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This is a guest post by Jason Viglione.

If there has ever been a shift in the way we communicate, it is happening now. The movement is called social media. It started with social networking and has since grown exponentially. With the proliferation of mobile computing via smartphones and netbooks, people are finding new ways to interact. Twitter and Facebook are among the top ways to communicate. Location based services like Foursquare and GoWalla allow us to tell the world where we are, what we’re doing there and why it is cool.

From a business perspective, it is about building your brand. Any informed individual sees inherent value in building a personal brand. For those that don’t understand the concept, let’s look at an analogy. You walk into WalMart and see a store brand TV for $800 or a Samsung that is identical for $825; which do you buy? For a mere $25 more you get the Samsung. You know the brand. You trust the brand. Why are you reading this article? Do you care about every single item posted on this website? Does every last bit apply to you? Are you here because you trust the source of the content and you want to see what is new? The power of a brand is what we used to call the goodwill of the company or the namesake.

Building a personal brand is done via several efforts. Content is king. Forget the chatter on Twitter or the Farmville posts on Facebook. Content is king. You may think you’re not a brand and you have nothing to sell. Both are untrue. You are a brand because you have skills and more importantly a passion. What you have to sell… is you.

Are you interviewing with everything you say online? Not exactly. You are, however, building a portfolio of ideas, capabilities, visions and marketable parts of yourself. It is not an overnight process. Every update you post won’t be read, but to know which posts are being read and by whom, would just be impossible.

That is the important thing. It is about building relationships. Monitor the space. See who is out there that shares your passion. Interact with them. It doesn’t matter if they are a hobbyist of that passion or the CEO of a major corporation in that industry. It is not a board meeting. Everyone is on social media as just another user. Be respectful, be informed but still be you.

If you talk about something a lot, you will build an audience. People will care about what you say. You will matter to them. When that happens, people seemingly above you will take notice and you will matter to them too. Everyone becomes your audience. You build an audience on your audience.

Build relationships with everyone. You don’t know when or how you will cross paths with them again and what you may have to offer each other.

Here are some things to remember
1 – If you want your audience to stay your audience, do not ignore them.
2 – Brands don’t have to be companies. You are a brand whether you know it or not.
3 – If you are not building a brand using social media, you are costing yourself money (now or in the long term).
4 – Content is king. That is both quality and frequency (not quantity, there is a difference).
5 – Be transparent.
6 – Don’t rush it. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither were Sony, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft. You will not be either.
7 – Actually care. It does matter.
8 – Be prepared to get no results at all initially. You’ll be a nobody for a long time. It is natural; then it all happens.
9 – Adopt everything. New websites, technologies, applications, integrations, solutions, etc. You must have ubiquity.
10 – Stand out in a crowd but do it naturally.
11 – Choose your social media alliances carefully. Build a relationship with everyone before aligning yourself with anyone.
12 – Be informed.
13 – Stay human. All business drives people away. Nobody wants to listen to a Twitterbot. Being personable helps your audience identify with you.
14 – Be unavoidable. Ubiquity makes you accessible everywhere. Make sure people can’t help but see you everywhere. Just don’t be irritating.
15 – Expect the unexpected. Things will happen outside of your plan or timeframe. Be open to that and don’t miss it when it comes.
16 – Watch the best in the game and pull the applicable parts and use them. It is social media. Know your friends and foes. Plays to your strengths after you know.

Have fun with it. This is an opportunity to talk about your passion constantly on more platforms than we’ve ever seen. It is a chance to meet like minded individuals en masse. It is your turn to be the subject matter expert on whatever it is that you love most. Finally, it is a way to monetize your passion. If you love your job, then it is not really work.

Resources are out there. Learn them, use them. Never forget that it is called social media for reason. People are here to help. Ignore the bullies. Never mind the naysayers. Overlook the opposition.

Keep posting content. Keep talking about your passion. Keep building relationships, most importantly.

Jason Viglione has a lifelong passion for tech and is considered to be an emerging social media pundit. He is fast becoming a recognizable personal brand and trusted source for information about the latest technology, gadgets, or websites. Jason writes as the technology examiner for the national edition of examiner.com as well as his own website.  Follow Jay on Twitter @JayVig.  Every week there is a new weekly wrap-up in tech video as well as special pieces on YouTube.

Further reading:

Make Social Networking Work For Your Business

Craig Newmark – Building Brand With Social Media

How To Prevent Business Suicide

10 Reasons Businesses Should Participate On Social Networks

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