Erica Moss is the community manager for Georgetown University’s online masters in nursing programs, offering one of the nation’s leading womens health nurse practitioner programs. She enjoys blogging, TV, pop culture and tweeting @ericajmoss.

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Instagram has found itself in the news a lot lately, and not for all the right reasons. Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies asks, “Has Instagram Jumped the Shark?” citing a growing number of spam accounts and a lack of real community on the platform as of late.

A recent Mashable article argues that what the app does isn’t special and points to its recent beef with Twitter, which just added Instagram-like filters to its apps.

With all that said, as a very visual platform with 100 million users, it’s still an effective way to help tell the story of you, and can help you develop a cohesive online personal brand.

As with any network, there are right ways and wrong ways to approach the content you share, whether you’re in the market for a job or gainfully employed. A few things to consider:

Keep your profile photo consistent with other networks.

This photo on Instagram is smaller than the tip of your index finger. Using a photo of the back of your head taken on a beach from 20 feet away is not an effective way to showcase your friendly face. While there are arguments to be made on both sides about whether or not your photo should remain consistent across platforms, I find it’s a great way to stay congruent, and make you more memorable and recognizable. Don’t make people guess whether or not it’s you.

Build your audience using hashtags.

This may be one of the most underutilized perks of Instagram. Like on Twitter, hashtags can be used to group similar photos, making it easy to find users with similar interests and amplify your content. For example, if you live in New York City, using the hashtag #igersnyc (short for Instagrammers NYC) will make your photos easier to find within that community.

What other popular hashtags are users searching to find cool photos? Try #sky, #sunset, #instagood, #cloudporn, #skyline and #nofilter, to name a few. Another pro tip: As you hit certain numbers of likes on your photos, add a hashtag to the comments section (i.e. #10likes), and you’ll almost certainly boost the number of hearts you receive, as some users are purposely on the prowl for photos with many likes.

Amplify your reach by sharing with other networks.

Technically, only people with Instagram accounts can see your photos. Expand your reach by sharing your photos on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. (It’s worth noting that Instagram photos are no longer displayed within Twitter, so users will have to click the actual Instagram link in your tweet.)

By publishing your Instagram photos on other sites, you can introduce your established audience to another facet of your online persona. Your photos should supplement the content you’re already sharing on those other platforms, so it’s important to constantly think about what you wish to convey through these sites to ensure coherency.

This isn’t to say that you need to obsess over each photo and debate its merits; rather, you should identify what you primarily use these other networks for, and be sure to share photos that keep in line with your established persona. If you’re into art and regularly tweeting links to interviews with artists or re-blogging photographs of innovative design, taking and sharing photos of art shows and cool pieces that you’ve discovered will only enhance the content you’re publishing elsewhere.

You should also follow prominent people and companies in your field of interest, and try to build a rapport as you favorite and comment on their photos. By seeking out other accounts with related content, you’re showing that you have an active interest in the subject matter.

Have fun.

Using common sense and exercising discretion is the best way to protect yourself and your brand. Don’t share any potentially incriminating photos of you or any friends, and try to capture the different aspects of your life on Instagram, from the social to the professional. And don’t forget to have fun with it! Instagram can flesh out the identity you’ve been carving out online by adding an intimate visual component, helping people to better understand the real you.

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There’s no doubt that Facebook has been an exceptional platform for connectivity and self-promotion since its inception. It can seem like the best option for keeping in touch and promoting your personal and business brand. However, when it comes to personal branding, Twitter that’s worth a look, and maybe even a ‘like’!

WHY EMBRACE TWITTER AT ALL?

(1)   You’re going to reach another segment of social media users if you branch out beyond Facebook!

You wouldn’t go to a networking event and intentionally ignore a portion of the people there, so why would you pass on a social media tool that may help you touch more people? Twitter is a markedly different platform from Facebook, meaning there’s a potential for a new audience if you expand into the Twitterverse.

(2)   What about Facebook?

When it comes to personal branding, Facebook can be a tricky platform to utilise. In order to connect successfully with others and engage with them, there are so many more hoops to jump through than simply following and @mentioning someone on Twitter!

Simply put, Twitter is another way to get your name out there. The more people that see your name, the larger and more concrete your personal brand will become; just having a presence on one social media site isn’t going to give your personal brand the credibility you deserve.

If that alone hasn’t convinced you to get a Twitter handle and talk to your Tweeps, here are a few other key considerations:

• Brevity: Twitter helps you to be concise, focused and to the point. 140 characters isn’t much, so you need to edit yourself to make an impact. Reducing your interactions down to the most important elements helps you become a clearer communicator.

• Transparency: Your interactions on Twitter are public-facing, allowing more people to see who you are and what you’re about. On Facebook, privacy settings can prevent people from viewing your interactions, but on Twitter, everything you say can be seen by anyone. So if you’re having a smart back-and-forth with a peer, others can check it out and may be inclined to follow you.

• Search-ability: That’s a nice segue into my personal favorite Twitter perk, its great search feature. If I’m looking to see what people are saying about certain areas of interest, a quick search often yields a few people who I begin to follow. Who says you can’t be someone that others follow? Tweeting about your own areas of interest and expertise is a great way to make connections with like-minded people.

• Relevancy: Though Twitter has a smaller audience than Facebook, it’s worth noting that their growth remains steady. According to recent eMarketer stats, in 2011, Twitter followers grew 31.9 percent while Facebook users only increased 13.4 percent. Sure, Facebook is the big dog, but if you want to have a strong position in the social media scene, remaining relevant and accessible is key.

• Celebrity: And while we’re talking about that smaller number of Twitter users, let’s not forget that they are a mighty bunch. Major news outlets, celebrities galore, public figures and important figures in all manner of industries are on Twitter. Heck, my feed includes tweets from the President, First Lady, a few favorite musicians and even Oprah. The opportunity to interact with someone influential is right at the tips of your fingers.

• Easy: Finally, while it may not be the most compelling reason for some, those of you who value expediency might be swayed to move beyond the ‘book by noting that there is an easy way for your Facebook posts to be broadcast on Twitter.  One simple step and your social media influence could have a wider audience, with no need to create additional content. (For that matter, it’s also very easy to share your tweets on Facebook.)

So there you have it. Twitter is a growing platform that can help you reach a new, star-studded audience of like-minded people with concise communication that easily integrates with your beloved Facebook. What are you waiting for?
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When it comes to establishing your online brand, search engine optimization isn’t the only tool at your disposal. SEO and social media share a mutually beneficial relationship that can simply be described as a symbiotic. If your SEO strategy doesn’t leverage social media, you’re ignoring this important relationship.

Quality content is still the foundation of online branding. Search engines love websites with articles, blog posts, infographics and videos that are interesting, insightful, entertaining and even controversial. When your content incorporates SEO principles like keywords, tags and search-able titles, search engines will send visitors to your website.

This is where social media can come into play: When visitors like your content, they share it with friends, family members and coworkers by tweeting, linking and bookmarking it. Social media networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+ have become so influential that search engine results now reflect the activities of their members. These activities primarily take the form of social media signals, which are the mechanism used by social networks to share content. The Facebook button that appears on many websites is an example of a social media signal. When you click the button, a preview of the content appears in your Facebook news feed, where it can be seen by your Facebook friends. If the content looks interesting, your friends will visit the original website to read more and hopefully share it in turn. Social signals are a boon for online branding. Google and Bing have both confirmed that social media signals are factored into their algorithms that decide how pages are ranked in search engine results. You can help readers apply social media signals to your content by displaying standard social media buttons on your website or blog.

Another way to leverage social media is to create profiles for your brand on a few social networks. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to establish a presence on all of the major networks. Instead, focus your efforts on a small number of social networks that are appropriate for your product or services.

You can promote your brand directly on social networks by creating fan pages to reach out to new contacts, share news about upcoming events and answer questions. You can also promote your website or blog on your fan page. Carefully crafting your profile on each social network will put a human face on your brand and increase your credibility. Don’t forget that social media is a two-way street. Cultivate social media relationships by sharing and commenting on other people’s content. Your online reputation and brand can be enhanced each time you participate in online conversations that are relevant to your field of expertise.

As you ramp up your social media campaign, don’t let social networking consume all your online marketing efforts. Keeping your blog or website fresh and relevant with frequent content updates is still the best way to improve your search engine ranking and increase your online influence.
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Over the years, the number of highly talented school graduates applying to colleges has been rising steadily in almost every corner of the world. Recently conducted studies reveal that in the next five to ten years, the number of high school graduates will rise by at least 10 percent in the United States alone. What this means is that the standard of scrutiny of college applicants will be raised high especially in the well established and reputable colleges. Generation Y students should now come to terms with the fact that in our current generation, competition is getting keener not only in the business world but in almost every other field. Learning the necessary tips that can successfully get generation Y students through the college application process therefore becomes a necessity.

Applying to a College

First of all, finding the right college to apply to is really important. You might want to consider college reputation, faculty and campus facilities. These are really important considerations since students from colleges with a good reputation tend to get employed more easily than students from less reputable institutions. The wealth of experience of the faculty and the academic facilities also tell a lot about the quality of education offered by the college. Relying on the Internet alone to make this decision may not be enough. You might want to consider seeking honest opinions from past students and independent academic counselors. Another idea is to study a current league table of colleges to see how the college you want to apply to compares with the others. After settling on where to go, you will need to follow the application process. This may vary from one college to the other, but in general, the following may apply:

Application Form: Study the form carefully and make sure it is filled out correctly. Completion of the form alone can say volumes about you. Also make sure that every furnished detail is true and correct.

High School Transcript: Ensure that your high school forwards the required transcript to the concerned college directly. Or if you have to send the transcript, make sure it is sent on time.

Test Scores: Find out the cut-off point or scores required by the college and submit scores in a format they want.

Recommendation Letters: Add a couple of recommendation letters from your high school or tutors if it is a requirement by the college you are applying to.

Two Important Qualities to Help You Get through the College Application Process Easily

The process of applying to a college is standard and many people will get it right. But the real difference-makers are your personality or attitude and involvement in extra-curricular activities.

Personality – College life can be tough and so reputable college admission boards look out for students who have a positive attitude and the mental strength to face the challenges of college life. A genuine feel of an applicant’s personality can be judged not only from his or her academic performance or recommendation by others but also by accomplishments and attitude. Therefore candidates need to showcase a positive attitude orientation and mental strength when applying to college or attending an interview for college admission.

Extra-Curricular Activities – Interviewers always look out for applicants who are not only academically good but also have a reasonable flair for extra-curricular activities such as football, music, athletics, and campus leadership responsibilities. Participating in any of these activities, along with good grades, should make it easier for applicants to successfully get through the college application process.

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Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, which combines a video job board and online interviewing platform to enrich interaction between job seekers and employers. Connect with him and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter.

At the start of 2012, when you thought of the social media giants the ones that came to mind were likely Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and LinkedIn. That’s a pretty good list but now you’re also adding another – Pinterest.

Pinterest is the most rapidly growing social media platform and relies heavily on visuals, allowing users to create their own boards in a variety of topics and “pin” images they like. As you likely know users can also “repin” images they like from friends and followers, with most of these pins linking back to websites featuring products and services.

Why is Pinterest important when it comes to your job hunt? Because its rapid growth is telling us something about our culture’s appreciation for the visual medium. Pinterest is one of the fastest sites to ever hit 10 million unique monthly visitors and users are spending over an hour on the site, compared to a half hour on sites like Twitter.

The insight that the popularity of Pinterest gives job seekers is simple: image matters. The difference between Pinterest and other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is that Pinterest is almost entirely image-based. People are responding to Pinterest because people respond to visuals! For the job seeker, this means that the visual medium cannot be ignored on the way to your perfect position.

Just like graphic-heavy sites are spiking in popularity, employers are also embracing more visual hiring methods. From a picture on a job seeker profile or Twitter account to a video resume, employers increasingly respond to seeing candidates before the actual in-person interview. Make sure the images these potential bosses and co-workers see will enhance your brand, not detract from it.

After all, some employers are even asking employees for Facebook login information. (Whether or not this is ethical is still being discussed.) Either way, the popularity of image intensive sites proves that a picture really is worth a thousand words. So make sure the images on your various social media profiles are telling the right story.

Making a video resume could be a good way to take advantage of the visual trend and let employers see your personality. Recruiters can now not only view your resume but also see a video alongside it. Now is not the time to discount the power of the visual. Just because you might be filming your video resume at home doesn’t mean you should do it while sitting on your bed in your fanciest ducky pajamas. Dress as if you were going to a professional in-person interview and find a background that is clean and lacks distractions.

What we see is often what we believe. The popularity of increasingly image-based social media sites can teach us to be aware of the how we present ourselves on the job hunt. Take advantage of all the tools in your toolbox and don’t discount the power of image.
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