Creating my online identity

I am working to practice what I preach. I have done some serious organizing in the last couple of days to really take advantage of social media. I signed up for twitter today. My younger brother nearly fell out of his chair when I told him. Although I like to talk about myself and my family as much as the next person I will be using the blog and twitter for professional reasons only. My twitter address is @HelpfulRDH unfortunately @HelpfulHygienist (which would match the blog) had one to many letters so I had to improvise. It was really easy to sign up and creating a profile was fun and helped get my creative juices flowing. Even if you do not tweet anything yourself you can stay ahead of the masses by following industry leaders or companies. I have not decided what my first tweet should be. I thought about advertising the blog- but it is still a little too empty for that.

I signed up for a LinkedIn account about two months ago and only because I was trying to find contact information on a hygienist that I wanted to interview for my presentation. I am realizing the benefits of the account slowly but surely. I spent about twenty minutes today updating my profile, writing summaries etc. You can even upload your resume. I am working on updating my resume myself. Remember- it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. Keep your resume modern and up-to-date even when, actually especially when you are comfortable in your position. Not having a job creates a lot of stress and when we are stressed we do not always remember how talented and successful we really are.

I was also spending some time on Facebook yesterday while my daughter was sleeping and came across a "Branching Out" app or page or whatever it is. It is a way to do some professional networking on facebook. Again, it was really easy and guided me through a step-by-step process. Check it out.

I hope that if you are interested in developing your professional image and your visibility you will also consider the many online opportunities to do so. Start small like I did today- sign up for twitter, or facebook, or LinkedIn. You might even want to write your own blog. Whatever your cyber dreams include stop thinking about it and start doing it. Our greatest limitation is our own self-doubt. Here is to breaking down that wall and making things happen one brick at a time.

Home-sweet-home

ADHA's annual session in Nashville was a great experience. I love attending each year to "recharge" my hygiene batteries and remember why I love being a hygienist. It is a great experience to walk down the hall and see people like Caryn Solie, Ann Battrell, and Esther Wilkins, connect with friends from different states, attend cutting-edge CE and let loose at the President's reception. I ate some great Tennessee style BBQ and even went to the Grand Ole Opry. While my husband and I were away in Music City USA our kiddos were home, and by the time Sunday rolled around we were missing them with a vengeance! We arrived home about 1am after our flight was delayed in Denver. I was so physically and emotionally exhausted that I did not do a thing today! I have thought a lot about this blog and how I can make it a useful tool for it's visitors. I hope you will stay tuned and return often as I get information posted. I am so thankful for the individuals who attended my course and hope we can continue to work together in the future. For now I am sitting in my PJ's watching X-files reruns on Netflix letting my mind go numb. Here is to enjoying the comforts of your own bed after a great weekend away. Be well.

Oh Butterflies

Wow, I am a failure as a blogger. I guess my problem is that I think whatever I post has to be covered in gold. I need to just write about the things I am learning while I go rather than stress over the perfect post. That obviously has not worked. I am busy working up magic for my courses this summer. ADHA Annual Session is just about 30 days away and UOR is just around the corner. I have completely revamped the program and it thrills me to work on it because of the great info I have to present. I interviewed Beth Thompson over the phone today and was so energized by her example of taking charge of her career and making dreams come true. I looked over and over the UOR program and started feeling so nervous! Here is to making butterflies work in my behalf- they did force me to finally post something!

Empty pages

AAHHH! I am so sorry to anyone attempting to read this blog and it's empty pages. Since returning from DC both my laptop and my desktop have crashed! I have been really busy since returning home with family, work and getting geared up for next semester. Be patient with me and I promise to get information posted as soon as I am able.

Getting ready

The countdown is four days until my CE course. I went to the room where the course will be held and got the "pre-show" butterflies. I am hoping everything goes well. DC is beautiful and I am so excited to be here.