SHANIKA D. TORRES

GCEP/TRMA 585: DEVELOPING A PROFESSIONAL ONLINE IDENTITY SPRING

2013

ONLINE IDENTITIES, PERSONAL BRANDING, SOCIAL MEDIA

LINKEDIN

I learned that having a detailed headline will set me apart from my competition

I saw quite a few LinkedIn profile that did not have pictures and I realized I want to have a picture that represents the person I am.

Additionally like the different groups that I have been able to participate in through my online connections

ONLINE PRIVACY

● As an individual determined to brand my name and business: Breaking Cycles Building Hope, LLC, I am learning to be selective with the information I reveal about myself in all my social media outlets.

● Its not hard to make connections between from one social media site to the next, so as much as I want my clients to feel comfortable with me, I also want protect myself and my family, thus I will ensure that I create clearly defined boundaries.

TWITTER #GCEP585

Twitter was the hardest adjustment for me,primarily because I never saw the value in it. The friends I knew who did have Twitter would post meaningless content, seemingly every second.

This class taught me that Twitter does have value. I have enjoyed receiving short informative links and getting my own links favorited by others. Its amazing how short of a time it take to build up a list of followers. I will definitely be keeping my Twitter site active after this course.

PROFESSIONAL FACEBOOK PAGES

● A professional Facebook page is a great resource to gain potential clients

●● Its also creates a forum to

discuss and network with others sharing a common interest

●● Patient privacy laws could be

violated, so be weary about adding clients as Facebook friends

GOOGLE PLUS (G+)

Google + seemed like a structured Facebook, but the thing sets it apart for me is the 'circle' network.

'Circles' allow you to separate your friends by groups instead of having them grouped together the way Facebook does.

BLOGS: BLOGGER, WORDPRESS, TUMBLR

Blogs are useful for individuals wanting to share about a topic they are passionate or knowledgable about. Some people use blogs to find other people with similar problems, issues or situations.

Blogs can be anonymous, which helps a lot of people share information without being known.

LEARNING FROM MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS & ORGANIZATIONS

Learning from various mental health professionals such as Julie Hanks has opened my eyes to the abundant opportunities that having an online social media presence creates. I relished the opportunity to ask Julie Hanks her personal recommendations for building and maintaining a professional online identity. Learning that other mental health professionals have had success, despite concerns of patient confidentiality concerns, leads me to belief that with caution, the pros will outweigh the cons.

MANAGING YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY

Using my given name helps me keep my professional profiles separate from my personal profiles

I learned that it was important to have a consistent and professional handle across all your social media sites. For example: Shanika D. Torres is the name I use with all my media outlets

PORTFOLIOS & PROFILES

http://about.me/breakingcyclesbuildinghope

eProfiles are a simple format for clients or associates to get a quick understanding of what I am about.

I like that eProfiles allow you to link all your social media apps onto one page.

CURATION TOOLS: SCOOP.IT/PINTERESTSOCIAL MEDIA ETHICS FOR THERAPISTS

I learned that curation tools allow you to create and develop communities of interest around what matters to you.

Scoop.it allows us to connect with people sharing the same passion and expertise.

Websites and domain names

Creating my business website:Breaking Cycles Building Hope, LLC was my proudest moment this semester.

I believe having a website makes the most financial sense, particularly because I want clients to be able to set up their appointments online and pay for them in advance if they so choose.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE GOALS & STRATEGIES

● 1. This course has encouraged me to seek constant improvement in my social media presence.

●● 2. My current goal is to reach 30 likes on my professional facebook page (1

down, 29 to go), ●● 3. I would also like to post one meaningful mental health post a week on my

Blogger site. ●● 4. Also, I would like begin a youtube channel dedicated to mental health

issues. My goal is to have 80% or more of my business generated from my social media presence.

●● 5. Ultimately, I would like to offer educational seminars to others in the

community to establish myself as a subject matter expert on personsality disorders, trauma, and sex offender treatment.

SLIDESHARE

I learned that Slideshare makes it easy for your PowerPoint content to get more views

Once you create content on SlideShare, it can be embedded anywhere, by anyone which leads to more views

It can also create business opportunities as people may want to hire you to present your slide!

FINAL THOUGHTS

This class has vastly reshaped my perspective on the use of social media. I no longer consider it a fad trend destined to die out when the next big thing comes along. I realize that social media is here to stay, and it will only continue to evolve, thus it would be wise to evolve with it.

Initially I was intimidated by the idea of managing so many social media platforms, but the sites like Hootsuite has demolished that fear and I look forward to using it as my social media presence grows. I was amazed by how much I learned, and how technically savvy I have become over these past few months. I learned to link all my accounts seamlessly so that I have a constant online presence putting out comments, newfeeds, and announcements.

My proudest moment was creating my business website and I can guarantee that if it were not for the website assignment during week 13. I probably would delayed its creation for another year, but after reading how simple it was to get my website started , I engaged my inner Carpe Diem spirit and I did it. Thank you all for this wonderful learning experience, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!