WILL HALE

TRMA 585 P1: DEVELOPING A PROFESSIONAL ONLINE IDENTITY

SPRING 2012

ONLINE IDENTITIES, PERSONAL BRANDING, SOCIAL MEDIA

LINKEDIN

My profile actsas a detailed

online resume so I can show

what I can offer employers

Groups allow me to start engaging

discussions with other Mental

Health professionals

I am able to network with classmates,

coworkers and others in the

field

LinkedIn is my way to seriously cultivate a professional identity

and establish a network in the Mental Health field locally, regionally, nationally and internationally!

Join me!

Meet me! Learn the value of LInkedIn!Discover the power of groups!

ONLINE PRIVACY

Common Sense & Online Privacy

Tips for online privacy

Is privacy fading….

…Or is it already dead?

As a counselorAs a counselor, not only do I consider 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.

In time professional ethical codes will hopefully provide clear direction

My bottom line:My bottom line: Nothing is truly private online. Be discerning and be willing to give account for any content you choose to

share.

Freedom to share does not mean it is best to share.

TWITTER #TRMA585Join me!

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 for email (which I have forwarded to Apple Mail) and to manage and discover music, apps and other media through Google Play. If I ever develop a professional purpose for Google+, it will focus on maintaining a professional profile to connect with other Clinicians and direct potential clients to other sources I keep to promote myself.

Click windows to explore!

PROFESSIONAL FACEBOOK PAGESCreate your page!

My Facebook page is for personal use only, keeping in touch with family, friends and closeco-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 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS & ORGANIZATIONS

BLOGS: BLOGGER, W ORDPRESS, TUMBLR, POSTEROUS

Although 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.

Writing a

successful

blog

PORTFOLIOS & PROFILES

http://www.visualcv.com/willhale

Similar to LinkedIn, VisualCV acts as an online resume, portfolio or CV (thus, the name!). Since they are so similar, I am undecided if I will find distinct purposes for each, or integrate them in some way.

I appreciate how VisualCV allows me to post downloadable PDF’s for viewers to browse. For example, I have added samples of my Personal Disclosure Statement and coursework for potential employers to view.

Clinicians who teach, or train may find this a useful means of displaying their work.

MANAGING YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY

Start managing!

Managing 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, a tool for managing activity for multiple social media sites in one 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 IMPACT

Social 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 them

Success and impact come in all sizes and varieties, from the quality of your work to how you interact in your community to global advocacy

Just by being online, and being yourself, you have an impact on others around you. What impact do you want to have?

GOALS & STRATEGIES

Goals & 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.

SLIDESHARE

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.

Present yourself!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Social media has become a Social media has become a permanent part permanent part of human of human

communication across all spheres of life, communication across all spheres of life, with rapidly expanding library of with rapidly expanding library of platforms from which to choose. platforms from which to choose.

Social media neither inherently good Social media neither inherently good or bad. or bad. Its value and potential are Its value and potential are determined by those who use it. determined by those who use it.

Choose wisely!Choose wisely!

Therefore, be discerning. Therefore, be discerning. Have a Have a purpose and vision. Recognize that you purpose and vision. Recognize that you

have influence. have influence.

Most of all, Most of all, be creative and have funbe creative and have fun!!