Do your social media posts sabotage your brand?
The author’s latest post made 
me cringe.
I’m sure that wasn’t her intent. Considering its brevity, I expect her post reflected little forethought. She never suspected she was contributing to her author branding
Nevertheless, that badly written sentence shaped my impression of Jane Doe, who identifies herself online as “Author Jane Doe.”
“Author” implies not only having something to say, but also the ability to say it with skill. But like too many social media posts, this one had been simply slapped together. No clear message, no craft in writing.
Instead, its lapses in punctuation forced any viewer to look twice to see if they were catching her meaning.
If this author wanted to build her brand, I hope it’s based around the concept of careless spontaneity.
If a national organization asked her to speak to their membership, I doubt she’d step onto the stage in her bathrobe and slippers. If we claim to be a professional, there’s a time to look and act the part.
It’s easy to forget the place for professionalism includes the public stage called social media.
