This is Shayla Price. Last night, I got THEE most fantastic email from her that she said I could share with you here on the blog:

Thank for writing about the America’s Leaders of Change program on your blog (June 27, 2011). I was accepted into the program! We had our first forum this weekend. It was awesome! Because of you, I am one step closer to achieving my professional development goals. Thanks again!

Congrats, Shayla!

It’s emails like these that highlight the true power of blogging – not just to get exposure for yourself or your business or your cause, but to help other people in their journeys. This is what I mean by blogging as thought leadership. Blogging is not just another shiny social media thingamajig.

It’s a tool for social change.

P.S.  Shayla is currently seeking a nonprofit job in the DC area, so if you have any openings or leads, let her know at shayla2004@gmail.com.

P.P.S. If you want to learn more about how to build a great blog, I invite you to check out my FREE ebook, The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Blog, a 37-page resource to help you get you up and blogging in no time. Geared toward newbie bloggers, this easy-to-read guide will take you from soup to nuts in terms of your blog concept, software, design, content, promotion and analytics. I’ll also be announcing a few new online workshops soon to take you through the process of starting (or improving) your own blog step-by-step in real time, so get on the Blogging School email list if you want to be notified when registration opens up!

Thnx for today's post @rosettathurman! Rethinking my Twitter bio now...

November 8, 2011 4:54 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@meeshspeaks

Michele Kumi Baer

Love this latest from @RosettaThurman http://t.co/oxarWqVK | Agreed: personal twitter, don include the name of your nonprofit or biz!

November 8, 2011 6:45 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@FundraiserBeth

Beth Ann Locke

Excellent thoughts by @rosettathurman on those silly disclaimers people put in their twitter profiles http://t.co/3oG3s41A

November 9, 2011 11:00 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@Indy_Mode

Mandy Valentine

@rosettathurman Just shared your post on FB & Twitter on "opinions not my own". I've been lecturing on this type of SM issues forever!

November 9, 2011 10:34 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@MRGottschalk

Marla Gottschalk PhD

The consensus seems to be that this conversation is important to have, not only for employees, but employers as well. And I think people are beginning to realize that having a disclaimer in your Twitter bio really means nada in terms of protecting yourself or your job.

I think some, myself included might have felt some security in the disclaimers, but as you point out at the end of the day it matters not. I agree with the general rule of thumb, if you’re worried about who will read it or if it could be taken out of context, don’t post it. – @ToscanoAdvisors

To me, phrases like “opinions are my own” only dilute whatever messages you’re sending out into the world. It implies that you don’t want to take responsibility for what you say online if it happens to relate to your organization. It also makes you look fearful of losing your job because of a Twitter comment. (Ironically, this also doesn’t exactly make your employer look so good, either. Right? I mean, who would want to work at an overly bureaucratic organization that monitors their employees’ tweets? See my post on the Facebook firings at Hispanics United.)

In fact, if your employer is requiring you to have the disclaimer as a condition of employment (yikes!), this might be an opportunity for you to practice leadership by sharing the following articles with your colleagues to let them know how useless (and perhaps even harmful) the current social media policy may be for the organization.

• 8 Reasons Social Media Policies Backfire
• The National Labor Relations Board report detailing the outcome of investigations into 14 cases involving the use of social media and employers’ social and general media policies

The Bottom Line

Whatever you say on Twitter (or Facebook or on your blog, for that matter) are your opinions, and they stand much stronger without the (non)legalspeak. Own them.

Why?

Because that’s what leaders do.

We’ll be talking more about these nuances and more next week on my new webinar, Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career. Join us!

This post is part of my ongoing Social Media 101 series to encourage leaders to learn more about social media and use it effectively in their life and work.

I love Twitter. It’s one of the social media tools I use most frequently to grow my professional network and build my personal brand. But there’s one thing I’ve noticed lately: some people are putting some weird disclaimers in their Twitter profiles. I mean, we only have 160 characters to tell people how awesome we are in our bios, and there are people out there who are using up at least 17 of them saying things like “tweets are my own” or “opinions are my own.”

Well, who else’s tweets would they be? Your face is the one on your Twitter profile, so . . .

Here’s what I mean, in a few examples (no offense to these folks, but I really think their thoughts stand stronger on their own without the disclaimer):

Contrary to popular belief, you’re not really protecting yourself by putting that little disclaimer out there. (Neither is your employer, for that matter, if their policy governs employee’s use of social media too broadly. See the National Labor Relations Board’s Acting General Counsel report detailing the outcome of investigations into 14 cases involving the use of social media and employers’ social and general media policies. See also: 8 Reasons Social Media Policies Backfire.)

I mean, if you diss your boss on Twitter, you’re still gonna have to face the consequences, yes? If you tweet something that your employer or colleagues find super-offensive or contrary to the mission of your organization, you’ll still have to face the music of them reacting negatively to your opinions. Right? You can’t exactly yell “immunity!” if someone calls you out on a hate-filled Twitter rant.

Here’s another nuance I find curious.

When people state where they WORK in their Twitter profile, but simultaneously assert that their opinions are their own. Um, not exactly. Now that your followers know where you work, it’s pretty hard for them to completely separate your thoughts from the culture of the organization. So if you want to know the truth, your tweets are not 100% your own when you tell the world where you work. And unfortunately, you can’t have it both ways – piggybacking off your organization’s brand and then being able to say whatever you want.

Your tweets are not your own. 

Sorry to burst the bubble. But really, let’s stop wasting precious Twitter characters on the disclaimers, shall we? Just be smart about what you say, the same way you would in face-to-face conversations. It seems complex, this business of being human on the internet. But it’s really not.

Just take a look at a few examples of non-disclaimer Twitter profiles:

See? Twitter works just fine without all the (non)legalspeak. Need more advice?  Take heed of these simple, yet wise words from @almameeker:

@rosettathurman i try to go by this rule of thumb: if i wouldn't say it in a crowded room of people i respect, i don't say it here.

October 31, 2011 11:48 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@almameeker

Alma Meeker

Do you have a disclaimer in your Twitter profile? Why or why not?

This post is part of my ongoing Social Media 101 series to encourage leaders to learn more about social media and use it effectively in their life and work.

“Brand yourself for the career you want, not the job you have.” – Dan Schawbel

One of the things Trista and I talk about a lot in our book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career is the importance of establishing a great personal brand in your nonprofit career. If you’re having trouble landing that dream job or leadership opportunity, it may be because your personal brand needs some work! The good news though, is that in our evolving digital world, there are infinite opportunities to build a reputable name for yourself in your field - online.

This post explains the basic concept and origins of personal branding. Below, I go a bit deeper to share a few ideas for how you might begin to use the four main social media tools to accelerate your nonprofit career. How can you deliberately grow your professional network and become known as the “go-to” person in your field using blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn?

Start Blogging

Blogging offers a powerful entry point for anyone who wants to gain greater visibility in the nonprofit industry. In my experience, blogging is hands down, the very best social media tool to use in building your personal brand. It gives you a platform to talk about your expertise and experience. No, not bragging, but simply showing people that you have something meaningful to offer to the field. Blogging also showcases your writing skills, social media savvy, and utter brilliance to your colleagues and future employers.

If you don’t have a blog yet, you can get one now for the low, low price of $0! Sign up at Blogger or WordPress to get a free blog set up and start writing about nonprofit issues that you care about. Or even better, get a more professional-looking self-hosted blog through Bluehost (the web host that I use). For more in-depth blogging advice, download my free 37-page ebook, The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Blog. Geared toward newbie bloggers, this easy-to-read guide will take you from soup to nuts in terms of your blog concept, software, design, content, promotion and analytics.

Further reading:

• Why Blogging is the Best Way to Build Your Personal Brand Online
• Beyond Social Media: Blogging as Thought Leadership

Create a LinkedIn Profile

If you’re seeking to build your personal brand in the nonprofit world and you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on a TON of connections and opportunities. It’s an easy way to get your name ranked favorably in Google search as well as an avenue to meet other nonprofit leaders in your community. LinkedIn is also great for getting the attention of hiring managers and headhunters as 86% of recruiters use social media to research applicants.

Once you join LinkedIn, be sure to fill in your profile completely with a picture, your resume and your bio. To really use the site to its full potential, join some LinkedIn groups associated with the nonprofit industry. I recommend joining the following LinkedIn Groups to build your nonprofit network as well your personal brand: Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, Commongood Careers and The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Further reading:

Get On Twitter

A lot of nonprofit folks are still skeptical about why they should be on Twitter, but as someone with almost 14,000 Twitter followers, I’ve learned a lot about navigating this tool for my own networking purposes. If you’re not on Twitter yet, get an account here and use your real name as your username. Using your real name makes it easier to associate that name with your personal brand as well as the unique value and expertise you bring to the sector. If your name is already taken as a handle (or is too long), you can always use a variation, or even a combination of your industry and your name, such as @nonprofitnicole. Right away, you know she works in nonprofits and her name is Nicole. Brilliant! (And yes, if you’re using a weird username right now, you can go ahead and change it without losing followers. Go here to learn how.)

After that? Get to know thought leaders in the field like @robertegger. I love how Robert uses Twitter to share his thoughts as a nonprofit CEO and a courageous advocate for change in the sector. You should also keep up with the latest nonprofit news and trends by following @Philanthropy (Chronicle of Philanthropy) and @npquarterly (Nonprofit Quarterly). Then? Set aside tine to tweet at least a few times every day to establish your personal brand and market yourself as a resource in whatever your nonprofit expertise might be. If you share what you know, people will begin to respect you as a professional, regardless of your age or years of experience in the field.

Further reading:

• 9 Tips for Using Twitter to Build Your Nonprofit Network
• Six Ways to Use Twitter to Enhance Your Nonprofit Career

Develop a Facebook Presence

With almost a billion people on Facebook now, the site represents a huge pool of potential folks to promote your personal bran (as well as your blog). But if you’re like me and you don’t want your readers to friend you on your personal Facebook profile, you can create a “page” instead where people can keep up with your blog updates. I started a Facebook page for my blog about two years ago and I’ve been able to use it to connect with my readers and share updates from not only my own blog, but posts from other bloggers in the nonprofit field as well.

Ready to start? Go here to create a Facebook page for yourself. Use one of the following categories for your page: “Artist, Band or Public Figure” (author, writer, public figure, business person) OR “Brand or Product” (website). Next, link to your Facebook page from your blog so people can keep up with your updates. For extra credit, install the Networked Blogs application (it’s free!) to automatically pull in your blog posts to your Facebook wall. Again, your ultimate goal here is to use your Facebook page to build a vibrant community around your personal brand, so stay consistent on your page by posting links, questions, quotes and articles related to the nonprofit sector.

Further reading:

• 5 Personal Brands with Great Facebook Pages
• 26 Tips for Enhancing Your Facebook Page

What are some other ways you’ve been able to use social media to build your personal brand online?

Wanna learn more about personal branding? Purchase your copy of my popular 90-minute webinar training, Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career.

I probably don’t have to tell you just how many things are vying for our attention these days. Well, maybe I do. I have a point to make here. We’ve all got so much to do all the time that it seems to be getting harder to concentrate fully on everything we have to do in the first place. Couple that with technology and you have all the possibility that more opportunities, more networking, and more connections bring.  Alas, they also bring the little things.

The Little Things That Overwhelm Us

You know, the little things that run counter to that “balanced life” we all seem to want to lead. Little things like email (we all get way too much), social media (it’s great, but who can really keep up with 12,000 people on Twitter?), long to-do lists at work and at home (where not much ever seems to really get “crossed off”), tedious meetings and conference calls (many of which seem unnecessary). All these little things add up to one big thing.

Overwhelm.

I’ve been putting off hiring another assistant ever since business slowed down for me late last year. But then what happens? All spring, all summer and now fall, my speaking and coaching schedule is heating up, and things are moving faster than I can keep up with them. I’m like the little tortoise trying to enjoy the race and the hare is just whizzing by, running around me in circles, taunting me with a full inbox, piled up voicemails and the red glare of unread Facebook updates.

The Price We Pay for “Busy”

Thing is, I suspect that I’m not alone. Everyone in my circle always seems so damn busy. (Or maybe I just need a new circle?) With the pace of technology, many of us seem to have gone way beyond that magic 150 number of people we can sanely keep track of in our mental rolodex.

I’ve said before that what most people call “work-life balance” is not so much about about juggling between work and life as it is about alignment. One of my values is authenticity – the act of being my true self and showing up in the world with my unique gifts in service to others. What happens when I’m overwhelmed, though, is that my focus is on just “getting through” the next day, the next flight, the next thing. The truth is, I am not my absolute best, highest self when I allow the little things to overshadow my true purpose in life.

What do we do, then, when the world seems to be spinning at breakneck pace around us? How do we resist the allure of busyness and the constant ping of the internet in lieu of blocking out precious time to hear ourselves think, read a good book and reflect on our experiences?

The latter sounds delightful, yes? Quiet time FTW! Then why is it so hard to become unbusy? Maybe because it means opting out of a lot of things that our peers are doing, especially at work. One thing I started with was to unfollow everyone on Twitter. Yes, this happened. Blame Chris Brogan. I’m only following like 40 people now, down from about 12,000 as of just last week.  The result is less noise and more connection with the people who’ve been sharing such great insight with me. I “see” them now where I honestly just could not before.

The Value of Outsourcing

For now, my most efficient solution is to outsource as many of the little things as I can. It seems like a sort of defeat, though, doesn’t it? To have to admit that you can’t fully manage all the minute details of your work and life? Ah, but it is now that I’m reminded by my brilliant co-author in crime, Trista Harris, of the benefits of hiring a wife. Busy people with families and businesses and hobbies are successful in part because they know how to delegate. It’s just a part of the deal if you want it all. Or, as one of my colleagues once said, if you want to “hold it all.”

What “it all” means for me, however, is not the fast-paced life of a self-employed CEO of everything, but a path to alignment that starts with recognizing my mental boundaries in being able to show up fully for the people I most want to engage with.

And that means being wise enough to get rid of the little things.

My new assistant started today. She is a Buddhist. I’ve always had the perception of Buddhists as being very balanced people. People who are in tune with what really matters in life. So, maybe I hired her not just for her administrative prowess, but because I needed a role model for how to stand in courageous alignment with my values. In either case, I’m looking forward to having a clean inbox for once and maybe learning to enjoy life as a tortoise, when all around me people are running the race like a hare.

What about you? What are the “little things” in your world that keep you from feeling balanced?