I used to follow a very notable personality who I had assumed was an expert in nutrition, fitness, etc. Without naming names, it was one of those situations where — with an e-book, numerous videos, subscribers, a certain aesthetic and surety in one’s voice — it would have been tough to not think they were an expert in some way.
Naturally, not just this one person, but many others I’d assumed to be relative experts, started coming out as just that: personalities, with life experience as teacher, and not experts in their field or line of interest.
Now, to me, there’s nothing wrong with any of that. However, there is something to be said for some backing regarding one’s experience rather than merely what they speak about. It’s one of the reasons why I’m taking public speaking courses, digging through old textbooks on literary theory, looking to perform personal essays — for me myself, I need some educational backing to improve upon my interests, and to work with the world around me to do so (but I digress… so worth it, though).
With all that said, LinkedIn is quickly becoming the hottest place for normal folks to build one’s brand, if not already. No longer a place to merely update your resume in between jobs, it is a highly active networking/sharing platform for professionals of all types.
On YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, etc., if you’re a lifestyle / vegan / travel / fashion / fitness / model / guru / whatever, you’re probably going to be lost in a sea of carefully crafted personas. LinkedIn, however, is a slightly smaller pool with with less trolling and more substance. It is user-friendly with liking, sharing, and following capabilities, but is built on professionalism first. Now a place with influencers and channels, it’s a buzzing environment and a lot of fun to navigate.
In my personal opinion, Facebook is quickly becoming MySpace in the form of memes, viral video sharing, and random pages of cluttered, black hole content. It seems to be implementing flashy integrations to boost its relevancy when compared to competitors rather than actually improve users’ experience — whereas other outlets such as LinkedIn provide more focus, with the foundation of professional networking that seems to curb any overstepping.
Social media is definitely not going anywhere. It provides an opportunity in which spectator can be entertainer (and vice versa), a highly interactive format where anyone’s voice can be heard. That’s powerful. And really, for all the meh content and functionality, there’s some really great stuff out there as well.
But if you’re looking to improve upon your brand and network, I highly suggest LinkedIn. If you’re not logged in at least three times a week, well, you really might want to be. In fact, I dare you.
Do you think I have a point, or is this all BS? (I don’t think so, but I’m open to being wrong).
What’s your favorite way to network?
Rose-Colored Linds 