personal branding & instant news in the digital age

For our COMM 3309 assignment this week we are focusing on chapter 12-18 of Brian Solis' Engage, which was especially interesting as I found two specific topics that apply to my own life.

Solis covered a topic which ties in with my semester-long personal learning project (PLN). The project involves creating an online resume/digital portfolio, and for it I have had to find experts in the field on Twitter, Delicious, blogs and other internet networks. Most of the experts I have connected with have a similar interest: personal branding.

 

Solis discusses personal branding at length in this segment of Engage. Even though this information is actually geared towards companies, industry professionals and management, it is still been very useful for my project and has helped me to better understand what everyone is talking about on Twitter. Hooray!

Another point made in this segment which resonates with me is the recent advancements of instantaneous, constant flows information. Like the rest of you, I have become extremely spoiled in recent years with technological advancements that allow us real-time updates of what is going on when, where, and with who. It all ties in with social media as well, allowing for a web of instant information that we have not only grown to expect at all times but have become very dependent on. Just this morning, I found myself annoyed at the fact that NPR hadn't updated their Facebook feed in the past 5 minutes to tell me exactly what was going on with the government shutdown situation and the deals being made regarding federal spending. In reality, I'm spoiled rotten by technology, and nothing new had happened in the 5 minutes since I had checked last.

@CharlieSheen joins Twitter, world watches in excited horror

"America's Bad Boy", Charlie Sheen, has joined Twitter. If this doesn't interest to you, I'll assume you have been living under a rock in recent days/weeks/years.

Charlie Sheen's wild antics, rants, and less-than-sober lifestyle has landed him in the spotlight as well as in some hot water. Celebrity-obsessed America has been following his every move starting a wave of speculation and dialogue as to his drug use, at-home rehabilitation, and outrageous remarks on national television. His hit show "Two and a Half Men", for which he is now the highest paid TV actor in the nation, has even been shut down for the remainder of the season due to his recent escapades. So what's the best plan of action for Mr. Sheen? Probably not to start a Twitter account.

Earlier today, @CharlieSheen was verified thus confirming that the account is really him. According to Gawker, the Twitter account is "gaining followers at a rate of approximately 500/second" - even though he has yet to post a single tweet or set up any profile information, including a picture. The Huffington Post also reported that at one point, the account gained 4,812 followers in 60 seconds.

So I am wondering: why on earth would Charlie Sheen be allowed to create a Twitter account? Wouldn't his PR people stop that immediately considering his outlandish, ridiculous tendencies? Sure, it will be extremely entertaining to watch, but won't it likely lead to lots of embarrassment for him and possibly cause damage to his career?

Oh, his publicist quit on Monday. That explains it.

"Great Firewall of China" blocks LinkedIn

It's no secret that in recent years the Chinese government has put into place several blocks on social networking sites that would allow citizens to communicate and share information on an online community. The two largest and most internationally used websites that have been blocked throughout the nation for a while now are Facebook and Twitter. However, access to Twitter has been managed by those who have the skills and knowledge to hack in through private networks. According to CNN, the most popular way to access Twitter in China was through a loophole involving the very popular professional business-geared social networking site LinkedIn.

 The Government shutting down access to LinkedIn in order to prevent access to Twitter is yet another jab at the Chinese civilians who are being kept from communicating, sharing, and receiving news and information on the internet. Moreover, search engines such as Google are so heavily censored that it seems practically useless to use them in the first place.


Since the blocking, news of planned revolution protests are sprouting up regarding Chinese political activists eager to change the government. Any thoughts or predictions on the matter?

Reward for @MayorEmanuel

As is often the case these days with large companies or people in the public eye, Rahm Emanuel has a Twitter impostor causing a bit of a stir on the web. Over 31,000 followers read the mysterious tweeter's frequent posts displaying the possibly soon-to-be mayor of Chicago's inner monologue, complete with rampant cursing and political satire.

What sets this story apart from the rest is that Emanuel is taking action - he has offered an award in return for the identity of the impostor. While most politicians would likely be upset over the joke that is being played on him, Emanuel is taking it in stride and using it as a PR tactic to present himself in a positive light. The award won't be in cash - it will be a donation of $2,500 to the charity of the impersonators' choice, should he or she come forward to identify themself. With elections just around the corner this is the perfect time and the perfect scenario for the former White House chief of staff to show his human side and his sense of humor. He even claims to enjoy the impersonators tweets in an interview on the "Roe & Roeper" show.

The account is being run by a person with a knowledge of Emanuel's campaign agenda and schedule, as well as his notoriety for being a bit of a bad-mouth himself.