Every time I see the picture above I wonder what the back story is and how many visitors are disappointed to find out they don’t offer the amusements they expected to find.
One of the reasons why you need to control your online identity is because it is connected to your own self promotion and ability to engage as an effective “self-advocate.”
Be Your Own Advocate- Self Promotion
I teach my children that being their own advocate is practical because you can apply it to your entire life. You need to serve as your own advocate personally and professionally because if you don’t is unlikely anyone else will.
It is not always easy to engage in self promotion especially if you have been taught humility is a virtue. If you are not used to talking about how skilled you are and what you offer it can be hard to tell people why they should hire you.
But if you don’t toot your own horn than who is going do it?
Within the blogosphere it is even more important to be willing to engage in some self promotion because with all of the clutter, noise and chaos it is really easy to be overlooked.
So you have to find ways to get noticed and to be the one controlling your image and your identity.
Control The Message
If we have ever discussed crisis communication you know I don’t believe you can truly control the message. We live during an age in which there are so many communication tools trying to control the message would be like trying to fill in the Grand Canyon by yourself.
It is impossible.
However you can manage the crisis and you can manage the message you send out.
But we aren’t talking about crisis communications, we are talking about our professional image and until that crisis hits you have ample opportunity and ability to control the message.
It is not complete control but it is significant and it allows you to present the image you want. Bear in mind it takes work and requires taking the time to evaluate things from an outsider’s perspective.
What About You?
What about you? What do you think about self promotion and serving as your own advocate? Do you have thoughts or ideas about the best way to do it?
Share them in the comments.
You may call yourself an expert on XYZ but if you don’t take steps to see if your message is being received like that you may find out that is not how you are being perceived.
