, my About pages are a bit like a bored, out-of-date greeter who is barely interested in making eye contact.   I haven’t done a good job of addressing the likely question on the mind of every About page reader: “How can you help me?”

For a superb example of how a page can answer the question above, check out Miriam Salpeter’s About page on Keppie Careers.

6.  No guest articles

I think I’m a pretty bright guy (and humble too…), but in no way do I consider myself to be the final authority on personal branding, social media, etc.  By not including any guest posts by peers in my field, I’m inadvertently taking a somewhat pompous stance that my opinions are all that need to be shared.

(Consider this an open invitation – would you like to guest post on Personal Branding 101?  Send an e-mail to ryan@personalbranding101.com)

For guest blogging inspiration, check out Matt Chevy’s page detailing his incredible Guest Blog Grand Tour.

7.  Lack of comments

On the surface, a lack of reader comments might not appear to be the blogger’s fault.  But, there is certainly a reason that some bloggers always generate a ton of comments (besides having more readers).  Comments come as a byproduct of an intriguing call to action.  Personally, I need to do a better job of engaging readers, and highlighting the importance of your opinions – not just mine.

Let’s start now – leave a comment below with a link to your site, and be honest – what could you change to improve your blog?

“Sad cookies” by jima. “Comment” by premasagar.

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While engaging in social media, many focus intently on the absolute number of connections they’ve made – and assess progress based purely on the size of their network. Instead, I prefer to review social media efforts on a more granular level, making certain my actions are focused, effective, and received well by others.  Here are 5 uncommon ways to measure social success that can be calculated no matter the size of your network.

Since I only have access to my individual stats, I’ve used myself as an example for each metric below -  help me make this more interesting by providing your results in the comments section.

Twitter “Follower to List Ratio”

Inclusion within a Twitter list is maybe the purest, most sincere form of appreciation in the social media universe today. The fact that one of your followers respects your opinions enough to single you out and closely track your communication is no small gesture.

When Twitter lists first debuted, I surmised that a new metric would replace absolute follower count as the measure of a Tweeter’s worth – the “Follower to List” ratio.  To calculate your ratio, simply divide your follower count by the number of lists you appear within.  (At present, my ratio is 4,529 to 124, or, 36 to 1. What is yours?)

As Twitter lists have matured and become more prevalent, my stance hasn’t changed a bit.  A high follower count is great, but show me how many of those followers care enough to include you within a specific list.

Retweets per Page View (Blog)

New bloggers (including myself at times) tend to judge blogging success based on page views.  The more readers the better, right?  Well – maybe.  Common sense tells us that more articles on a site will equate to more total site visitors – and in turn, more visitors per new post.  How then, can a blogger truly measure the success of new articles?  One metric I calculate is “retweets per page view”.

Simply put – how many people read the article, and how many of those retweeted it?  The beauty of this metric is that it works whether your article has 12 views or 12,000.  For example, my post on 5 Personal Branding Errors You Can Fix in 5 Minutes has received 800 page views and 74 retweets (or, 1 retweet for every 10.8 page views).  Measuring this post against others, I can easily see that it resonated with my audience in a way that others did not.

Comments per Page View (Blog)

Similar to the above, this metric pits page views against unique comments for each individual blog post (not counting your own comments).  For some, building a community and increasing engagement within their blog is the number one goal – if so, this metric is likely to be a huge indicator of success.

Personally, many of my posts rate pretty poorly for this metric, something I definitely need to evaluate.  But, when I compare ratios across articles, I see that it is “thought pieces” that receive more comments per page view, up to a ratio of 1 comment per every 24 page views.

Which posts of yours rate highest for this metric?  Why?

Linkedin Profile Views

I find huge value in the little-referenced “Who’s viewed my profile?” section of a Linkedin profile page.  In this section, Linkedin identifies how many visitors have viewed your profile in the last X days, and identifies these visitors by name, title, and/or industry.

If you are looking to build a solid, reputable network, the number of outside profile views should be of major importance to you.  Essentially, this figure helps signify how much interest folks have to connect with, or learn more about you.  A low number might suggest that your profile is difficult to locate, or that you’ve failed to provide folks reason enough to seek you out.  Make sure to snag a unique URL for your Linkedin profile.

What is your number of Linkedin profile views lately?  Who exactly has viewed your profile – and why do you think they chose to do so?

Linkedin Search Results Appearances

Like the above metric, you can determine the number of times your Linkedin profile has appeared in a search via the “Who’s viewed my profile” section.  For job seekers, this number should be routinely scrutinized.  A low or declining value suggests that your Linkedin profile is lacking the keywords that recruiters are searching for – not good!  The power of keywords in your social media profiles can make the difference between getting found and getting ignored.

Reconfigure your profile to include relevant keywords, and keep an eye on your number of search appearances.  See any difference?

The 5 social media success metrics above are not often quoted, yet I think there is value in each one.  How did you fare for each of the metrics?  Find any gaping holes in your social media presence or strategy – or any huge victories you hadn’t previously identified?  Let me know in the comments section below!

Tape measure by Darren Hester.  Comment Love by miss miah.

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I apologize for the profane headline.  Pretty shitty move by me, I won’t let it happen again.  But, there is simply no way around it, the “social media shit test” is the perfectly titled way to determine if your social media presence is awesome or awful.

Finding success in the social web is fairly simple, really. Be yourself, be honest, and be respectful.  Constantly add value to your network, and build relationships – not meaningless numbers.

Sometimes though, in a sea of tweets, blog posts and status updates, it is easy to lose sight of the principles above.  Here to keep you on track is the social media shit test – pose these 4 questions before taking any social media action.

1.  Will this get me into deep shit?

Correct answer: NO

Ask yourself this question before every step you take across the social web.  Sure, 99.9% of the time the answer will be no anyway, but it is worth the millisecond it takes to pose the question.   The most obvious example of failure here is this young woman, who ranted on Facebook about her creep of a boss…whom she forgot was one of her FB friends.

Keep in mind it is perfectly reasonable to rile up a little controversy via a well-stated and unique opinion.  But for your own sake, avoid anything egregious that will ruin relationships or your reputation.

2.  Does this make me look like a selfish piece of shit?

Correct Answer: NO

In person, we generally keep a pretty close eye on how our activities are perceived by those around us.  But online, our judgment is often clouded by the heat of the moment, or the irrational quest for web stardom.

The Honda product manager referenced here decided it wise to provide a Honda Accord review on Facebook without mentioning his employment.  Careless, short-term thinking – and the social web made him pay the price.

What about you?  Is your Twitter presence an endless stream of links to your web page or blog?  Are you spamming your followers with automated direct messages, like these?  Constantly ask yourself “Am I adding value, or am I acting like a selfish piece of shit?”

3.  Is anyone really going to give a shit?

Correct Answer: YES

If you send repetitive updates to your network regarding your herd of sheep and crop of corn on Farmville, do you really think they care?  I’m sorry, but nobody cares that you reached Level 17 of Mafia Wars.  By bombarding your network with such updates, you are signaling loud and clear that you care about you, and not them.

If your network begins to lose interest in some of your updates, ignoring or blocking you completely is not far around the corner.

Take a look at Chris Brogan’s Twitter stream at any given moment.  I’m certain it will be packed with information and interaction, not with a barrage of self-serving updates that don’t benefit his network.  Emulate Chris, not the farmers and mafioso.

4.  Are my methods complete bullshit?

Correct answer: NO

Today’s social web is dominated by tools that make social interaction easier and far more efficient than ever before.  But, always remember that social media is still meant to be just that, “social”. Ignore the fact that you can run scripts to send tweets every ten seconds.  Resist implementing automated tools that steal content and publish it without consent or attribution.

I hate to point negative attention towards just one person, but I feel I must give an example.  This user is heralded as a social media expert (by himself, mainly).  At the time of this writing, he has sent over 356,000 tweets, almost all via automation.  Also, he accidentally published an e-book produced by someone else (although later apologized).

In my eyes, these methods are complete bullshit, and the antithesis of what social media should be.  Instead, aim to mirror the social media activities of Glen Gilmore (@trendtracker).  His tweet stream is filled with three things:

1. Added value to his followers, by way of informative links and opinions.
2. #Hashtags to signify relevant categories.
3. Citation to the original Tweeter(s).

What about you?  Do you see yourself making any of these mistakes, even on a smaller scale?  I’m certain I’ve missed a few other ways to administer a self-diagnosed social media reality check.  I would love your feedback in the comments section, or for you to say hello on Twitter (@RyanRancatore).

Dog sign by funtik.cat, ironically.

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