Creating Brand YOU on Social Media

Hey, this is just a quick note to all of you who are working on your presence in the world of Social Media.  This is ‘old news’ already in some circles, but may still be very relevant for you.  ~10 days ago Facebook opened up the opportunity for users to get their own vanity URL — just like the celebrities & the big dogs!

Right now your Facebook link probably looks something like this: http://www.facebook.com/people/whosa-ma-whatsis/45678348 (not a real link).  But now you can have this URL: http://www.facebook.com/yourname Cool, huh?

Log onto Facebook and then go to http://www.facebook.com/username You’ll be able to check availability and obtain your own name.

Example:  Of course, w/ a name like Jim Smith, my name was long gone      But I reserved my company name, so now I can send people to www.Facebook.com/TheExecutiveHappinessCoach If you are trying to build a brand for your business, this is pretty powerful stuff.

AND for those who have a LinkedIn account, you should know that you can customize your URL at at LinkedIn, as well.  Again, an example is that I changed mine to www.LinkedIn.com/in/theexecutivehappinesscoach You can do the same.  On the left menu, choose Edit My Profile.  then on the profile page at bottom of first section where it reads Public Profile, click on the [edit] hyperlink next to the URL that shows there.  On the next page, the top item will be Custom URL — click on the [edit] hyperlink once again, and you can customize your URL.  If you have a Brand and want to ’show up’ in all your social media venues in the same way, this is a great tool.

And if you’re just you, well… remember that YOU are a brand.  This sort of customizing plays well if you’re looking for a job, trying to establish yourself in a career, etc.

Just passing along the tip.

In happiness, J

Happiness Starts With You

A reflection for Election Day:

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town.
I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.

Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family.
My family and I could have made an impact on our town.
Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”
~Rabbi Israel Salanter, Nineteenth Century Professor

While we all focus on casting ballots for the next US President, hoping he can “fix” our world and improve our lot, let’s remember that in the end, he’s just one person.  Even if we consider all our U.S. leaders — Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches combined — they are only 555 people.  They can’t make anything happen until and unless ALL of us take on our share of responsibility.

Change you, change the world.

Happiness is Making History

I’m so sick of election stuff, stuff, stuff; and I’m sure you are, too.  Yet please indulge me for two more days.

No matter who wins tomorrow, we will make History — either way, we will have placed someone other than a white male in one of the top two posts of the land, and after 232 years of history, that feels like a HUGE shift!

And so, I’m excited.  Do I have a favored candidate?  Ya, ya betcha!  I voted last week and am praying that my candidate wins.  But I’m not a sour grapes voter.  If the other party wins, then we shake it off and move forward.

Bottom line, I’m happy that no matter who wins, we’ve successfully broken the paradigm.  When the Constitution was first written, the definition of citizen was, “white, male, landowner, who was debt-free.”  For two centuries, even as the makeup of our country shifted considerably, that small minority has remained the sole source of serious contenders for the top job.  But that’s gonna change in just a few hours.

From tomorrow forward, when parents say to their kids, “you can grow up to be president,” it won’t just be the little white boys who take that suggestion seriously — it will be the rainbows of both genders who now pay attention.  And since our country is within just a few years of seeing causcasians become the non-majority, I’m excited for the future of America.  Because in this complex world, we are far more likely to succeed when we leverage ALL our human resources, not just a portion of them.

This is just one of the many reasons why I truly believe this is the most important U.S. election that has occurred in my lifetime.  I am bouncing up and down in my excitement.

I AM THRILLED TO BE BOTH A PLAYER IN — AND A WITNESS TO — HISTORY!