by Lesley Albright
Don’t kid yourself. There invisible line that you have
placed between your personal Twitter account and professional Twitter handle is
a bit of a joke. Privacy filters can
lapse when social networks like Facebook do an update and we all know there are
loopholes to gain access to someone’s profile. There is bound to be overlap
between your personal and professional digital persona, so take advantage
of it.
Everything we are learning points to the value of being
authentic, in being human in front of your audience. By separating your
personal life from your professional persona you are inherently cutting off the
blood supply that allows you to speak from the heart, to speak with a real,
human voice. Peter Shanckman, a
moonlighting blogger from PR Week argues that you only Have
One Brand and that it should have a unique personal touch.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Nobody said you have to share every
personal detail about your hygiene, drunken escapades, or your children’s bowel
movements with everyone in your professional circle. But here are just a few things
to think about if you plan to lead a digital double life.
·
Who’s Has the Time? - It’s too much work to
manage two different accounts for every social media platform. Just like a man leading two different lives
at some point you will slip up and make a mistake or neglect one of your
personas.
·
Murphy’s Law – If you don’t want people to find
it…they will. Potential employers, obnoxious co-workers and others will be able
to access your private information if they try hard enough. From Facebook to Tumblr, remember that
privacy safeguards can change without notice and allow outside eyes to see
private information.
·
Professional Klout – Your digital resume will
have more power if you consolidate your efforts. By separating your personal
Twitter account from a professional one, you reduce your influence across
markets.
·
It’s Not Human – All of your unique quirks,
personality traits and mistakes are what make you human. They come together to
make you uniquely you and frankly, more interesting. In a sea of people and an
ever-demanding need to differentiate ourselves, these human aspects will set
you apart. So why not share?
The time has come when we can’t separate aspects of our
lives, but instead have to look holistically at the brand we portray to the
world, in person and online. If you are
on board with this philosophy, here are a few ways to get started:
1)
Clean up Your Brand – Do a review of all your
online material and if you wouldn’t want your Mom, teacher, boss or significant
other to see it, get rid of it.
2)
Add Unique Tidbits - Don’t be afraid to drop in tidbits of
quirky personal information like your love for Swedish fish or your obsession
with folk music. These little nuggets
make you who you are.
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