Friendship: The True Engine behind Social Media
Aristotle spoke about it as a moral good worth pursuing in itself in his Nicomachean Ethics; Cicero dedicated a whole book to it (De Amicitia); Plotinus deemed fit to extend it even to his slaves, whom he emancipated; Ralph Waldo Emerson declared it ‘the masterpiece of Nature’; and ever since every sane thinker has advocated …
The Ten Commandments of Twitter
The proliferation of trolls and fanatics in our beloved chirping microblog has made it urgent to issue some shared guidelines we can all adhere to that can regulate private and public behavior on Twitter. This is my proposal, which I submit to your consideration.
1. Thou shalt not patronize others. If you hold any views …
5 Recommendations for new Social Media Pros
Many readers of Personal Branding Blog have demonstrated a keen interest in working in social media and some have already joined the ranks of this forward-looking profession. I would like my first message to the newcomers to be a warm welcome: we need the best professionals to make our world go digital and anybody motivated …
The Future of ‘Engagement’ in the Social Media
As we discussed in last week’s post (and indeed thank you all for your comments and ‘engaging with me’ here and on Twitter and elsewhere), the hype and excessive emphasis on engagement for social media strategies – to the exclusion of other necessary elements for brands both commercial and personal that need to focus on …
Beyond ‘Engagement’ in the Social Media
A new buzzword is hovering over the social media universe. It has been repeated mantra-like so many times (and one wonders whether with or without full awareness of its far-reaching implications) that ‘engagement‘ has ceased to be a means to an end in the eyes of many and surprisingly become the ‘raison d’être’ of every …
The New Twitter Ostriches
Twitter has become the preferred channel to test the mood of the person in the street, and specifically those in the all-important digital community including millennials and other key elements of the population. And every institution, brand or person who systematically fails to listen, respond, engage or interact with not just her clients but the …
The Zen Garden of Your Brand
Whether you are a millennial joining the ranks of those seeking their first job, a baby boomer reinventing yourself with a ‘second youth’ in sight or anything in between, personal branding can be instrumental in taking hold of your personal and professional development and achieving your goals without sacrificing your unique personality and style. And …
A Letter to New Graduates
Dear new graduates,
A graduation is not only a happy occasion but also signals a turning point in the lives of those students who have proven their competence, skill and above all determination by successfully reaching the end of their prescribed curriculum. For some, it will be the prelude of further studies at postgraduate level …
Tout: the 15-Second Personal Branding Sensation
Where many others have failed, 15-second video update sensation Tout seems to be succeeding. And in doing so, it is proving that social media, mobile apps and personal branding are going to walk hand in hand into the foreseeable digital horizon and that (as we have defended here) influencers hold the key for the eventual …
Personal Branding and the ‘Proud Peacock’ syndrome
As philosopher Ken Wilber has argued underscoring his use of Spiral Dynamics, each new wave of technological development brings forward awesome new opportunities and frightful new dangers. And it is the job of every new generation to separate the wheat from the chaff and avert the nasty consequences that a misuse of otherwise wonderful technologies …