Genevieve is blogging

Learning about Social Media Marketing is a daunting task for somebody whose only exposure thus far has been Facebook. It is overwhelming enough to learn how to navigate different platforms, it is even more challenging to learn how to market myself. I was raised in a culture where talking about one's self can be viewed as distasteful if not downright tacky. I realize now that this is definitely from another era and if I hope to catch up, I will have to get out from under the rock I have been living in and embrace the 21st century means of communication, aka Social Media. I have decided to follow my classmates, professor, a physician who is very well known in her field, Starbucks and UC Riverside on Twitter. While the selection seems random and totally unconnected, I believe I have something to learn from each one of them. My classmates are definitely a good resource because I think they are more social media savvy and know what to say and how to say it. From them I hope to learn t...

Marketing myself is very difficult for someone used to blending into the background. I have not even thought about what I would like to be known as and known for – I have not developed a personal “brand.” In this age of dizzying technology and people having all sorts of credentials to their name, I realize that I need to make an effort to get out of my comfort zone and to find my niche if I hope to stand a chance at competing with the thousands of people out there who can do what I do. It is important that I market myself in a way that will make me stand apart and that will make people want to look at what I have to offer. Skills can be universal, but my character makes me unique and this is what I can build on. I can develop my personal brand as I unravel pieces of me – what I believe in, what I hold dear, what I value – and how all of these come into play as I do my work as administrator of my little department. And so it begins…

Social media marketing is a very strange world to me. Apart from a facebook account I share with my husband, I have had no social media presence...until now. Working in a healthcare/academic setting, I have come to realize the importance of social media to building the group's presence in the Inland Empire. Not knowing anything about it however, is a huge setback. This is my primary motivation for taking this class. I hope to have a better understanding of social media and its uses beyond bragging about experiences and what impact it can have on our start-up practice. I hope to be able to work with our Marketing unit in building awareness among the women of the Inland Empire about this new practice that boasts of world-class providers. I would like to be able to understand analytics and be able to correctly apply them to our practice. Before all of this can happen, I need to be comfortable with social media, and I believe this class will help me a lot in that direction.