Just to put things into perspective, before I extended any effort at all to attempt Topic 3, I saw LinkedIn as just another regular job-hunting website to me. Now, I see so much value in using it as a contributing tool to building my professional online identity and as a way to form networks with like-minded people. I’ll be using it to continually keep updated on the marketing industry and even for when I graduate and am seeking for a job in the similar field. Any accomplishments or work I achieve in the coming years will also be included in my LinkedIn account as I make it a formal reflection of my achievements and professional career.
Also, my Twitter account was left untouched for years until a few weeks back when I started to realise it was crucial for keeping myself updated with news relevant to what I’m interested in. It relays the messages of what I’m exposing myself to as well. My Twitter account will be used to expand my network with people of the same interests and are influential in the industry. I’ll be able to involve myself in conversations and provide my thoughts and opinions in hopes of gaining feedback as well.
Of course there is also this blog that was formed for the sole purpose of facilitating this module. However I see it transitioning into something bigger than originally intended as soon as the conclusion of the module. I will definitely be writing about a range of topics all related to either Social Media, Marketing and the likes. Throughout the topics, I’ve come to register that a blog would appear to be the most engaging and suitable for me. I might be a complete newbie but I find so much joy in writing and being able to engage in critical thinking whilst doing so.
From Topic 3’s reflection I was able to see that having a professional identity could be mainly focused on a certain platform and there could be other supporting profiles. My plan for the future is for it to conceptualise into a similar idea with this blog. It is my goal to share many original ideas and I believe by doing it through a blog I am able to relate so much more than just that. A big question I would consider in the making would be: “How do I make people feel?” (1). I want to be able to bring out my point of view to others.
However, I think it’s of vital importance that I am ethical when going about this. There are many ways to look at professional online ethics and I believe Topic 4 alone has given me a good introduction into the subject. The content I put out has to be well thought through to avoid any of the disastrous cases mentioned in my blog caused from poor ethical conducts. Social media ethics’ issues range from Real or Constructed Identities, Accuracy, Memorialisation of the Dead on Facebook, Authenticity, etc. (2)
Here is a comparison between the old and new Self-Test:
I’m really thankful for whatever I’ve learnt throughout this module. From thinking I’ve known sufficiently way before about online identities, I can safely say now that I’m truly well-equipped to project my professional image online.
(Word count: 536)
Sources:
(Featured Image) http://fayimora.com/hello-world/
(1) http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/02/14/the-first-step-to-building-your-personal-brand/
(2) http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-social-networking/#ConEthConAboSocNetSer
Chloe 