Over the last few weeks during my EDCI class, I have been reminded of the importance of personal branding. Benmessaoud, Hust, Hall, and Kshirsager (2019) did research surrounding is students understood their brand online and the general impacts. I recalled how I use to be unaware of my actions online and wanted to change this. Over the last four years, I have been more stern about what I find appropriate to share online. My social media accounts have distinct on either being personal and business. The research article made me more serious about creating my Linkedin account due to how well the writers highlighted the importance of having professional accounts.
Making these professional accounts and clearing inappropriate old pictures is related to the reading due to employers now using the internet to learn about an individual. The saying a picture is worth a thousand words has become real for job hunting. Employers base opinions off an individual’s page, even before giving them an interview. This article made me think back to a reading given to me discussing how social media is shifting into new power. Collaboration with others comes into mind about connecting on Linkedin, thus building your online network to appear more professional. I have found myself investigating my media accounts and attempting to identify whether they are new or old power.
Next, I learnt about a new wave of a professional social media network, personal learning networks (PLN). PLN is a service that provides a group of individuals, either academic or professional, to take you under their wing. I explored the Freedly website and hated it. I did not completely understand how to use the page, and I did not see a point. However, I do know the importance of utilizing a PLN. For instance, our assignment was exploring Twitter. PLN and Twitter both allow for a casual way to connect with professionals online; however, you must make sure your personal brand on Twitter is appropriate. Twitter used as a PLN can be started by following professors and professionals, then 
start sharing your ideas. I view Twitter as being a more reasonable PLN than Freedly because Twitter is more popular, is simpler to use, and is entirely free. Freedly was asking if I wanted to upgrade my account to a ‘full membership’ that made me lose my interest. Learning about PLN’s made me open my eyes that Twitter and other social media websites can also be utilized in a professional sense. As I have said before, I like to separate my personal and professional accounts; however, some of these accounts could be transformed into building connections.
Cawley (2018) describing social media management, discuss how you can use social media to increase your marketing. Cawley explained how most social media profiles are free; this started to make me think about Instagram is a huge marketing tool. Furthermore, Instagram provides a free tool to create a business profile. In addition, I have always seen how brands use the location feature on apps to bring free publicity to their stores. For instance, if your business has an aesthetically pleasing background, then individuals will post and tag your store. This one tag will drive people towards your business. Pyramid schemes have been thriving on Instagram. Girls who I went to high school with are posting their paychecks and asking me if I want to live a better life. As I see more individuals falling for this scam, I realized as more people join and promote this, the safer this company feels. In reality, the company Isagenix is a get skinny quick pyramid scheme, and they have 18-year-olds spending $300 to join.
The main point of discussing Isagenix is their marketing tactics. Isagenix uses a wave of individuals bragging about how easy and quick it is to make money through their company.
Hootsuite is a program that allows you to post on multiple accounts at the same time. Moreover, you can plan the timing of the post, which is vital due to social media accounts being more active at certain times of the day. I find it hard to see a personal use for Hootsuite. I think my only scenario was linking PLN and other professional accounts to mass post certain items. These mass posts would cut down the time-frame of posting, and see the people commenting at your post in one convenient place. However, from a business standpoint, I see the enormous potential Hootsuite can bring. Hootsuite allows a more accommodating way to see the breakdown of their social media posts. Also, to have control of your accounts, even when you are not active. If your business account has amassed tons of followers, this will make it easier to be able to see your customer’s thoughts and opinions.
References
Benmessaoud, F., Hust, T., Hall, D., Handlon, H., & Kshirsagar, N. (2019). My Personal Brand and My Web Presence: Mining Digital Footprints and Analyzing Personas in the World of IOT and Digital Citizenry. EdMedia Innovate Learning 2019, 1–7.
Cawley, Conor. “What Is Social Media Management?” Tech.co, July 23, 2018. https://tech.co/digital-marketing/social-media-management-guide.