Is a Personal Website More Important Than Ever?

Has anyone ever suggested to you to create a personal website other than LinkedIn? The thought of creating a website focusing on only you can be nerve-wracking at first. Don’t people see enough of your personal and professional life through other social media platforms? My opinion on a personal website changed after taking a Personal Branding class last spring and some argue it is more important now than ever before.

First off, one must take time to reflect on their own personal brand. Everyone’s brand is different depending on their interests and passions. Once you have an idea of what direction you want to take your personal brand you can start thinking about forming a website.

There are so many directions you can take on a personal website. You can use it to showcase your professional work or you can make it very casual and use it as a way to let people know more about who you are. As a PR major, we might not have creative work to showcase online like an advertising major would, but there is still plenty of material to create a portfolio. Press releases or blog posts you’ve written can easily be shared.

The best part about starting up your own personal website is all the extremely helpful websites to get you started. Don’t know HTML codes? Not a big deal. Websites like Wix, Wordpress, Flavors, and many more all are beginner friendly. They all offer a great deal of creative options from fonts to layouts.

Creating a personal website is a great thing to do as an upperclassman starting to begin the job search. It will help you connect more and help separate you from the pack. A personal website isn’t something you can forget about because it is important to stay on top of updating the content. Although it is definitely not a necessity to all public relations majors, it will still be a bonus to your personal brand.

The Queen's English

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of hosting a student from England for a night, and in his honor my housemates and I threw a small party. Unfortunately for us, a few of the people that came managed to fulfill every negative stereotype that I think Europeans have of Americans, within about the first five minutes of their meeting the English student. 

Everything was going fine at the party until the English student stepped outside to smoke a cigarette, which was when these two girls and two boys, for lack of a better word, pounced on him. I did not know the four of them, so maybe it was out of character, but they immediately barraged him with requests that he just talk to them with his accent. To hear him say it, he speaks the Queen's English, but to them it must have been some sort of exotic experience. Soon, the four Americans started to practice their own, embarrassingly contrived 'British accents' on him, which he took with admirable aplomb. Thankfully, these four people soon left, but in the morning at breakfast they were our only topic of conversation. The English student was fairly polite about it, but made it clear that he had hated every second of it. My friend and is formal host was much less diplomatic about it, talking about how people like that give us all a bad name.

As he talked, I realized that whenever you meet someone from another country, you are in a way a representative of your home country to that foreign person you meet. And whatever kind of impression you leave on them is going to shape how they feel about the entire country you have hopefully just represented well. So without knowing it, all those American tourists out in the world are doing public relations for the U.S.A., here's to hoping they leave a better impression than the four from my party.

Have any ideas or comments on how we can better represent ourselves to the world? Comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

This post was authored by Faiz Mandviwalla, a senior at Temple University and an Assistant Firm Director of PRowl Public Relations. Follow Faiz on Twitter here and LinkedIn here. 

It's Weird That I'm Professional?

Because the public relations industry is slowly becoming synonymous with social media, we've been asked to "grow up" a little faster than our peers might have to. Our Twitter accounts have been spotless for years and Facebooks wiped clean, while our friends still post drinking pictures every weekend. I'll be the first to admit that it can be a bit frustrating having to censor myself online. You can attempt to have two profiles (one personal, one professional) but from my own experience, it became taxing and one profile always suffered more than the other. However, I try to look at it as an opportunity to write more creatively. Sure, there's probably an easier (and more profane) way to get your point across, but where's the challenge in that? At the heart of our job we're creative writers, so coming up with a bio sans #IWokeUpLikeThis shouldn't be that hard.

While you may gawk at the things your friends post online, they may equally be questioning you and your decision to not allow certain things on your profile. I'm sure you have all had the awkward or uncomfortable experience of having to ask your friend to un-tag you in a compromising photo or to refrain from using curse words in your comments. They look at you as if you had just asked them to give you their first child.

My purpose in writing about this is two-fold. First, I wanted you to know that you're not alone. Again, because of the profession we've chosen, we're required to mature a little faster in the way we present ourselves online -- and that's alright. In fact, I'm grateful for it. That brings me to my next purpose: to let you know that being a "grandma" or "grandpa" online is okay! I've realized that outside of our little public relations bubble there are still tons of students who either just started to create a LinkedIn profile or still aren't even aware of its importance. We all have friends that still think it's okay to say whatever they want because it's their profile, but luckily we know better. We don't have to learn the hard way by not snagging our dream job. We learned about the importance of online decorum the easy, by reading the PRowl blog of course!

So keep participating in your Twitter chats on personal branding, taking headshots for your LinkedIn, and blocking people on Facebook. Your friends may look at you a bit funny, but you'll also make employers take a second look.

#Selfies #Branding

The Oxford Dictionary’s 2013 international word of the year, selfie, is one of the most interesting social movements we have seen in a while. A selfie is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website. This new form of self-expression is redefining the way people brand themselves.

Take a look at celebrities. Some of the most powerful and famous people in the world utilize selfies. When you look at these photos you can get an understanding of who these people are. For instance there’s Miley Cyrus, the queen of selfies. When you look through her Instagram selfies you understand her brand and what she wants to be seen as. Miley is all about fun, youth, craziness etc., and it is so easy to see this through her “self-portraits”. Another selfie queen is the oh so stunning Kim Kardashian - who can forget that post baby mirror pic?! Kim embodies sex-appeal and beauty through her selfies, which is the brand she has capitalized on throughout her career.

            Not only celebrities are jumping on the selfie train, anyone can do it. Considering there are currently 88 million photos on Instagram using the hashtag #selfie and more than seven billion other images shared on social media sites each month, I think the entire world is interested in participating in this phenomenon.

Selfies represent much more than a narcissistic craze. You are in control of how the public views you. You get to show your intimate and personal brand in a new light-hearted way, and that is something extremely special. There is definitely opportunity within the selfie trend, so utilize it the best you can!

            This is the generation of #selfienation, and it will be exciting to see how far it goes.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Kelly Dougherty.

Brand Now!

It's come to my attention that a lot of college students still fail to realize the importance of personal branding. While it may seem like something reserved for full-time professionals, having a personal brand as a student will make it that much easier when you go out into the real world. Here are a few reasons why branding today is so important.

• Prepares you. If you start branding yourself early, you won't have a huge learning curve coming out of college. Branding now will allow you to be well-prepared and already create an established niche for yourself. 
• Focuses you. Once you begin to brand yourself, one central focus for all of your platforms becomes much easier. You begin to speak in the same voice both online and in person. Suddenly the transition from student to professional becomes a lot less intimidating and much more natural.
• Sets you apart. Because many students still have not taken the time to develop their personal brand, or just don't understand the importance of it, having your brand fully established will allow you to stand out. Professionals recognize when a student cares about their own professional development. It shows them that you are eager to learn and ready to work hard. 

The phrase, "Dress like the job you want, not the job you have," is definitely applicable here. It may seem overwhelming, or even unnecessary, to develop a brand while in college but doing so now will set you up for success later. 

Have you begun to develop your own personal brand? If so, share a few tips with how you accomplished that below!

5 Truths About the Brand of "ME"

There is no denying it, we are each our own individual brand. We may not be completely conscious of this, but it is indeed true. We have all of the components of corporate brands and then some. If a brand is what people are saying about you when you aren't around, the brand of "Me" is the reaction that people have about you once you leave the room. It is the image that you display to your friends, professional networks, and to yourself on a daily basis. 

Thanks to technology, it is extremely easy for us to reach and impact our audiences, even if we don't intend to. Whether it be through hundreds of Twitter followers, Facebook friends, or likes on Instagram, we do things every day that add to other's image and perception of the brand of "me."

5 things can almost always be determined by the story being told via your "Me" brand:

1. Your Vision - What is your vision for yourself? Where do you see yourself in the next five years? The next ten? Do you project longevity, or do you come off as flighty? Are you working for the greater good, or for your own self gain? All of these questions can be answered when looking at your "Me" brand.

2. Your Mission - Why do you do the things that you're doing? Are you applying for an internship because you want to learn and grow from the experience? Do you take extra time out of your week to mentor or help other students find their way. All of these things speak volumes to who you are and what you stand for. The same way that companies have mission statements, you should create one for yourself as well!

3. Your Image - How are you portraying yourself to others? I'm talking physically and virtually here. Do you take pride in your appearance, showing up to interviews and networking events dressed appropriately? And on social media, are you putting your best tweet forward? All of these things add up to be the image that people have of you. You always want to make sure that your brand of "Me" is creating the best possible image of who you are.

4. Your Values - Your values are the things that are important to you that define the ways you work and live. The values that you showcase on a daily basis help people determine if they want to work with you, hire you or even be around you in general. The values that you display to the world everyday matter more than you may think.

5. Your Outcomes - Finally, where do you want to end up? No matter if it is an internship, future job or even the city you want to move to after graduation, the story told by your "Me" brand can help or hinder your success. 

So consider this: what is your "Me" brand saying about who you are and what you do?

Do Bloggers Need Business Cards?

Blogging can range from being a sporadic hobby to a full time job. While it may be a nontraditional career choice, running a successful blog still requires the creation of a consistent brand. Like many other nontraditional self-employed entrepreneurs, there are plenty of opportunities where bloggers can travel, network, and promote their blog and their brand. When these opportunities come up, having something tangible to leave with people you meet is essential, and this is where business cards for bloggers come in!

If you are a blogger on the fence about buying business cards, here are a few things to consider:

• Business cards offer another way for you to express and share parts of your personality. A business card leaves a lasting impression of who you are.
• It helps to build your legitimacy as a blogger and shows that you take your brand and craft seriously. If you're looking for opportunities to branch out and expand your blog, you want people to take you seriously.
• Having business cards with you when you meet new bloggers makes it easy for them to find your blog later. Making connects and networking with other bloggers is essential to growing your readership..
• Having business cards will make you take yourself more seriously. Knowing that you have the professional tools to be successful will inspire you to branch out more. Of course you'll attend blogging conferences and workshops knowing that you are professionally prepared!

Are you sold yet? Business cards for bloggers can only be beneficial. With the wide variety of online resources, creating personalized business cards is easy, quick, and cost effective. When designing your business cards, remember to keep the colors and logo consistent with the design of your blog. Also, make sure that you get them printed by a quality printing company on nice card stock. 

Are you a blogger? Have you created a business card to reinforce your brand? Would you consider it? We want to hear from you!

Blog Branding

At this point I think it is safe to say that we are all aware of the importance of maintaining a personal blog. In some arenas it has even become a necessity. Since blogs, more specifically being a blogger, has grown in popularity, it has also become a necessity to distinguish your blog from the millions of others in the world. Now, we not only have to focus on branding ourselves professionally, but how to brand our blogs as well. Luckily, I stumbled upon an article that inspired me and gave three short tips to keep in mind, and keep you focused, when developing your blog and its brand.

1. Identify what you want to be known for. As opposed to choosing an arbitrary topic to center your blog around, think about what you want people to say about your blog. Do you want your blog to be known for being informative? Comical? It’s important to pinpoint your blog’s purpose so that every post is a step towards accomplishing that goal. 
2. Be what you want to be known for...consistently. This may sound like a simple concept, but it does take some practice. Keep the brand that you want to portray in mind when doing anything related to your blog. From writing a post to sending a tweet, it’s important to “stay in character,” so to speak. You don’t want to contradict the brand you are trying to create.
3. Monitor and participate in conversations about you. The author of this article simplifies branding as what people say about you when you’re not in the room. So, find out what people are saying about your blog when you’re not in the room. While some reviews may not be so easy to hear, the purpose of researching people’s opinions is not to defend your blog to the death. Instead, enter into it with a “genuine desire to listen and connect.” You may discover something that can be improved.

What is most important to remember is that your brand should be an extension of yourself, and your blog an extension of your brand. If you stay true to who you are then you, your brand, and your blog may be imitated, but can never be duplicated. 

4 Tips for Publicizing Your Personal Brand

As a young professional, one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself is create and cultivate your personal brand. It is important to know who you are as a professional, and to be able to express that to others. You always want to be sure to emphasize your best qualities and display your strengths. After you create and develop yourself as a brand, it is just as important to share your brand with other professionals. It's great to have a solid profile, but if you aren't connecting with anyone then your profiles aren't doing their job. The easiest way to do this is by using online tools. Here are 4 tips for making your personal brand more publicized:

1. Blog: The easiest way to control how others view you is to give them the image you want them to see. Blogging allows you to show your personal and professional interests and helps you become more comfortable with online blogging platforms. You can also use your blog to promote other social media sites that you're on. Be sure to make it interactive and include photos and videos with your posts.

2. Business Cards: Every young professional should create a business card that tells who they are, what they do, and makes them stand out. Try incorporating color into your business card, avoid just a standard black and white print. Make sure your name stands out, and include other places to reach you such as Twitter, Facebook, your blog, and LinkedIn profile. Driving people to your social sites encourages them to learn more about you.

3. Be Social: Join different social media sites and make sure they are each complete and professionally done. Have the same bio on each site so that people aren't confused when they visit you on different platforms. Always have links to your other profiles on each site also, because people are more likely to visit your other profiles when they don't have to search for it. Also, presenting a link to your other profile shows that you don't have anything to hide.

4. Join Communities: There are plenty of forums and groups dedicated to young professionals and seasoned pros in the industry. Look for groups on LinkedIn and Facebook and join them to network online and drive more people to your online sites. Expanding your network is a great way to help people become familiarized with your professional brand.

How do you publicize your personal brand? Let us know!

Personal Branding with QR Codes

QR codes are one of the newest technological trends in brand marketing. We see them everywhere: on subway advertisements, our morning cups of coffee, candy wrappers and zoo exhibits. They’ve even been stamped on rooftops to be accessed by Google Maps. One usage that has yet to become mainstream is personal branding purposes.

Most people don't think of using QR codes for personal use, but they are definitely an inexpensive, modern way to stand out from the crowd. Think about all the business cards an executive receives at a networking event; the bland, white ones most likely fall to the bottom of the pile, while the jazzy, unique ones catch their attention. QR codes give you that edge that helps you to not be forgotten. They flaunt your tech-savvy side, and show that you are keeping up with ever-changing public relations trends. Using a QR code on your resume or email signature is a great way to make you more memorable to potential employers, as well. Use it as a link to your personal blog, e-portfolio or LinkedIn account.

The best part about QR codes is that you can create one for free! Vizibility.com offers a basic plan that includes a mobile business card and a SearchMe link so you are found efficiently on search engines. If you want to really get fancy with it, you can subscribe to one of the Vizibility paid plans so you can monitor your personal search results and track the scans of your code… just in case someone decides to pass around your oh so impressive QR code.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Ciara Montero

Why social media is more than your “personal brand”

The following blog post was written by Jason Mollica, '97 Temple Alum.

Something I’m asked quite often about is personal branding. You’ve probably been told it is important that you focus on developing it. But are you REALLY a brand?

In the last five years, we have seen Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the blogosphere serve as an online portfolio for students and current public relations pros. The importance in this, to me, is that you can be constantly judged by colleagues, employers, and potential employers. We stress openness and honesty in public relations. We need to carry that over to social media, as well. That’s not personal branding. That’s being professional. Here are three tips you can keep with you while using social media.

1. Be smart- The old adage "think before you say something" can be re-imagined as "think before you tweet/post on Facebook." Simply put... If you don't want to see it retweeted, don't type it.

2. Be honest- No one- friends or employers- like a fake. It's pretty easy to spot a fraud in social circles. If you want to be taken seriously, show what you are about. Drop some knowledge!

3. Be engaging- Something I stress in speeches and talks with clients is the importance of engagement. You can have a Twitter account, but what are you doing with it? Show your networking and communications skills. Get out there and participate.

Remember: employers can’t use your social media against you if you use it the right way.

Jason Mollica is a 1997 graduate of Temple University's School of Communication and Theater. Since then, he has worked in television and radio in Philadelphia and New York City. Upon leaving the industry in 2005, he began a career in public relations and marketing. He is currently the public relations manager for Carr Marketing Communications in Amherst, N.Y. You can follow him on Twitter, @JasMollica, and read his blog at http://oneguysjourney.wordpress.com