Developing a Professional Online Identity with Will Hale

TRMA 585 P1: DEVELOPING APROFESSIONAL ONLINE IDENTITY SPRING 2012 WILL HALE

ONLINE IDENTITIES, PERSONAL BRANDING, SOCIAL MEDIA

LINKEDIN Join m e!LinkedIn is my way to seriously cultivate a professional identity and establish a network in the Mental Health field locally, regionally, nationally and internationally! Meet me! Discover the power of groups! Learn the value of LInkedIn!My profile acts Groups allow me I am able to as a detailed to start network with online resume engaging classmates, so I can show discussions with coworkers andwhat I can offer other Mental others in the field employers Health professionals

ONLINE PRIVACYAs a counselor, not only do I consider counselor what to make public and keep private, but I must also consider the ethical implications of my online content and how it may affect my work with clients. Tips for CommonIn time professional ethical codes will hopefully provide clear direction online Sense & privacy Online Privacy My bottom line: Nothing is truly private online. Be discerning and be willing to give account for any Is privacy …Or is it content you choose to fading…. already share. dead? Freedom to share does not mean it is best to share.

Joinme! TWITTER #TRMA585 Twitter for Therapists AAMFT.comvideo One Clinician’s Perspective Twitter for Professional Use

GOOGLE PLUS (G+) Start sharing!My main use for Google+ is more personal than professional. I mainly interface with Google foremail (which I have forwarded to Apple Mail) and to manage and discover music, apps andother media through Google Play.If I ever develop a professional purpose for Google+, it will focus on maintaining a professionalprofile to connect with other Clinicians and direct potential clients to other sources I keep topromote myself. Click windows to explore!

PROFESSIONAL FACEBOOK PAGES Create your page! My Facebook page is for personal use only, keeping in touch with family, friends and close co-workers and classmates. I keep fairly strict privacy settings, for my and my contacts’ protection. Again, discernment is significant for me in determining what I share and allow others to share with me online. I have a long-term goal to open a private practice, and Facebook pages may be a useful way to promote my practice, and offer psychoeducation as I do with Twitter. There will be important ethical considerations for using Facebook so that proper boundaries guide how clients and I interact online.

LEARNING FROM MENTAL HEALTHPROFESSIONALS & ORGANIZATIONS

BLOGS: BLOGGER, W ORDPRESS, TUMBLR, POSTEROUSAlthough I am not currently managing a blog, I believe this will be a primary side project in my career. Wordpress will likely be where I start since it is so easy to manage and it’s a well-known name in blogging.As I’ve read other’s blogs, I’ve found the most interesting to read are ones with a clear vision/purpose, engaging writing and relevant topics, all of which draw readers into a conversation. ga W ritin ssful ce suc log b

PORTFOLIOS & PROFILESSimilar to LinkedIn, VisualCV acts asan online resume, portfolio or CV(thus, the name!). Since they are sosimilar, I am undecided if I will finddistinct purposes for each, orintegrate them in some way.I appreciate how VisualCV allows meto post downloadable PDF’s forviewers to browse. For example, Ihave added samples of my PersonalDisclosure Statement and courseworkfor potential employers to view.Clinicians who teach, or train mayfind this a useful means of displayingtheir work. http://www.visualcv.com/willhale

MANAGING YOUR ONLINE IDENTITYManaging you presence online requiresintentional effort, especially for professional use. You will need:• Time management: Working effectively and efficiently.• Focus: Know your scope, know your audience.• Purpose: Why are you using social media? What is your goal?• Utility: Does it effectively meet your needs?I anticipate using Hootsuite, atool for managing activity formultiple social media sites in one Start managing!place.

WEBSITES & DOMAIN NAMES• When I open a private practice and hold workshops, (two of my professional goals!) I will see a value in hosting a domain name.• I am encouraged to see it is fairly easy to acquire a domain name and start building a classy website, for free or to fit anyone’s budget.

HAVING AN IMPACTSocial media has increased the capacity for global awareness and change on any given topic.To have an impact you must know your audience and what you have to offer themSuccess and impact come in all sizes and varieties, from the quality of your work to how you interact in your community to global advocacyJust by being online, and being yourself, you have an impact on others around you. What impact do you want to have?

GOALS & STRATEGIESGoals & strategies are crucial for an effective presence online.Knowing what I want to accomplish (goals) and the best way to accomplish it (strategy) helps me filter through the media options to finding the best fit. Clarity of both goals and strategies encourages creativity.For a future private practice, my goals would be to promote my practice to new clients and share psychoeducational material for the general public. If I work in a community clinic or agency, I would be interested in finding ways to incorporate social media into that context to help raise awareness of the services.

SLIDESHAREPresent yourself! I expect to build a Slideshare library of presentations to share with other professionals and the general public. I enjoy creating presentations and sharing information with others. I am eager to continue developing my design skills for electronic and online formats like Slideshare. Slideshare will also be a fun way to also explore what others are sharing across various disciplines and subjects.

FINAL THOUGHTSSocial media has become a permanent part of human communication across all spheres of life, with rapidly expanding library of platforms from which to choose.Social media neither inherently good or bad. Its value and potential are determined by those who use it. Choose wisely! Therefore, be discerning. Have a purpose and vision. Recognize that you have influence. Most of all, be creative and have fun!

Developing a Professional Online Identity with Will Hale

by Will Hale

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