Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

Dark: The New Bright

Today, when I opened my browser, I noticed that Google had gone dark “as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour.” In the video at the Earth Hour site, I learned that in 2007, Sydney (where the movement started), achieved a 10.2% energy reduction when 2100 corporations and 2.2 million people turned off their lights for an hour. I also learned that this year, it’s expected that “millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour.” I thought, “What a bright idea!”

Clearly, small actions can lead to HUGE results, and this also applies to small actions you can take to exude your brand and stand out in your career. In fact, one of the best things that you can do to help yourself is to help others. So, it’s good practice to find ways to take your career out of the spotlight and focus on others. How? Well, for example, you could write an unsolicited LinkedIn recommendation, or you could host a three-way meeting to introduce people who could benefit from knowing each other, or you could simply give recognition to the fine work of a Starbuck’s barista.

Whatever bright ideas you put into practice, chances are you’ll make others light up while earning appreciation.  As well, you’ll beam with satisfaction at the Good Karma you generate.

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Web Portfolios: A Powerful Way to Present Yourself Online

If you’re looking for a way to extend your online visibility for job search, you may want to consider a web portfolio. More than a simple online resume, a web portfolio allows you to present information about yourself in a variety of forms, including your profile, your photo, statement of your philosophy, a Q & A about your expertise, highlights of key results, samples of your work, press, and even audio or video clips. In short, anything that best represents your talent and accomplishment to a potential employer.

Until now, you could hire a web designer and developer to create, upload and host your portfolio; or, you could go to specialty firms such as Kirsten Dixson’s Brandego, or Louise Fletcher’s Blue Sky Portfolios for outstanding professional guidance. Recently, Reach Communications colleague, Tara Kachaturoff, discovered another way: VisualCV. At their site, you can sign up for a free account and start building your own web portfolio. The site not only offers ability to add dynamic features to build a case for yourself, but it also gives you control over who sees your portfolio.

I think this could be a great resource, provided you have great clarity about the value you deliver and have crafted key messages to underscore that value. In other words, I think that your first step in creating a web portfolio is to put some work into your personal brand. After all, it’s what you uniquely offer, communicated in a compelling way, that will make you stand out both online and off.

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

LinkedIn, Facebook, and Online Community

Lately, several people have asked me if they need to be on Facebook, LinkedIn, or both. Certainly each provides the opportunity to build an on-brand, online identity, as well as the ability to connect with others. Yet, for me, there is another important difference: the more personal level of shared experience on Facebook.

I’m on LinkedIn and nearly everyone in my business network is there too – and so are members of their networks. In fact, with yet a third level of relationships, I’m currently connected to 1.9 million “trusted professionals” – who I don’t know! Of course, the real magic of LinkedIn is that if I discover I need to know one of these folks, there is someone I do know, among my first-degree contacts, who can help me connect.

While LinkedIn is a great tool for sharing business information and connections, Facebook is a site where business people can connect to friends and share life experiences that support a richer sense of community.  Since opening my account in January, I’ve enjoyed getting friends’ updates, seeing their photos, learning about things they like, and getting news of their online activities. I also appreciate the level of informality and immediacy on Facebook where I can simply “poke” someone if I want to say “Hi.”

So, should you be on LinkedIn, Facebook, or both? Personally, I think if enriching your relationships online is important to you, then the answer is both.

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog