Making a website that reflects who I am was not an easy task. I had to look at all the required pages and decide what information should go where. I had to figure out how much personal versus professional information to share. I knew the professional information should have been included and should be the highlight of my website. It shows who I am in a business setting and how I work. With that though, personality has to be a part of it too. In a business setting, many people will have much of the same qualifications. They will have a degree, taking some of the same classes, interned, etc. When it comes down to that, personality and who one is as a person becomes important. Adding details about oneself helps people know you more and feel closer to you. This helps form connections before ever meeting a person.
For the resources I chose, I tried keeping it related to my field. Those resources specifically would help me in the long run for what I would like do. I think Communication in general is an interesting major. So I like to pull things from articles and things I see online. I made sure to add both communication and public relations resources. I know having resources and things to look to are important and useful. The resources I chose reflect my identity because they are involve what I want to become or be good at. It is my dream to be in Public Relations and in order todo that I have to be good at communicating. The resources show how I am serious and focused on my future and my life in the business world.
The latitude we had for this project was big. Other than the required sections and requirements, we had free range with our blogs. This was a good thing and a bad thing. It was a good thing because than personal freedom was granted. I could include whatever I wanted as long as I also had the required parts. Design and information was all mine to choose. It was a bad thing because like the good thing, it involved freedom. Having the ability to choose whatever you want makes it more difficult to narrow down what you should add. How much personal and how much professional information should be shown? Should any personal information be shown or should I keep it completely professional? These were questions I asked myself. I finally decided to do both. My professional information is the point of the website but personal information makes it unique.
Impression management was key for this assignment. Managing impression, especially in an online setting can be challenging but important. Making someone see who you are and what you are capable simply through a website is difficult. You have to choose everything precisely to make sure it conveys the messages you want. Even something as simple as a banner or font can make people have different assumptions about you.
Impression management and self presentation have basically the same meaning. This means impression management is all about how the you want the world to see you. I wanted to make my website professional. I shared my skills and what I can do. What my dreams are and how I can to this conclusion are all there too. With this though, I also have my likes and things I enjoy. I added silly personal information that makes me who I am. I think I chose a good balance between people seeing that I am capable and intelligent but also level-headed and hard-working.
I think this website was a great thing to do. It made me prepare for the future and how I want to represent myself. I got to choose what I wanted people to see and it opened my eyes. One little thing could make a potential employer not want to hire you. Then on the opposite side, something you add that makes the website personal, could make a potential employer hire you over someone else. Managing how people see you online is important and necessary. The more accessible you are the easier it is for people to find you. That is why things you add online should always be thought about and double checked to make sure you are okay with everyone seeing it.
Amanda Steger 