Posts Tagged: 'social media'

Notes from Alt: Social Media 101

February 22, 2013   |   No Comments

This recap rounds out my Alt Summit experience quite nicely, and bookends the other recaps I’ve posted on my blog during the past few weeks. What follows is an overview of my most beloved social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

 

Although the Alt Summit session was titled Following the Conversation: Social Media 101, I still learned a thing or two from our four panelists: Erin Souder of House of Earnest, Allison Silber of Engaged & Inspired, Kelly Beall of Design Crush, and Meg Biram of Meg Biram – The Edit.

 

• For example, did you know it’s best for your Twitter and Instagram usernames to be identical?

 

• Do you use Pinterest to promote your own work?

 

• Have you considered creating a Twitter list of people with whom you wish to continually network?

 

These three tips alone were enough to get me thinking about my social media activity, and how it can always be improved – regardless of the platform or purpose.

 

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

 

>> What social media platform do you prefer? Got any tips or tricks to share? Comment below!

Notes from Alt: Online Organization

February 13, 2013   |   4 Comments

Not long after I starting spending significant time online exploring email, social media, and other websites, I discovered a problem: I was quickly growing overwhelmed.

 

So much great content! So little time! 

 

It appeared I was wading my way through countless levels of communication and the like while missing some of my most beloved blogs, my most enjoyable emails. And while I have since learned how to navigate my online experience, I’m always open to new methods of productivity.

 

That’s largely why Erin Loechner’s Alt Summit presentation last month on organizing one’s online life piqued my interested. Erin, of the popular blog Design for Mankind and an impassioned advocate of the slow blogging movement, provided suggestions on staying organized and maximizing efficiency while working, living, and playing online.

 

One of Erin’s key points, which is outlined in my Haiku Deck below, is this wonderful idea of Golden Hours. Erin suggests tackling your biggest, most creative, most ambitious projects during your Golden Hours: the time of the day you work best.

 

Anyone who follows me on social knows that my Golden Hours are between 5 and 10 a.m. My creativity is at its sharpest while rising with the sun each morning. In college, I was a night owl. But today? I’m an early bird through and through.

 

During your Golden Hours, click through my notes recapping Erin’s presentation and ask yourself: How can you make time to dive into your projects that matter most?

 

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

 

>> Have a favorite app to stay organized online? Share it!

 

>> A more detailed recap of Erin’s January 25 Alt Summit presentation is available at Design for Mankind.

Notes from Alt: Personal Branding

February 5, 2013   |   7 Comments

Personal branding is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Unexpectedly, following the 2010 publication of Nerdy Thirty, my first book, my idea of personal branding took on a life of its own. Without knowing it, my book and my work promoting its pages culminated into who I was as a writer and (if I’m honest: a nerdy!) woman.

 

Countless organizations have asked me to write about and discuss this idea of personal branding. (A secret? It’s much more than simply social media.) So when I discovered a personal branding session last month at Alt Summit, I was curious to hear another woman’s perspective.

 

The energy, expertise, humor, approachability, honesty, and passion put forth from the podium by our speaker, wedding photographer Jasmine Star, made me a personal brand believer yet again.

 

Jasmine articulated what it means to build one’s brand, how to maintain its momentum, and the easiest way to identify your audience. And trust me when I say that Jasmine’s Alt Summit remarks were about far, far more than photography. (Although her presentation slides were pretty as a … well … picture.)

 

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

 

What have you done today to enhance your personal brand? What has worked for you in the past? What are your personal branding goals? Share your thoughts below!