Do you want to be influential or are you comfortable with being mediocre? As a personal brand, there is no prerequisite saying that you have to be influential over millions of people. However while maintaining a personal brand online, you are secretly charged with being a curator of content or solutions for the people who follow you. This is the value that you offer to your audience, regardless to if you have 1 million followers or 300.

As a curator, you share the best content or solutions online for your followers and advocates to consume. For years, news organizations, magazine editors, radio disc jockey’s, and fashion stylists have curated pop culture for us and when we sniffed, bit, and accepted what they offered, many brands have reaped major success in return. With social media giving some of that power back to us, we have individually been able to take on the role of civilian editors; sharing and publishing content links. Doing this successfully, can pay considerable dividends for your personal brand. We have 7-Tips, that we think will help you do this effectively to maintain a healthy brand and establish influence with your audience.

Passion
The internet oozes with passionate people. Everyone online usually stakes the house on what they believe in. Passion is necessary in order to get people to believe in you and the things you share. If you recommend content, products, or any type of solution online, you better show them with strong conviction why you think it was great. Otherwise they may perceive your offering as a waste of their time. Inject energy and passion into anything you publish and share.

Don’t Ride the Wave of Fads
Fads come and go like the wind. If you want to have a personal brand that is relevant, make sure your recommendations have substance that transcends fad status. There are also many things you recommend that naturally have short life cycles. So for instance if you recommend the iPhone 3GS and the new iPhone 4 comes out, that is a natural progression in that product. This doesn’t mean they are in fad status and as a curator you have to be able to decipher which is what. For example, Myspace wasn’t necessarily a fad, however the company failed to innovate, which helped it secure it’s approaching spot in oblivion.

Fan-boy-ism is Allowed
Fan-boys and fan-girls are mocked and ridiculed; many times rightful so. Heres the skinny, if you are crazy about a brand or a good piece of published works — sing its praises to the roof tops! However, be able to recognize any faults of a brand you recommend. Don’t be a blind lover, see the truth and the truth only.

Regurgitate Excerpts, But Only With Your Personality
One of the tenets of being a curator of content online is that if you are going to recommend or share existing published works, do so with respect. When you do this, it is good to link back to the source. Regurgitating someone else’s good work, gets your personal brand card revoked real quick. When referencing someone else’s work, point back to that content through linking and give your own personalized twist on why you thought it was a great piece of work.

Quality is King
Museum curators are heralded because of the great body of work they manage to source in their museum. This is no different for your personal brand. Share and present works to your followers that is tasty. It helps if the content or brand you are sharing is relevant and current to the times. Reality is that quality is in the eye of the beholder, but if you have a good handle on who your followers are, you will hit the mark most of the time. Which brings us to our next point…

Know Your Followers
When engaging your followers, its best to know the make up of the group. If you don’t have a connection with many people that are super tech savvy, it wouldn’t be wise to talk about computer motherboards or microprocessors. It’s not relevant to them and the information doesn’t add value to them.

Be Right.
If you say that something is good or encourage people to try a brand, your recommendation has to be right. Are you going to knock it out of the park all the time? Probably not. Will people the click links to every single article you send their way? Probably not. But the higher you’re batting average, the more people will be eager to listen to what you have to say.

Go out and curate, I am looking forward to being influenced by you.

LeBron has been a prodigy before he stepped on the world stage as a sophomore at St.Vincent – St. Mary’s High School in Arkon, Ohio.  As fans we could not get enough of ‘King James’ we purchased his jerseys, watched his games, wore his shoes and drank his water (Vitamin Water.)  We watched in amazement as he has grown from an 18-year old young man into a businessman with aspirations of being the first billion-dollar athlete.

Sports is a Business, Period.

Sports is a business, period.  It is a dog eat dog world.  I don’t see any NBA owners running to the aid of Antoine Walker who is in debt after earning over $110M and supporting 75-people.  Why because it is business?

Was LeBron wrong for ‘The Decision’?  The decision to leave, no he was a free agent.  The decision to blast his hometown on global TV, yes.  There was nothing good that could possibly come out of the event even if he raised $2.5M for charity.  Brand building is a very violate undertaking.  Every decision, every relationship, every move, every word can grow, jeopardize, and/or destroy everything you have ever worked your entire personal and professional life.

Historic Basketball Note: Michael Jordan was essentially forced out of Chicago after being loyal to the Bulls and delivering 6-NBA championships.  Michael Jordan was given the door by the Wizards once he stopped playing basketball.  How loyal should an athlete or an employee be to an employer?

Financial Impact of LeBron

For anyone who thinks the decision was not about finance is living under a rock. For LeBron it wasn’t about maximizing his earning potential with his NBA contract but let’s take a look at the numbers.

• The City of Cleveland generated $3.7M per Cleveland Cavalier home game .
• Cavaliers were 2^nd in home attendance with near 100% capacity (2010-11).
• Cavaliers team valuation in Forbes dropped from $476M to $390M.
• Heat road attendance was 93% it will exceed 100% in 2010-11
• He will save an estimated $25M in state taxes signing with Miami.
• LeBron leaves $15M on the table (Sign & Trade)
• Stock prices of the publicly traded Madison Square Garden dropped.
• Each playoff game in NYC or New Jersey would deliver a $3.6M financial impact to the region.
• ‘The Decision’ raises $2.5M for the Boys & Girls Club.
• ‘The Decision’ was the third-most-watched program on cable television 2010 (9.95M watched).
• Rating as a viable endorser only fell from 69.9% to 67.6% (This may change)
• Jersey sells for LeBron is #2 behind Kobe.

LeBron’s Personal Brand – A Typical Millennial

LeBron is a typical Millennial and his behavior aligns with the characteristics of that demographic.

Characteristics of a Millennial (A few of the traits LeBron exhibited)

• They are becoming empowered personal brands in the workplace and are impacting their employers and the way they communicate.
• Blended work life that allows them to work when, how and where they want to.
• They want to work with their friends.
• They share their lives online (in this case TV)

What drove his decision?

What decision would have been best for LeBron depends on what was most important to him?

• Basketball Legacy: The best move for basketball legacy would have been:  Cleveland or Chicago
• Financial: New York.  Hugh media market and increased endorsement opportunities.
• Championships: Miami or Chicago.  Miami provides that option while playing with his friends.
• Personal Brand: Cleveland.  Great story hometown hero impacts the local economy economically.  If he would have won a championship his legacy would have locked.
• Personal Satisfaction: Miami.  I believe he wanted to be happy and felt that playing in Miami with D.Wade was going to provide that.

What is the true impact?  It depends on the metrics you are measuring. Legacy, financial, strength of personal brand, value to marketers, and/or online sentiment. Financially I believe there will be little impact.  Unless there is a major character issue or another PR stunts like ‘The Decision’.  His contract with the Heat is guaranteed.  His major sponsors like Nike aren’t going anywhere.  (He probably won’t sell too many shoes in Cleveland.)

My Personal Opinion:  The strategy LeBron and his team used to communicate ‘The Decision’ was ill conceived and  over the top knowing he was leaving Cleveland. You don’t diss your hometown on TV.  LRMR and LeBron have a PR, social media and trust nightmare on their hands and whatever other word you want to use.  I also believed he should have personally called Dan Gilbert prior to the special.  Since LeBron didn’t return a call or text to Dan Gilbert since the season ended there is probably more to this story beneath the surface that we may never know.  At the end of the day it is business.

However, I commend LeBron for making a business decision not driven by emotions.  As a personal brand you need to do what is going to help you live the most fulfilled life, also understanding that you have to be able to live with the results of your decision.  At the end of the day the final chapter of his personal brand is not written I believe it is going to boil down to what he does on the court.  As we all know winning has a way of changing things.

Let me know your thoughts.

Jason Falls is a thought leader in the new media space and I had an opportunity to talk with him recently about social media strategy.

Social Media Explorer is the online home and blog of Social Media Explorer LLC, which is my consulting company. I’ve been called all sorts of things by folks around the social media, public relations, marketing and communications industries. I shy away from self-aggrandizement.

I see myself as a social media educator, a social media strategist and a public relations professional. I help companies understand the social web and show them how engaging consumers online can help their business. I’m also a writer, both of blogs and other materials, and try to spend much of my spare time doing that.

If I have a unique perspective it would be the result of having lead a national advertising agency’s Interactive and social media efforts, working with Fortune 100 brands as a social media strategist and serving as an independent consultant in the social media industry. I have advised major, regional and niche brands including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, Humana, Gary C. Johnson Law Offices, Purely Products, SHPS, Sun Tan City, Mighty Dog, Louisville Slugger, Bionic Gloves, The National Center for Family Literacy and WeSeed.com.

SocialMediaExplorer.com, the blog, gets a fair amount of recognition, of which I’m very grateful. The most notable of which is probably listing in the top 20 or so (it changes daily sometimes) of the Advertising Age Power 150 Blogs. For a few weeks in 2009, I was actually ranked No. 1. (Not sure why.)

Nuggets from our Interview

• Social Media strategy:  Start with the end in mind.
• Social Media strategy is about setting measurable goals.
• Make your social media goals singular.
• After the goals are established then you can focus on tactics of how to get their.

How to Follow Jason

Twitter:  @JasonFalls

Blog:  www.SocialMediaExplorer.com

The Michigan Technological University’s School of Business and Economics – Tech MBA Online has developed a Career Re-Tool Workshop to help you Re-Tool, Re-Wire and Re-Think your career and future.

This FREE event is designed to enable you to evaluate your career planning strategy and position you to grow personally and professionally.  This is a must attend event for job seekers, those in career transitions and people who want to re-tool themselves for promotion in a challenging job market.

Register Today!!!!  Seats are limited!!!!

Register at:  http://bit.ly/2010retool

Speakers

Hajj E. Flemings – Personal Brand Strategist/Founder of Brand Camp University

Brenda Rudiger – Director of Alumni Relations at Michigan Technological University

Paul J. Hindelang – President at Results Systems Corporation

Agenda

Networking

Re-Tooling yourself with Education

We will explore the value of education as a career strategy to help you stay globally competitive in a challenging job market. This session will focus on the benefits of an MBA and higher education to empower you to reinvent and re-think your future.

Re-Wiring your Career with Social Networks and Online Tools

Come and learn how to rewire yourself through social networks and online channels to connect with companies and identify new career opportunities.  Become a person that understands how to translate their network into value.

Re-Thinking your Financial Strategy

Has your 401K got you down?  It is time to re-think your financial strategy and prepare financially for your career transition?  Come and get fresh new ideas for investing, financial planning, insurance and social security.

In an instant my YouTube account with over 13,000 views was deleted. In my mind Google is a great company so I knew they are going to respond swiftly when I contacted them about this simple mistake they made.  I have entered questions into their online forum, emailed questions to YouTube, and called the Google office only to get totally ignored.  I can’t begin to explain to you the level of frustration that I felt because I have gotten ZERO response from one of my favorite Brand.  Over the years I have put a great deal of trust into ‘FREE’ resources like YouTube.  I now understand there is always a tradeoff to ‘FREE’ and one of the main reasons is:

• No Customer Service: Humans don’t typically service other humans that don’t pay.

The Impact to your Personal Brand and Dependence on Google

How dependent is your business on Google?  I am really starting to re-think how I build my personal brand with Google and other FREE tools.

Some of the Many Google Services that I use

• YouTube Videos
• Gmail account emails
• Google Docs
• Google Calendars
• Google Checkout

If your account is temporarily or permanently compromised what is the impact to your personal brand/business?  I walked away from my FREE experience saying I would rather have a paid service that I could hold someone accountable.

Tips for Managing you Personal Brand with FREE

• Own Your Hub: As a personal brand you need to own the main hub of their online activity. (i.e. www.ChrisBrogan.com)
• Back-up Everything: Anything in FREE services needs to be backed up:  videos, documents, important emails, etc.
• Re-Evaluate your Dependence on FREE: Re-Evaluate everything that you have in FREE social networking sites or other FREE services you use.
• Carefully Select Account Managers: If you have a third party managing any of your social network accounts be very careful.  Your reputation can be compromised and your account suspended or deleted because of inappropriate activity (anything that violates their Terms of Service)

Blog Post on FREE Services and Frustrations

• When Free Cost a Fortune – Mitch Joel
• When Google Owns You – A New Chapter  – Chris Brogan

I write this blog post to get you thinking and planning so that you can be proactive in managing your online personal brand.  It is also validates to me that nothing in life is FREE there is always a cost.  It is just a matter of who is paying, when they pay and how much.  Does this mean to stop using Google or other FREE services like YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter?  The answer is no but you have to manage your dependence.

Would you be willing to pay for a services that are currently FREE (i.e. YouTube) for customer service and the ability to hold someone accountable?

(Photo Credit: Google Logo Render by mark knol)

She is the President of Chicago based public relations and new media consultancy Sevans Strategy and runs #journchat. She is an influencer in the new media/pr communities and is a great personal branding case study. She has emerged as a leader in the social space but she isn’t an overnight success she has earned her stripes and put in the time.

I really wanted to share Sarah Evans story to inspire other women who believe they have a message that the world needs to hear. One of the great things that I like about Sarah’s story is that she has turned her passion into a career/profit.

Earlier this year she was featured in Vanity Fair with a list of other influential women in social media, which obviously has tremendously impacted her business. The flip side of this story is that Sarah received some negative feedback from some of her peers about the article since it didn’t appropriately reflect women in tech or show a diverse perspective. After talking with Sarah it showed me her depth as a person as she tackled the situation head on when confronted with those facts and addressed the valid concerns with some of those same peers.

#journchat

Sarah Evans is the originator of Twitter Chats. She launched #journchat in December 2008 which has hosted CNN and will host NBC News later this year

How to Follow Sarah Evans

There are a million ways to follow Sarah online I have listed some of the main ways below.

Twitter: @PRSarahEvans
Blog: www.PRSarahEvans.com
Twitter Chat: #journchat (Monday’s 7:30pm-10:00pm CST)

For Other Influential Women in Social Media

Check out my Twitter List of Influential Women in Social Media:

1.  Linkedin Answers

The Linkedin Q&A section is an underutilized portion of the  site that is extremely beneficial for both those asking and answering the questions.  The premise is simple: One Linkedin user asks a question to the entire site, and any number of users are allowed to offer their responses.  You can sort by category or search by keyword, allowing you to locate the specific questions that pertain to your field.  Providing a brilliant answer can benefit you in multiple ways:

• The initial questioner will be extremely thankful, and will likely want to connect with or learn from you further.
• Other users will notice the smart response, especially if highlighted as a “Best Answer.”
• A recruiter or potential client might notice your response, and a door could open for you that would not have opened otherwise.

2.  Formspring.Me

Formspring is a brilliantly simple website that allows others to ask questions directly to you.  As Tech Crunch points out, anyone can ask you anything.  Might you get a few off-the-wall questions you don’t know how to answer?  Probably.  But, the site does offer a unique and direct way for would-be questioners to pick your brain on the subjects you know best.  Who knows what connections you might “form” as a result?

3.  Yahoo! Answers

Yahoo! Answers is quite similar to Linkedin answers.  Questions are asked by one individual, and the entire group can provide brilliant (or sometimes otherwise) responses.  The one main difference between the two sites?  Yahoo! answers tend to rank extremely high in web searches.

Want to know something like…“Is there a career that combines green/eco-friendly living and non-profits? Chances are, your web search will feature the top responses from Yahoo! Answers.  There might not be an easier way to get your name and links on the top of relevant Google Search results.

4.  Twitter Chats

Twitter chats are gaining major popularity recently.  As Maria Duron describes, “Twitter chats are when you chat on Twitter around a certain subject and mark each tweet with a hashtag (#) denoting that you are associating it with that chat or topic. ..a Twitter chat happens at one specific time and everyone gathers tweeting about that subject.”

Most often, a set of questions is provided by a moderator, and individual Tweeters respond with their answers.  If your answers are thought-provoking, you are likely to gain a few Twitter followers that want to connect with and learn more from you.

5.  Your Own Blog

Your own blog is certainly a place to showcase expertise via thoughtful blog entries.  But, it can also be an excellent place to answer direct questions from readers.  Essentially, you can set up an “Ask the Blogger” page to mimic the functionality of a Formspring.Me page.  Readers can submit questions via public comments or through a private contact form.

How you answer the questions is up to you.  My “Ask Ryan Rancatore Your Personal Branding Questions” page mentions to readers that the best questions just might be answered in a full blog article – with attribution to the source.

Using any of these five sources to answer questions is a simple way to showcase your expertise across the web.  Can you think of any others?

Ryan Rancatore discusses how to build an authentic personal brand that stands out at Personal Branding 101.  Connect with Ryan on Twitter at @RyanRancatore, or on Linkedin.

Photo credit, Damon Duncan.

The “Age of Conversation 3: It’s time to get busy” authors were announced today. It is a collaborative book that brought together over 200 of the world’s leading social thinkers, marketers, and creatives in its third edition. It is an honor to be one of the featured authors to add a chapter and be a part of history.
The brain children behind this project are bloggers Drew McLellan (Iowa) and Gavin Heaton (Australia) who put in countless hours coordinating and managing this project.

Very soon you will be able to purchase it directly from Amazon or a number of other online book stores.

Book Cover Design: Chris Wilson (@freshpeel)
Follow the conversation in Twitter by following the hashtag: #aoc3

List of Authors

I am joining the Tech MBA Online team as the Program Ambassador. As an active practitioner and content contributor in the personal branding world I have always had a passion for personal development and helping people grow their human capital. In this position I will be focused on building brand awareness of the program, coordinating the social media strategy with the marketing department and assisting in recruiting.

Historically I haven’t been a heavy Skype user.  My recent usage of this tool has exposed me to the significant personal branding opportunities. The power of this tool is not that it gives you that cool Jetson type feel, but its ability to connect people in different locations while providing a face-to-face interaction real-time.

Understand it is a free tool  and you are only as good as your internet connection and hardware.

Skype Basic Set-Up
To get started download the free-of-charge Skype software.  You will need to set-up a profile, have access to an internet connection and some basic hardware:  laptop/desktop computer/mobile device, web cam, headset, and recording software (the recording software is only required for recording audio and/or video).

Skype Profile

•    Skype Handle - I recommend establishing a Skype handle (which is your number or contact) using a name that is consistent with your other social network profiles.  (My Skype handle is ‘HajjFlemings’ which is my real name).
•    Avatar – Use the consistent avatar that you used across all of your social networks (actual photo).
•    Bio – Brief bio that should be consistent with your other social networks.

If you are a high profile person, celebrity, or have stalker concerns use a Skype handle and profile that is appropriate and safe for you.

Hardware/Software

Web Cams –  Only required if video is being enabled.  One of the best web cams is the  Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000.

Headset –The headset is strongly recommended for recording purposes.  The biggest  factor that will go into the type of headset you will need is the type of device you will using (desktop computer, laptop, or smartphone).  I would recommend you doing some research.  I personally have a Plantronics.

Recording Software – The personal branding value is maximized when the video functionally is ultiized.  To record you have to download a third party application.
I have listed a few different options.

•    Vodburner (PC Only)
•    Call Recorder for Macs
•    Screenflow – Screenflow is a screencasting software that can be used to capture the video is a cool application that a friend of mind Henry Balanon swears by.

Personal Branding Value:

In the example I used I was able to extend my reach to a group of educators that were outside of  my network with no cost to me except my time.

Products that can be produced from Skype
•    Audio Podcasts
•    Video Podcasts
•    Video Interviews
•    Workshop Presentations

Value Provided By Using Skype
•    Extend your network
•    Extend your reach
•    Reinforces your relevance in the new media space.
•    Its FREE!!! It saves you money and time.
•    Sharable content if recorded, uploaded and linked to.

I hope this short blog post opened up your eyes to the possibilities of using Skype as a personal branding tool.  Please share your thoughts in the comments section about how you have used Skype as a personal branding tool.