Showing up

Dorie Clark, named as one of the ‘Top 50 Business Thinkers’ by Thinkers50, believes that not enough of us are taking the time to really show up online using the new technologies available. If we did take this more seriously, we could exponentially increase our influence and impact. Clark writes and speaks extensively on the topic of developing influence and making an impact in the world (and covers a lot of practical ground in her work Standout).

If we have more access than ever before, thanks to our virtual, technologically enabled world, how can we put this to the best use??Here are 6 considerations.

1.?Expand your thinking around how our connected and digital age can bring about a mass mobilisation of ideas. What ideas do you have for how things could be different at work or in the world? What problems need solving? What can you bring that assists with this?

2.?Take a broad view of all the new social tech that provides access to information and people, and to new ways of communicating. Evaluate tools and form a vision for a ‘portfolio’ of online presence that showcases who you are and the impact you want to have. What are your interests? Your aspirations for the future? Do you showcase these online? What do you want people to see through a Google (or DuckDuckGO) search of you?

3. This brings us to our third point. Consider presence online as a deliberate craft that has a positive or negative impact on the people and opportunities you attract. This goes beyond ensuring that your privacy settings are appropriately applied and that you are discerning about what material gets posted. Envision what you want others to feel and see when they look for you online, what is the narrative or story you will build, and what creative media forms will you use?

4.?Map out groups of people who have similar interests, areas of work, or goals for the purpose of networking and learning. What experiences can you share? How can you help each other through your networks? In what ways can you digitize these groups, and what purpose would that serve?

5.?Stop thinking that LinkedIn is only for job seekers. It is an easy way to make sure you appear high in search returns, and you can showcase interests and draw on networks of collaboration through this platform. LinkedIn also offers a free publishing tool to start speaking about your big ideas for work or the world. (We’ll be releasing a quick audit and polish tool for you to use soon, follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter for updates).

We have come a long way – tech is empowering us in ways we could never have imagined.

How are you using the new tech available to you?