Undoubtedly the internet is a key tool for spreading media texts and any other sort of information. The virtual space gave a birth to many widely used networks including social networks. So online social networks have more to offer than just an access to pictures of last weekend’s party or updated statuses of friends; a person can also use the virtual space for creating personal brand (Weber, S. (2010, May 10). As personal branding rises, a search for balance | Stanford Daily. Stanford Daily | Breaking news from the Farm since 1892. Retrieved May 17, 2010, from http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/05/12/as-personal-branding-rises-a-search-for-balance/). So these days one of the most actively discussed motions is the use of the world most popular and beloved social networks Facebook and Myspace as an opportunity for self marketing. It has become a new trend to post self interest, education, skills, job experience and the like in order to spread personal information and that is to attract possible employers. There is a plenty of advantages of doing so: it’s free, pretty easy to create and to distribute. A lot of guides of marketing suggest using social networks for creating a kind of online CV which has a look of a profile. From the first sight it seems to be a great chance for everybody to show up and interact in favour for a future career. However the reverse side of the medal also exists. Easily accessed personal information leads to an easy search (as to balance the situation). Basically it means that anything that was uploaded on the internet once is archived and thus it’s always possible to dig that data up! All the employers know that, but not all prospective employees or current students do (or don’t take it into account). So, enjoying any social network an individual is recommended to be careful with posting materials. Any profile on the internet might work as a tool for personal branding in the future (it shouldn’t be seen as just a space for communicating with friends) that’s why it’s essential to bear in mind the way you want the public to perceive you and stick to that particular image.
That´s a very interesting idea with making a personal brand through facebook. Never really thought about that... it is a bit more scary with the employers searching though. Guess everithing is pretty easy to misuse and we have to be pretty careful. Good topic of your blog, it is necessary to rise awareness about such topics.
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