The Women's Link

Publish or Perish: A Web Presence Could Be Critical to Your Career!

“On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” — Peter Steiner

It was true when Peter Steiner’s cartoon was first published in The New Yorker in 1993, and it’s even more true now.

One of the most amazing things about the Internet is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to make a name for yourself — and it doesn’t matter how old you are, how you look, whether you’re male or female. The only thing that matters is your mind and how well you can convey your ideas and opinions.

You probably have a personal online identity — but do you have a professional one?

When you establish an effective, professional online presence, doors will open for you.

You can expand your network to an unbelievable degree. Not only are you increasing your visibility in your industry, it’s a great opportunity to raise your expert status even within your own company. By participating regularly in online communication, you’re keeping up-to-date on everything that’s happening, which can be invaluable as the business world changes.

The key is to participate in a way that’s comfortable to you — although you shouldn’t be afraid to stretch yourself! That could mean finding an online forum on a subject of interest to you — in your field, or in a field you hope to enter — and engaging sincerely with the participants.

Maybe you are comfortable writing and want your voice to be heard on a specific issue or subject area: start a blog. Have great ideas but you’re not much of a wordsmith? Try a twitter feed. If you’re more of a talker than writer — podcasts are a great option. And if you combine multiple platforms and communication styles — you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can be seen as an expert in your field!

Deciding what you want to do and even getting started is the easy part — now for the hard stuff: actually getting noticed.

The key to INTERnet success? INTERaction.

Networking is even more important in online communication than it is in the physical world. If you don’t reach out to others, you might as well be talking to yourself in an empty room. And when you first start establishing a professional identity online, that’s probably what it will feel like. Don’t get discouraged. The secret to establishing a successful online presence is actually really, really simple.

The three Rs in online communication are Research, Reach Out, and Reply.

Research
You probably already know a few blogs or Web sites that deal with your profession or industry. Now go out and find more! Make sure to check them regularly, either directly or through a newsreader or subscription. Not only will it keep you well informed, it will allow you to jump into a conversation early — and the earlier you jump into a conversation, the more value you can usually add to it.

Identify if there are any holes: Is your industry covered, but there’s not a lot of talk from somebody in your position? Can you add a different perspective? If you can identify a niche, you’ve got it made ... but no matter how well covered your area of expertise is, you can contribute to the conversation. And you should.

Reach Out
Nobody will come to you for expert advice if they don’t know you exist or how to find you! You’ve already created your list of online experts — the list you will soon become a part of. Most of them probably have regular contributors and commentators, and it’s time you became one of them.

Really engage — never use the conversation just as an excuse to link back to yourself; it doesn’t work and it’s the quickest way to get dismissed. On your own platform, link to posts or conversations that you find interesting — and talk about why you agree or why you don’t. The more you reach out to people, the more people will follow the bread crumbs back to you and get you noticed. If a site allows guest posts, find out what the criteria is — nothing will get you noticed more quickly than a well-written guest post on a high-trafficked site!

Reply
Once you start getting responses, you’ve already got it made! Somebody is actually paying attention! This is where a lot of people falter. Just like you, everybody wants to know that somebody is actually listening. And when you’re responding — whether you agree or disagree — that’s how you show them you’re listening. By engaging with your readers, you keep them coming back, you have more opportunity to elaborate on your ideas, and you start to look like the professional you are.

One important tip that cannot be overstated — proofread!

Check the grammar and spelling of anything you tweet, post, blog, or comment. It really does make a difference in your credibility.

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