In a world where everyone knows your business, whether through status updates or wall posts, citizens of the internet are having a true reality check. What is your social network reputation, and does it affect your social reputation?
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all began as relativity small networking sites targeted for a niche market. Facebook to college students, Twitter to tech early adopters, and LinkedIn to professionals. Now, there’s no doubt that everybody is on all of these. So how is your image perceived throughout the internet? Everybody, whether on these sites or not, has a reputation. These sites can only help or hurt it. Do you think about how a picture will look to others before you post it, or better yet, before you take it? Anything can end up on the internet in today’s day and age, and it’s forcing people to think twice about their actions. The niche markets that were once specific to each social networking site are no longer.
Your boss is probably on Facebook, and if (s)he’s not, your future boss may be. Your profile should be tailored in a way which promotes yourself as a responsible professional. Sure, there’s no harm in posting pictures from your vacation or weekend activities, but know who’s watching. These sites are no longer a place to display your drunken nights downtown or a crazy weekend at the beach. It’s a place to find a new job, network with others in your field, and connect with friends and family.
Although these sites may have an affect on your reputation, you’ve never had more control over your name as you do now. Your profile picture will be recalled to friends’, colleagues’, and acquaintances’ minds at the mention of your name. This is an opportunity to create an image of yourself that you’ve always wanted. Work on building your profile in your favor. People only know what they see, read, and hear, and you have the ability to control that information! Brand yourself as the person you see yourself as, not how others see you.
I’ve begun preliminary research on a branding strategy for a new solar paneling business. As much as I believe in the concept of “going green,” I struggle with branding a business as such. I do think that the concept will stick around for the long run, but eventually the commonly heard phrases associated with being environmentally-friendly will be trite and overused (if not already?).
Argo, how do you create a branding strategy for a business that’s main goal is to promote energy efficient power without sounding too trendy? I wish I could answer this with confidence, but I’m still trying to figure it out myself!
Stay away from a logo design that is too trendy.This article from LogoLounge shows some of 2008’s most trendy logos. Of course, it’s easy to be influenced by the current trends in logo design, but you don’t want your logo looking dated only a few years after spending big money on your branding.
Differentiate yourself from competition. David Airey’s Ecomatrica logo is a great example of how to create a logo that reflects an earth-friendly image, without looking like every other “green” logo out there. Rather than using shades of green, which is reflective of many other earthy logos, he used shades of blue; thus differentiating Ecomatrica from it’s competition.
Be creative with your name. Is the goal of your business is to promote a cleaner fuel? Is your new product an environmentally-friendly shopping bag? Well, name your company or product something that will stand out from all the others out there. NatureWorks, LLC created a new product called Ingeo – and I think the name defines so much. I immediately think “ingenious” “geographic” and “green” without any of those words being in the identity. Get creative with your business name, make it memorable and unique, it will be stuck with you for a long time!
Can you think of any other recommendations for branding an earth-friendly business?
I know I have been majorly lacking in my blogging lately – and if I kept anyone on the edge of their seat, I am so very sorry :). To make up for it, I wanted to post a catch-up entry about the most wonderful time of the year.
First off, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family to spend Christmas with. It truly is the highlight of the year when I get to spend a week with the whole family together. Now that Katie is at Auburn, it’s always nice to have her home for more than a weekend. My mom always does all she can to make Christmas magical, even though Kate and I are both beyond our childhood years.
This year we went to the 5:00 Christmas Eve service at church and followed up with our traditional fondue dinner with the Hartmans. Fondue has to be one of my favorite meals ever. I look forward to it every year. After dinner we got to open our one, Christmas Eve gift – and we couldn’t have picked a better present… a Wii! We played all night until it was time for bed.
Nothing beats Christmas morning. The typical family is up by 7am ready to rip open presents… but not at our house. If you know our family, you can guess that we all sleep in until about 9am, go down to the kitchen, get our coffee and/or mimosas, and work our way over to the Christmas tree by 10am. Stockings come first… that takes about an hour (we draw Christmas out as loooong as possible). Then we break for some breakfast. It’s not until about noon that we start on the presents, and could last for hours :).
This year Christmas was especially memorable because Chase was able to come over for Christmas dinner! All my favorite people were under one roof. He also got me a beautiful watch that I’m so thankful for! Finally, I can’t leave out some even bigger news… my friend Brittney got engaged, and my other friends Megan and Casey bought a house together right before Christmas! I’m so happy for everyone. Hopefully 2009 will be just as wonderful as 2008 :)
Alright guys, take out your lists. You know, the one from last year sitting under that pile of books you meant to read. Yeah, the one with dust all over it. OK, now uncrumple it and read with me:
New Years Resolution
Get organized
Get in shape
Read more books
Spend more time with family and friends
Save money
Yup, that’s the one! It’s time to revisit your unfinished business and give it another shot. Let’s start with number one, “Get Organized”.
David Allen is the author of a very popular book called Getting Things Done. Many say he has mastered the art of prioritizing. The GTD method is said to “transform personal overwhelm and overload into an integrated system of stress-free productivity.” So, before Jan 01 hits, get a head start on your resolutions and start reading Getting Things Done. You’ll be chipping away at resolution number three too!
If you want a taste of what GTD all about, watch this video. It’s a bit lengthy, so don’t watch it at work (kind of defeats the purpose of the whole GTD concept).
Well, after much consideration (and with Heather’s help) I have decided on my pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. I was going back and forth between several recipes, and I finally pulled my favorite part of each recipe and created my own, personally crafted pumpkin cheesecake. See what you think : )
Crust:
1/4 lb. gingersnaps (about 20 small cookies)
1/3 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
2/3 cup NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(I may add 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan.
To make the crust, in a food processor, combine the gingersnaps and pecans and process until crumbly. Add the brown sugar and melted butter and pulse for a few seconds to blend. Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers to pat the mixture into the bottom and evenly all the way up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
BEAT cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and evaporated milk. Add cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat well. Pour into crust.
BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly.
COMBINE sour cream, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well. Spread over surface of warm cheesecake. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of springform pan.
Say you want to give your boss a gift card from everyone in the office for Christmas. All you have to do is go to www.fromeveryone.com, select your store of choice, and notify your co-workers to start contributing! On a day selected by you, the card is wrapped up with the contributed amount loaded on it and shipped straight to your boss. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
I just read about these amazing(ly overpriced) boots, and I had to share. Think Uggs + rain protection and you have MoovBoots! They’re straight out of Australia, so naturally they have the sheepskin lining (must be an Australia thing), yet they’re galoshes too! If I could justify spending $200 for these guys, they’d be in my closet today : )
Well guys, I got all excited about my pumpkin cheesecake that I started looking around at different recipes, and now I’m in a bind. I have two recipies here… one’s much more involved that the other… and I can’t decide between them.
Real Simple published this recipe in a recent article. It’s very simple (hence, “real simple”) and was my initial pick for my Thanksgiving contribution.
Now I’ve found this Williams Sonoma cheesecake that seems to have a more spiced flavor (and the picture looks incredible), BUT it’s much more involved.
I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover (or a recipe by it’s picture) but this is a tough one!
The Holidays are quickly approaching, and there is one is particular I’m most excited about… Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite Holiday, and this year I will be celebrating with my immediate family at our humble abode. I can’t wait for our family to be together, the amazing spread of food, and, best yet, the Pumpkin Cheesecake and Nutty Peanut Butter Caramel Bars I’m going to be bringing (it’s not Thanksgiving without the sweets)! So, until then, I’m just going to count down the days (16)!
This speech presented to the Liberty University graduating class just one week ago. Rep. McEwen explained in simple terms why the upcoming presidential election is so important and why Christians need to vote to protect their freedoms. Each and every American needs to hear this speech before they vote.
In a world where everyone knows your business, whether through status updates or wall posts, citizens of the internet are having a true reality check. What is your social network reputation, and does it affect your social reputation?
