Managing Your Digital Identity
Tonight, Charlie gave a presentation on Managing Your Digital Identity to a small group of students. It was a good overview, and for many, an introduction to Linkedin and Facebook. Ok, maybe not Facebook, but some college students don’t understand that recruiters look at your profile. I’ve had friends show up to interviews where the recruiter has a printout of their profile, groups, etc.
More importantly, he talked about blogging. I’ve always seen blogging as one of the greatest networking tools that are available to me. As a student you probably don’t have a large network. Blogs make it easy to reach out to people who have a similar interest set. They give you access to some of the best minds in every industry. If the smartest people in the room are talking and you aren’t learning anything, you’re either not listening or not trying very hard.
As the discussion progressed, students had three major concerns. Some people are afraid to put themselves out there, they couldn’t find the time to write posts, and in the beginning no one will be reading your blog. I think tumblr is probably the ideal platform for many students who are concerned about writing posts and “putting themselves out there.” Tumblr is quick, easy to use, and can really shed light on who you are as a person without putting in a ton of effort. On the visitors front, Charlie said that initially having no traffic can be a big discouragement— I agree. When I started tumbling in November I promised myself I wouldn’t check my google analytics stats for one year, because I’m sure that no one is listening. It’s not that people don’t know who I am— I think they do. I have been leaving comments on tech blogs since early 2004. Commenting was my way of joining the conversation. A few months ago I finally decided that I should contribute a different way. It’s going to take time for people to start visiting, but I’m ok with that.
I think students need to get over any fears and join the conversation. If it helps, comment in the beginning, get familiar with these great tools. They can be one of the greatest assets you have online.
