I also want to add to my online repertoire: “blogger about sports injuries,” “writer of sports features,” “expert on hip impingement,” or something along those lines. I’m thinking book ideas, too. (See elevator pitch.) My name needs to be better associated with a blog I created over the summer, which is largely about my personal journey to recover from femoroacetabular impingement, or FAI, a hard to diagnose but increasingly common condition.
There are several steps that I could take to advance my online presence and voice and to distinguish myself from the crowd of other bloggers and Web sites. These come to mind:
· Re-examine My Blog. It does no good to increase traffic to a site that isn’t the highest of quality. How could it be better? What can I do to make the interface more attractive? What stories do I need to post that I haven’t already? And what type of posts will elicit the most traffic? What features should I be adding? Or pages? Am I posting enough? I’d like to add a feature in the blog that acts as a forum for ideas and chatting, but I currently lack the technological know-how to do this.
· Launch Personal Web Site. I’m wondering whether I should develop a professional Web site that could somehow tie in all my interests and activities, as well as experience. Could this improve my exposure, too?
· Facebook. My blog and blogger persona could be promoted more on my personal FB account, using enticing summaries of posts and links. A separate blog fan page could also be set up. Existing friends, and friends of friends, would be asked to “like” this page. And my fan page would also “like” other pages, including those related to the blog’s focus like medical or athletic groups. The option to “like on Facebook” content from the blog pages could also be added. (It might say “share this page” next to the content, with links to share through Facebook, Twitter, or any combination of social media.)
· Twitter Account. Provocative tweets, with good, informative hash tags, could be used to promote blog posts and my other thoughts and opinions. With Facebook Connect, I could connect Facebook to Twitter, and Twitter to Facebook, posts (i.e. when you post from Twitter, it shows up as a status update on Facebook, and when you post to Facebook, it also shows up as a tweet.)
· LinkedIn Profile. My current LinkedIn profile needs to be revised and updated to include more information about my blog and my interest in blogging (and for that matter, my studies in the new media). A second profile could also be created focusing solely on that aspect of my work. Blog feeds already appear on my current LinkedIn account, and they would be included there, too. Also, I could ask to join sports or other related LinkedIn groups.
· YouTube. The videos posted on the blog — and I should do more of them — would be uploaded to YouTube, and a branded channel linked to the blog could be created.
· Linking. I could also make periodic posts on the sites or forums of other sports- or related sites with links back to my blog. And noteworthy blog posts and tweets could be reposted on sites like Digg and Delicious. The more traffic I get, and links to my posts, the mole exposure I’ll get.
Sadie, you are a woman with a plan! I like how you formatted your proposal, it made it so easy to read and follow. Are you thinking about changing 'A blog about sports injuries, and the journey toward recovery.' from your blog subtitle as well? I think something along the lines of 'blogger about sports injuries' like you suggested, would work really well, especially since your Wikipedia entry also talks about the sport injury medicine etc.
ReplyDeleteI think your plan for having a voice in other facets of social networking is also strong and will help others looking for advice and inspiration about sports injuries find your site easier.
I also like your use of questions in your second paragraph. Sadie, You are a strong brainstormer and I can't wait to read more. Best, Amie.
Sadie-
ReplyDeleteVery thorough proposal. You do a great job of not only questioning options but exploring what you have at hand. I can relate with the clear and concise way you outline your proposal. I think the YouTube idea could really work for you - where physical demonstrations on video could make learning what you are pitching very easy.
I too want to extend my exposure using various online platforms and start building my personal website from scratch...difficult to find the time, right?
Anyway, you seem to have a lucid perception on how to get where you want to be and I wish you the best of luck. :-)
These are all good questions Sadie. The structure of your presence is something you will toss in your head for some time, just like an article’s structure. What is really the lede here? Where do I end? Am I repeating myself? Do I need two Twitter accounts?
ReplyDeleteI believe a LinkedIn resume is the best place to consolidate all of your voices (and jobs). It can be a hub for all of your keywords and, through good writing, a clear narrative of how your different foci have evolved. You could work on a personal site too, but you might want to put that effort into your blog/idea site for now. A personal site would work well if you could promote your work, but as you know, that might not be possible.
Although… could you create a Twitter account under your job/byline? That might be something to consider. Is there any way to emphasize your job or make it more of a presence online in the way an NPR reporter can have his or her own Twitter account covering their beat? Of course you would keep it separate from your other voices, but it would reinforce your job skills and titles.
Aside from that, you are at a place where you need that first project/site to define you, so let’s discuss that. Let’s jump over to your presentation.