Calling All Social Media Phobics!

My growing online presence

It started with an old-fashioned email from a friend...

"The Blogger user stevensonberg has invited you to contribute to the blog: bigups/smalldowns."

Blogger? No way, I'm not a blogger, never have been, never will be. I always viewed blogging as narcissistic and unimportant. A way for people to promote their ideas in an innane and irrelevant manner.

I was so, so wrong... and so began my immersion in social media. My basic unit of currency, "my story", needed some work. I needed to get more connected.

I was already on Facebook (like the rest of the world).  I agreed to collaborate on bigups/smalldowns, but didn't post anything for months. I felt I didn't have the courage to take the next step. 

Then came Michael Cayley's class on Social Digital Media. It was time to get serious.

Being a beginner , I started with a blogger account. Though SMOJOE calls blogger "the Fisher Price blog platform", I found it a less daunting place to start - and the centre of my story funnel. I decided to call it "Rachael May Blog", a play on my first and middle name while also awknowledging my apprehension to blogging.It's been mostly school-related posts so far, but as I get more ideas I hope to build on this. My review of Alice in Wonderland was a more personal project (and for those of you who haven't seen it, check out my post here). 

At this point, I've got the basics down. I can tag, embed:

    

and can add photos.

So now I can create a blog - but I needed to get connected through a more professional network. It was time to get...

LinkedIn is a social networking site aimed the business professional.  I've connected with former employers, collegues, and classmates through this website. So now that I'm LinkedIn... 

I'm tweeting as well. Trying to network and make connections is an essential part of P.R. 2.0., and social media is essential. Feeling like my online presence was scattered, a friend (the lovely Laura Teed) sent me an invitation to Flavors me, which:

"allows anyone
to create an elegant website using personal content from around the internet

Ideal for personal homepages, lifestreaming, splash and microsites, celebrity fan pages, commercial promotion, brand marketing – and everything in between."

Here's how it works:

Flavors.me from Jack Zerby on Vimeo.
  
Phew! Now you can find me all in one place at http://flavors.me/rachaelcollier

Now that my story has a more cohesive narrative on Flavors me, I am working on developing my brand. Personal Brand Camp 2 - hosted by Michael Cayley and featuring guest speaker Joseph Thornley, was a fun, informative, and interactive experience that helped to clarify the idea of personal brand. This brief video really conveys the energy of the event:

Find more videos like this on HumberPR

I have learned that my story is evolving - just like people, it will grow and change, but the core of who I am will remain. I refuse to pigeon hole myself into saying I am one thing - because no one is one idea. I will focus on being who I am, and my brand is emerging from this. I am a student. I am a music lover. I'm a foodie, an enthusiastic social media newbie, and I'm ready to work hard for positive change in this world. Please follow my emerging story through any of my social media platforms, and feel free to make comments and suggestions - feedback can only help me further analyse myself and grow. Till next time...