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I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions (and it has nothing to do with Billy Joel), but this is a great time to take a look at your blog's "About Me" page and your online profile and bio pages. A lot can happen in a year, and if you're anything like me (and Kristy) ages can go by before you get around to updating those pages. Heck, I work at BlogHer and my public profile here was so outdated that it said I lived in Florida. (I haven't lived there since 2008!)
I wandered around the Internets looking at all of my profiles and bios, and I updated all of those that had been neglected, which was most of them. I made sure all of the links to my blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Flickr were functioning properly in all of the places where I think it's likely that people might find me. While I was at it, I unsubscribed from a bunch of newsletters for sites that I don't use very often (ever) and I deleted some extra test accounts that were just sitting there not doing me any good.
While I was deleting, unsubscribing and updating profiles, I went over to Blogger and updated a test blog that I only use to help BlogHer community members and friends troubleshoot problems with their templates and widgets and turned it into a mini "About Me" page. I did this because I often comment on Blogger blogs that require me to log in with some type of account before I can comment. Now I could use OpenId, (which reminds me, I forgot to go and update that profile, too), or Yahoo or MSN, but since I'm always logged into Google anyway, that tends to be the log in information that I use. When I do, my comment becomes linked to my Blogger profile which sends people to that Blogger blog. Oops. Sending folks to a blog that was a mishmash of visible code and Lorem Ipsum wasn't the best way to introduce new people to me, was it?
I also took a few minutes and updated my About.Me account. If you don't have an About.Me account, why don't you grab one and drop your links in there. About.Me has received a lot of buzz lately and you never know when a site is going to take off - and send you traffic or potential clients, jobs, and opportunities. Flavors.me is a similar site that you might want to set up for the same reason.
I know what you're thinking, "Updating all of these profiles takes time and now she wants me to create more profiles -- she's crazy!"
Well sure, I am, but when people search for your name and your blog, you want them to find you -- the real you -- right?
Speaking of finding you, when potential clients or job opportunities come your way, you want those people to not only find you but to be able to contact you, too. Be sure your contact information is visible on a Contact page or on your About Me page. I can't tell you how often people have buzzed me to say, "I want X to write for me, and I want to pay her, but I can't find her email address or a way to contact her." Don't be that unreachable person.
Besides making sure your contact information is visible and up-to-date, you should take a look at these useful tips for building great bios and "About Me" pages.
- ProBlogger's About Me Tips
- Mashable's Creative Bio Pages
- How to Create an Engagine and Effective Bio Page
- How Do I Write an About Me Page?
Have you updated your profiles and About Me pages lately? Have you seen any great examples we could gain inspiration from? Do you have any tips of your own for building great About Me pages and bios?
~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager
Life. Flow. Fluctuate.
