Lesson # 1 Personal Branding. Dan Schawbel , EMCs first social media specialist, returned to Bentley College to do a presentation about personal branding and social media. Among other things, personal branding involves an understanding that you have a public image (whether you want to or not). One of the interesting things they did in this lesson was to learn about tagging and how other peoples opinion can shape our perception of both individuals and brands. Think of it as Facebook for bloggers (well, before Facebook was for everyone.) just my opinion. MORE >>

Remember that we are trying to shape opinions and help communicate a message. Not to the extremes of career burnout or by sacrificing your personal life, but to the point that you should think about your work as wanting to win. Wall Street is one of my favorite movies about values and ethics. Whether you’re presenting internally to product managers about using social media or pitching your latest announcement to reporters and bloggers, they all want information. Sometimes inspiration can come simply from a quote. — Henry David Thoreau. Breathe deeply. MORE >>

In the quest to gain what should be earned referrals and testimonials, some companies appear to be pushing the boundaries of ethics and standards by paying for them. Endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser. How much differently would the story or testimonial be told if the person submitted it purely driven by self-motivation, rather than potential prizes or recognition? In my opinion, that's not true. bit of a disclaimer before I begin. hope you'll chime in and contribute to the conversation. MORE >>

Your personal blogs that contain postings about Oracle’s business, products, employees, customers, partners, or competitors. The Oracle Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and Oracle’s corporate policies – including the Acceptable Use Policy, Information Protection Policy, and Copyright Compliance Policy – apply to your online conduct (blogging or other online activities) just as much as they apply to your offline behavior. Social media activities must not interfere with your work or productivity at Oracle, and your personal activities should take place outside of work. MORE >>

Your personal blogs that contain postings about Oracle’s business, products, employees, customers, partners, or competitors. The Oracle Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and Oracle’s corporate policies–including the Acceptable Use Policy, Information Protection Polic y , and Copyright Compliance Policy–apply to your online conduct (blogging or other online activities) just as much as they apply to your offline behavior. Social media activities must not interfere with your workor productivity at Oracle, and your personal activities should take place outside of work. blogs. MORE >>