June 2017

Join me for a lunch + learn dedicated to personal branding

- by Alyson Shane


Figuring out who you want to be is daunting by itself - but what about figuring out who you are online?

If you've never thought about it before don't worry. Most people don't! In fact, most of us go about our daily lives, posting whatever we find, ranting about people that annoy us, and generally not giving a second thought to how the things we share might make us look to others.

Enter personal branding: the process of using social media and your digital presence to shape the narrative about who you are, what you do, and why you rock.

Why Does Personal Branding Work?

Many people think of personal branding as being inauthentic, or deliberately trying to pull the wool over people's eyes, but they couldn't be more wrong! I like to think of personal branding as the daily practice of putting your best foot forward and projecting the best version of yourself online.

Think about it this way: you're a smart, savvy professional who works hard and knows their shit, so why wouldn't you want people to know that about you right from the get-go?

What Can Personal Branding Accomplish?

I can say unequivocally that I wouldn't be where I am without my personal brand.

I realized several years ago (while I was in university, actually) that developing a strong presence online would help me get a job in my desired field and make connections, but I didn't really think too critically about it.

I posted to Twitter a lot and blogged regularly, which helped me start speaking and even landed me a segment on Shaw TV, but it wasn't until I shifted the focus of my website to be more "career-centric" and started sharing articles relating to social media and my industry that I started to acquire freelance clients and more speaking opportunities.

The more I shared, the more people began to see me as a local expert in my field, and as someone who could speak with authority about topics relating to my industry. I was able to accelerate this process by already having several years of online activity and recognition (aka, developing my personal brand!) to fall back on.

How Can You Develop Your Personal Brand?

Understanding how to shape your personal brand is one of the most valuable skills that we can learn in our digital age - I believe it's something we should teach everyone!

Luckily, there's no bad time to start developing your personal brand. It's really as easy as asking yourself some basic fundamental questions about yourself and your goals, signing in to your social accounts, and posting regularly.

Of course, there's a little more to it than that, which is why I'm hosting a lunch + learn with New Media Manitoba dedicated to helping you develop your personal brand!

Whether you're a student, freelancer, or professional looking to advance in your field and snag that killer new job, personal branding can help, and I'd love to show you how.

This event is FREE for NMM members, and only $10 for non-members, so what are you waiting for? RSVP and let's have some lunch and learn about how you can land your dream job by shaping how future bosses and clients think of you online.

Let's do this thing! Save your spot and let's get you that dream gig.


 

TEDxWinnipeg photo essay

- by Alyson Shane


Yesterday was TEDxWinnipeg.

It was amazing. It was a whirlwind. It was so much more than my tired, fried-out brain can describe right now.

Instead, here's a photo essay:

Of course I woke up at 4:45AM

a full hour before my alarm was supposed to go off

as evidenced by my unimpressed post-shower face (was I even awake then?)


Much better.

Does that look like the face of a girl who got 5hrs sleep? I hope not.

Luckily I was able to pull myself together within a reasonable time frame.


Winnipeg looked gorgeous during my bike ride to the convention centre, of course.

I left a bit early so I could bike there slowly and collect my thoughts and feelings

and to try and get in a little "me time" before a whirlwind day.


I got there for 7:15AM and the space was largely empty except for the volunteers and organizers running around getting everything ready.

We took a bunch of group shots of all the speakers, organizers, tech peeps, and etc before the crowds started milling in, and then it was ready to go!



There were a bunch of fun activities for guests to do, including this fun board which I kept coming back to look at throughout the day.

I was busy as heck, but I managed to squeeze in a few selfies with some lovely people before the day got started.


TEDxWinnipeg people unite!

That's me with Ed, Mike, and Dr. Joel above, and Rana and I below:



This guy was an amazing support, of course.

Halfway through the morning Brent pulled me aside to let me know he had something for me:


It was a vintage AOL trial disc! Anyone remember these?

My talk touched on my high school years spent using the "Trial" button on our NetZero install because my parents refused to pay to get dial-up internet at home (don't even get me started on that gong show), so this little trinket was super thoughtful and hilarious. Thanks so much, Brent!

(Side note: I'm so thankful for high speed internet)

Then it was back into the swing of things.


I spent most of my day with two of my fellow presenters, Jon and Andrea, hanging out, watching the talks, rehearsing together, and trying not to be too nervous about everything.

I spent a lot of time in the green room backstage, but I made sure to make it into the crowd for Jon and Rana's talks. We'd spent so much time rehearsing together that I really needed to be in the crowd to experience their talks.

Spoiler alert: they both knocked it out of the park. I was in tears!

Before I knew it, it was my turn to present.




Photos via Heather Hinam, Doug McArthur, and The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

What can I say about speaking?

It was intense. It was exhilarating. It was fun and stressful and amazing.

I was nervous leading up to my talk and was so worried that I was going to forget something, or flub my lines, or, well... anything!

But I'm pleased to say that I nailed it. I did better than I could have expected and I'll be sharing more thoughts on my experience in an upcoming post for the TEDxWinnipeg website (so stay tuned for that).


Then it was over!

I posed for a few quick snaps at the end of the day (this is my speaker buddy, Amanda, who was an incredible help and support throughout the entire process) before heading out.

I was utterly wiped after such an emotional, busy, and exhilarating day.


(But not too tired to go for pizza and drinks at my favourite local pizza joint Super Deluxe Pizza.)

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go and sleep for a week.

Want more info about my TEDxWinnipeg expeirence? Check out my blog post series on the TEDxWinnipeg website what it was like to be selected as a speaker, and preparing to present my talk.

Update: the TEDxWinnipeg live stream is still up! My talk is around 3:20:10 in the 'Afternoon Talks' section.