DR. WHAW? Sunday Digest — Week-ending August 9, 2009

My second full week of DR. WHAW? and I’m happy to have even more support!  Thanks to all who have been reading or have stopped by.  It’s been a crazy weather weekend, and with that in mind, I am going to get to it!  Never know when the power will go again!

DR. WHAW? Sunday Digest — Week-ending August 9, 2009

1. Colleges Need to Teach Personal Branding by Katie Konrath — This is a brillaint article that argues our universities should be teaching students how to build a personal brand.  Because whether or not we may realize it right away, being able to build a brand is a necessary skill for any profession.  I liked this article in part because I can relate to it.  I feel as though I was taught a lot of the proper skills to build a brand for myself through the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (full disclosure: I’m one heck of a proud alumnus!), but other students at the same university did not receive the same training I did.  My friends in other majors often felt as though upon graduating, they really weren’t sure what their next steps should be.  I, on the other hand, felt prepared for my first steps into the real world.  All universities should prepare students for the same steps because they are crucial.

2. Why Teens Don’t Tweet by Ben Parr — One of the most-Tweeted articles this week was from Mashable about a study which showed that teens  do not Tweet.  Statistics show that there are very few Tweeters who are under the age of 24, and although there was a significant outcry from those on the site that are teens, there was little discussion about why teens don’t Tweet.  This article has not been shared quite as much, but I think it deserves more attention because it gives insight into why teens are not using Twitter as much as sites like Facebook.  It’s really quite simple: teens care about their friends, not networking.  What do you think?  How could Twitter become relevant to teens?  Or is it impossible?

3. Even Among the Tech Savviest, Social Media Starts ‘Underground’ by Joe McKendrick — A new study was released that revealed that even those corporations considered to be the most tech-savvy, almost all successful social media initiatives begin as underground or grassroots projects.  Only later are these projets sanctioned by the company.  So what gives?  This is a brilliant start, but why do these companies foster this social media growth?  Is it something about their culture?  Fascinating subject, I recommend you read up and weigh in!

4. Is Social Media a Strategy or Tactic? by Shannon Paul — If you studied public relations in college, you were probably taught time and again about the difference between strategies and tactics.  I know I was (and believe me, I’m thankful)!  In this post, Shannon Paul explores whether social media itself is the strategy or a tactic.  She begins by defining the intent of social media, and she generated lots of great discussion which in and of itself is worth the click!

5. Paranoia vs. Social Media by Olivier Blanchard — Yesterday I highlighted a post whichrevealed ESPN’s social media policy after they were accused of prohibiting employees to Tweet as they please.  I commended ESPN for its transparency, but I think I missed the greater issue.  In this post, Olivier Blanchard discusses at great length the social media policies of three companies: two who got it wrong (ESPN and USMC) and one who got it right (IBM).  While it is a long post, I promise you it is worth the time you will spend reading it.  There are brilliant insights and analysis here, absolutely brilliant!  As more companies begin to adopt SM policies, it’s important to understand best practices and this is a great step toward that understanding.

6. Who Finds Twitter More Effective, Advertisers or Consumers? from eMarketer — I love this post because it presents some great new stastics about what advertisers are thinking about Twitter.  It shows that not as many advertisers think Twitter is very effective, which was surprising to me.  What was more shocking, though, was that this study claims that young advertisers are the most aware of Twitter.  VERY interesting considering all the recent reports that teens are not, in fact, Tweeting.  What does this mean?

7. 5 Ways to Destroy Your Personal Brand by Jacob Share — Just as important to understanding how to build a personal brand is to understand how all your hard work could possibly be undone.  This offers five key actions to avoid if you want to make sure you do not ruin your carefully crafted reputation.  One key mistake is to stop doing that thing which makes you who you are in the first place.

Were there other articles you thought were better?  More interesting?  Tell me!  Leave comments or questions, and remember to send votes for the next digest to my e-mail or Twitter.  Here’s hoping y’all have a great week!