This presentation represents the information I learned over the course of a five month graduate school course titled: Developing a Professional Online Identity. Topics of discussion included: online identities, personal branding, social media, LinkedIn, online privacy, Twitter, professional Facebook page, Google +, Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, Learning from Mental health Professionals & organizations who use social media, Managing your online identity, eProfiles, Curation tools, website and domain names, slideshare and professional goals and strategies.

1. SHANIKA D. TORRES
GCEP/TRMA 585: DEVELOPING A
PROFESSIONAL ONLINE IDENTITY SPRING
2013

2. ONLINE IDENTITIES, PERSONAL BRANDING,
SOCIAL MEDIA

3. LINKEDIN
I learned that having a detailed
headline will set me apart from
my competition
I saw quite a few LinkedIn
profile that did not have
pictures and I realized I want
to have a picture that
represents the person I am.
Additionally like the
different groups that I have
been able to participate in
through my online
connections

4. ONLINE PRIVACY
● As an individual determined to brand my
name and business: Breaking Cycles
Building Hope, LLC, I am learning to be
selective with the information I reveal
about myself in all my social media outlets.
● Its not hard to make connections between
from one social media site to the next, so
as much as I want my clients to feel
comfortable with me, I also want protect
myself and my family, thus I will ensure
that I create clearly defined boundaries.

5. TWITTER #GCEP585
Twitter was the hardest adjustment for me,primarily because I never saw
the value in it. The friends I knew who did have Twitter would post
meaningless content, seemingly every second.
This class taught me that Twitter does have value. I have enjoyed
receiving short informative links and getting my own links favorited by
others. Its amazing how short of a time it take to build up a list of
followers. I will definitely be keeping my Twitter site active after this
course.

6. PROFESSIONAL FACEBOOK PAGES
● A professional Facebook
page is a great resource to
gain potential clients
●
● Its also creates a forum to
discuss and network with
others sharing a common
interest
●
● Patient privacy laws could be
violated, so be weary about
adding clients as Facebook
friends

7. GOOGLE PLUS (G+)
Google + seemed like a
structured Facebook, but the
thing sets it apart for me is the
'circle' network.
'Circles' allow you to separate
your friends by groups instead of
having them grouped together
the way Facebook does.

8. BLOGS: BLOGGER, WORDPRESS, TUMBLR
Blogs are useful for individuals
wanting to share about a topic
they are passionate or
knowledgable about.
Some people use blogs to find
other people with similar
problems, issues or situations.
Blogs can be anonymous,
which helps a lot of people
share information without being
known.

9. LEARNING FROM MENTAL HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS & ORGANIZATIONS
Learning from various mental health professionals such
as Julie Hanks has opened my eyes to the abundant
opportunities that having an online social media
presence creates. I relished the opportunity to ask Julie
Hanks her personal recommendations for building and
maintaining a professional online identity. Learning that
other mental health professionals have had success,
despite concerns of patient confidentiality concerns,
leads me to belief that with caution, the pros will
outweigh the cons.

10. MANAGING YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY
Using my given name helps
me keep my professional
profiles separate from my
personal profiles
I learned that it was
important to have a
consistent and
professional handle
across all your social
media sites. For example:
Shanika D. Torres is the
name I use with all my
media outlets

11. PORTFOLIOS & PROFILES
http://about.me/breakingcyclesbuildinghope
eProfiles are a simple
format for clients or
associates to get a quick
understanding
of what I am about.
I like that eProfiles
allow you to link all
your social media
apps onto one page.

12. CURATION TOOLS: SCOOP.IT/PINTEREST
SOCIAL MEDIA ETHICS FOR THERAPISTS
I learned that curation tools
allow you to create and
develop communities of
interest around what matters to
you.
Scoop.it allows us to
connect with people sharing
the same passion and
expertise.

13. Websites and domain names
Creating my business website:
Breaking Cycles Building Hope, LLC
was my proudest moment this semester.
I believe having a website makes the
most financial sense, particularly because
I want clients to be able to set up their
appointments online and pay for them in
advance if they so choose.

14. MAKING A DIFFERENCE
GOALS & STRATEGIES
● 1. This course has encouraged me to seek constant improvement in my
social media presence.
●
● 2. My current goal is to reach 30 likes on my professional facebook page (1
down, 29 to go),
●
● 3. I would also like to post one meaningful mental health post a week on my
Blogger site.
●
● 4. Also, I would like begin a youtube channel dedicated to mental health
issues. My goal is to have 80% or more of my business generated from my
social media presence.
●
● 5. Ultimately, I would like to offer educational seminars to others in the
community to establish myself as a subject matter expert on personsality
disorders, trauma, and sex offender treatment.

15. SLIDESHARE
I learned that Slideshare
makes it easy for your
PowerPoint content to get
more views
Once you create content
on SlideShare, it can be
embedded anywhere, by
anyone which leads to
more views
It can also create business
opportunities as people
may want to hire you to
present your slide!

16. FINAL THOUGHTS
This class has vastly reshaped my perspective on the use of social media. I no longer
consider it a fad trend destined to die out when the next big thing comes along. I realize
that social media is here to stay, and it will only continue to evolve, thus it would be wise
to evolve with it.
Initially I was intimidated by the idea of managing so many social media platforms, but the
sites like Hootsuite has demolished that fear and I look forward to using it as my social
media presence grows. I was amazed by how much I learned, and how technically savvy
I have become over these past few months. I learned to link all my accounts seamlessly
so that I have a constant online presence putting out comments, newfeeds, and
announcements.
My proudest moment was creating my business website and I can guarantee that if it
were not for the website assignment during week 13. I probably would delayed its
creation for another year, but after reading how simple it was to get my website started , I
engaged my inner Carpe Diem spirit and I did it. Thank you all for this wonderful learning
experience, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!