Nicolejssmith’s Blog

 Personal branding is essential in today’s saturated job market. It provides an effective means to position yourself as a favorable candidate to head hunters and corporate recruiters. However, with the onset of social media, the whole way in which applicants search for jobs, and are found for specific job roles has changed entirely. This being said, linking social media to personal branding can either be beneficial or detrimental to your overall reputation or job search, pending what information is available about you online. To test this theory I googled myself to see what information could be found for potential job recruiters if they too decided to research me before asking me to interview for a given job role.

Luckily enough, being named Nicole Smith has had its benefits; all sites that registered under my name search pertained in one form or another to Anna Nicole Smith. This could prove to be both beneficial and detrimental. Beneficial in terms of the fact that I will have to do something really really bad to be found at the top of the search string in google, and even then it might not show up for the first 100 search page results, but it is also detrimental. Detrimental in terms of my reach as an individual, having a name that is considered fairly common will make it difficult to stand out from the other Nicole Smith’s of the world. As an individual I have many noteworthy successes that would be considered mention worthy to recruiters: presenting a project for research week at Bishop’s, Co-Captain of the varsity cheerleading squad, active member of the conservative party etc., yet none of this shows up.

Overall, the benefits to personal branding using social media can be extremely beneficial if done properly (and if your name isn’t super generic). Some of the inherent benefits include that it is free of financial investment. Sites such as facebook, twitter and wordpress are all free and can help you to start building a significant online profile.  Also due to the interconnectedness that has evolved from the online community I think that done in a manner that is both professional and positive, your potential for growth can be unlimited. Who knows…maybe that blog you wrote about green technology strategies will get passed down to the hands of someone at General Electric. The reach is incomparable and so too does your audience. Therefore, I think that branding using social media offers a great way for people to begin to establish their profile, and differentiate themselves. Just keep in mind, anything you’ve done or written online can be pulled up….so keep it clean and keep it professional and you can move your career light years ahead!

In terms of reach, there is a tool on the website that provides a means to email your friends to let them know about the site. Due to the sheer nature of the site and what it has to offer people will undoubtedly want to send the link to their friends who will send it to their friends and so on… what a great concept.  Rather than bombard you with information about the Smart Grid and its many energy saving features it instead focuses on the use of visually stimulating features such as the link called “get plugged in”. Simple, user friendly and interactive…what more could you ask for? What a great way for such a huge, multifaceted MNE (Multi-national enterprise) to reach out to an even wider demographic (I even had my little cousin playing on the site, who’s 13).

Upon investigation of the actual Smart Grid site, you can find a monsoon of information about energy distribution, and how their new Smart Grid project aims to harness new forms of renewable energy sources to promote better more efficient green living. Additionally, it offers a multitude of web links offering information on green related technology.  They even have a designated section for professionals and enthusiasts of green energy…which is pretty progressive for a corporation of this size

To be perfectly honest however, without the video and the Smart Grid plug-in I probably wouldn’t have ventured so in-depth into the site (save for the need to complete this assignment), that alone demonstrates the type of reach that GE stands to get from this endeavor. However, without investigating the site I never would have learned about the extensive spread of green resources and projects currently available. Nor did I ever realistically think I would ever be interested in learning about energy resources, let alone Smart Grid technology.

Now, instead of being blatantly ignorant to green strategies and energy distribution technologies, I am mystified with the site, and learning about how I can do my own part for the world by living a little more greenly—ultimately in posting this I am sharing their viral site with you in turn (spreading the reach even more).

In thinking about their technique, there was no way that GE could have planned to take this project to what is usually deemed viral marketing. An aspiration yes, but you can only achieve viral marketing by promoting and marketing a product uniquely and hoping it catches on {like a virus}. This project even extends to social media, whereby blogs, twitters and even Youtube comments are creating buzz, hype and spreading the reach of this new endeavor. Taking into consideration that social media is a relatively new form of business marketing, I would say that GE has tackled it full-force.  I think in future, you will see other big corporations jumping on the bandwagon, using GE’s Smart Grid project as a benchmark for all future social media/viral marketing tactics. Overall, there is nothing I would change about their tactics, save for maybe presenting a Smart Grid technology for facebook something similar to what they have on their website, where users could tap into “greener technology” to run their facebook and reduce their carbon footprint. Realistically however, I would expect to see this example in textbooks within the next 10 years. Great innovation!!!

I recently finished reading 6 ways to get a job using social media by Dan Schwabel who is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog. Given our current economic climate and the birth of the technological age, I very much agree with Schwabel in that “The approach — developing a resume and cover letter, locating jobs on and submitting your resume to corporate sites and job banks, and crossing your fingers in hopes of receiving a call from a hiring manager — is, for the most part, a thing of the past. The new approach is far different. It boils down to the fact that there are fewer jobs available, more competition for those jobs and more touch points for recruiters and seekers to interact”. However, I am not entirely convinced with some of his suggestions. As I am currently going through the process of searching for an internship/full time job, I understand that using paper is a way of the past, and have both corresponded with future employers via email to set up interviews and sent my resume via email to organizations I am interested in. Do I think our technological age has come to the point of posting my resume on Youtube…not quite? Yet I feel that using sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter provide an invaluable means of reaching out to future business partners, employers, and investors in a way in which we were never able to do so before. In our technological age, it is essential to expand beyond the typical networks to succeed. This mantra must extend far beyond just job searching but also in maintaining an expanding our network of contacts. So when Schwabel says that it is the end of the paper world, let’s hold our horses a bit….interaction should still be done first and foremost in person, but let’s use the tools given to us to make life and connecting easier.

As myself and my fellow classmates wrap-up our year in our post-graduate program at Centennial College many things come to mind with regards to how my views on public relations have changed given a year ago I was interviewing for a place in this program. If a year ago I could have given myself advice for preparing for a career in PR this is what I would have suggested, or what I would have liked to know. Certaintly, as ditzy as this sounds when I contemplated studstudying the field of PR I envisioned glamourous parties, lots of great designer swag and the top of the social food chain….let’s just say my perceptions have changed;
6 Things I wish I’d known about PR

1. PR is not for the faint of heart
Top-notch networking skills are a must, they must transcend both the online and real world. Nervous about public speaking? Forget about it, with a good deal of media relations in most PR jobs expect you to be a solid link between thei organization and the public at large. It is also necessary to develop solid relations with key media people and organizations. Never burn bridges, never taint your reputation, and never forget someone you’ve met…..forgetting any of these rules could damage your career….the PR world is a fairly small community.

2. When you interview and they said writing is important…listen to them
If you despise writing, PR is not for you. Having excellent communications skills must transcend both oral and written forms. Communicating well, especially writing is critical to keeping customers, partners, employees, investors and other key audiences happy and informed about important updates within your organization or business sphere.

3) Solid PR makes for a solid career
Little white lies and ridiculous claims or cover-ups will haunt your career. While the impact may not be immediate, as mentioned in the latter you only have one reputation and the PR community is relatively small. Develop solid business strategies, communications techniques and networking/media relations skills and you will watch your career flourish rather than deteriorate.

4) Biggie sizing isn’t always necessary
Don’t get blinded by the “you need to start a career in a PR agency to succeed” mantra, while there are many benefits to working for an agency, choose what’s right for you. For me, I have a strong background in finance, economics, and politics, and realized that while as admirable as it was to be working for an organization that handles a roster of big-brand name clients, that the corporate field was more my speed and fit better with my existing education. While this will differ amongst people’s interests, experience and education, don’t’ get shuffled into a path because it’s the right thing to do; research your options and decide from there.

5) Making friends won’t make you 6 figures
While knowing key people can make life easier (this is how I come across wicked tickets to the Raps, Tiesto and other amazing events) it is not the end all be all of being in the business. Know your stuff, present well, be straight and do solid reliable work. Having an amazing network will only get you so far before you actually need to demonstrate some skills. Success ultimately stems from the ability to think strategically and deliver timely, well-thought out work in a professional manner.

6) Just because you don’t like riding a bike, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it
The field of Public Relations and Corporate Communications is far more multifaceted than I ever imagined. Under this heading you will find a multitude of careers ranging from speech writer, to publicist, from marketing specialist to media contact. Explore your options until you find a right fit; there is also considerable emphasis put on real world vs. online. Look at what you enjoy, and capitalize on it. When I began studying PR I was adamant about working in the fashion industry for one of the big fashion houses (due to my love of fashion and my background as a model). However, as I began to study more, I realized that my university education had impacted me more than I realized, and that a career in finance as a media contact was the best possible fit for my skills and interest ( and wallet…for Holt Renfrew)

Whatever you choose, and whoever you choose to work for, take the time to consider your options, the field of PR offers endless opportunities and I can honestly say studying it, has been one of the best decisions I could have made for a post-graduate course.

Today in class we talked about the benefits of the new publication groundswell….here are some of my thoughts…

It is time to separate ourselves from the detritus of our previous technological era. Gone are the days when surveys and market research suffice as a way of monitoring the successes and failures of an organization. In an age where technology defines and manifests itself in everything we do, it is important for corporations and businesses both large and small to capitalize on these advancements in the technology sector.  

Groundswell, a recent publication on the uses and benefits of social media in the workplace written by two Forrester analysts sheds light on the subject so that individuals and company’s can benefit from this new networking and communications concept. While social media is nothing new  to adolescents and hipsters, it is becoming  increasingly  more evident to company’s that there is an unimaginable amount of raw data and information which could give any corporation a competitive edge over its rivals.

 Due to the sheer nature of many social media sites and tools (Facebook, Delicious, RSS Feeds, social bookmarking etc.) everyday individuals are commenting and offering information on any given subject at any given time. Not only does this give corporations a more global reach due to the interconnectedness brought by the internet, it also allows corporations to monitor bloggers or postings about their industry or on their company specifically to improve their services and overall competitive edge.  From this we can gather than social media essentially connects people and companies on an entirely new level. This can be an invaluable or detrimental tool pending how you look at it.

To a company who embraces this new technology and data, they will stay current with the times, enhance their productivity, mediate any indiscretions or misconceptions that have materialized in the online rumor mill, and to stay competitive with rival companies or industries. Comparatively, monitoring social media improperly or not embracing this new technology can have dire effects

While many organizations realize the power of social media and how they could stand to benefit from it, many companies are late to jump on the proverbial social bandwagon; case and point,

“In Australia, many of us are employed by overseas multinationals. Usually, we make local operational decisions but don’t set the global agenda. Likewise, multinationals from the US, Japan and Europe often outsource their manufacturing to APAC, but keep their decision-making at home. Now, listening without acting is pointless, and perhaps this is why APAC organizations do less listening. If it is, then local listening will surely grow along with the influence and wealth of our region.”- Steven Noble (Social Media advocate)

http://blogs.forrester.com/marketing/2008/07/australia-its-t.html

Noble goes on to emphasize that while the interconnectedness between nations has increased with new forms of communications, particularly social media many companies understand what social media has to offer yet have no idea where to begin planning a social strategy. And so we come back to Groundswell.

From a marketing and communications perspective Groundswell offers sound advice to reaching out to a new virtually untapped market, how to capture this data and use it beneficially to enhance the overall competitiveness of your company.  What company in their right mind would chose to ignore this readily available source of information? We could akin ignoring social media to a regression of technology of other sorts…..perhaps going back to using the typewriter? Evidently, technology will continue to bring us new forms of communications. It is our choice whether we choose to adopt it or not, but in the case of a company, the choice also reflects whether your organization will succeed or fail. Social Media isn’t going anywhere, and companies need to realize their current situation which has ultimately manifested itself into a sink or swim reality….

Recently in one of my classes we have been discussing whether social should be exclusively governed Public Relationists, here are some of my thoughts.

The various forms of Social Media that we encounter in our day-to-day lives have very much become the center for modern social interaction, networking, discussion and learning. This being said, Social Media is an attractive option to everyone from students to professionals, if not solely to enhance their own social network and to “get their name out in the public domain”, but to connect with people they have lost touch with from long ago.  This intrinsic value can be applied to enhance our personal lives but also our professional ones as well. The key value in this is that communications are achieved.
 
 Looking to get ahead in the workplace? Perhaps a twitter or a wordpress about your opinion or thoughts on advancing your company?  You just might catch the eye of a potential employer or even your current boss.  Through which, these mediums use communications as a means of gaining exposure.  This is one of the benefits to the online social community; your personal life tends to overlap with your career. Now, while many people may consider this a bad thing, in reality because it is content being posted online that technically “anyone” has access to, if you screen yourself, the online social community has potential to bring significant growth to your personal and professional life.
From this, we must ask ourselves whether the social media should be limited to the hands of individuals in the Public Relations field. By definition, Public Relations refers to gains an organization or individual  gains in exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment using credible third-party outlets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations
 
 If we apply this definition to the latter question, then technically everyone is practicing Public Relations in one form or another as a means of gaining exposure to relevant audiences using Social Media. Therefore, whether a Public Relationist is solely in the field or using the PR techniques in Social Media outlets to sell their organization or themselves; it ultimately manifests itself from the same incentives.
 
According to Doug Haslam, “the media revolution is now underway. Social media is here to stay, and knowing what’s happening in the vanguard is important for everyone”. http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2008/01/the_role_of_pr_in_social_media.html. Haslam draws on the fact that while the media business uses social media to enhance the company’s image and brand in the public eye, these terms can be easily applied to an individual looking to make their own mark on society. Subsequently, while a Public Relations department can vastly benefit a company’s appearance and brand in the public eye by using social media, I think that it is by no means limited to just Public Relations. From the above definition, all of us are in one form or another trying to gain exposure and subsequently social media should not be limited to Public Relationists nor should it be deemed only as a business tool of media. Instead, we should consider social media much like the computer. It is a tool used to facilitate better and more efficient communications….and it is something that will eventually be used by everyone.
 
To close, in the words of Jason Falls, Director of Social Media for Doe-Anderson, “Social media is a method of communications. Social media tools facilitate these communications. To be effective in social media, whether as a marketer or just an ordinary participant, you must, first and foremost, communicate well.” From this, any of us stand to be the next business tycoon or most-read blogger on the net. http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2008/07/18/social-media-is-the-responsibility-of-public-relations/

For people in the know, new girl on the block Nikki Farquharson has taken London by storm and will soon be featured in a gallery near you. This mixed media popart princess brings a whole new meaning to graphic design and illustration. Her ongoing project dubbed “Mixed Media Girls” features a consortium of colours, textures and shapes that evoke a sharp pent-up energy few artists can portray in their art. Farquharson’s work ranges from one-dimensional photographic pieces to 3D works in which she “ponders and re-defines the use of words” to evoke and question established truths. There is one truth however that is to be ascertained; and that is that we can expect great things from Farquharson as her works continue to shape and re-define the context of contemporary modern art within society today.

Hi guys,

This is the first time I’ve ever blogged. While many people are not new to the blog wave, I am a complete rookie, preferring to network in person rather than through shared pieces of writing; but I’ll give it a try regardless. One thing I have noticed though is how easy it is to express to an (almost) limitless group of people my thoughts and opinions at any given time on any given subject– talk about reach!
For the time being, my blog is going to concentrate on the wrap-up of my final semester as a post-graduate student at Centennial College. I am currently studying Public Relations and Corporate Communications. My intent for this blog is to update it as I begin a career in PR, obviously beginning with my final semester at school, to finding an internship and eventually a full-time career. I hope that other students and individuals will be able to learn a little about the field of PR and what my hopes, dreams and ambitions are.