There are many great posts and blogs about building an online presence; but what about maintaining that presence?

Web Site: If you are going to use the resources to purchase your own domain create a website, even if it is only a page saying, “coming soon!”.  Put analytics on the site and monitor how much traffic goes to it.  If there is a lot consider adding more, or some, content.

Blogging. Develop a conversation via comments.  One of the quickest ways to build a presence in the blogosphere is to comment on other people’s blogs.  A follow up step is to easily subscribe to the comments and keep track to see if the author commented back at you or if another person make a comment that was intriguing.  One of the most important things you can do to improve your persona on the blogosphere is to monitor how people are directed to your blog and try to decide why; when you figure that out exploit it.

Micro-blogging: Twitter and Plurk are two popular ones.  While they are both great resources for keeping in touch with friends they can also be beneficial in promoting your blog and yourself.  Signing up for Twitter isn’t enough though, you have to make your Twit’s interesting, give people a reason to follow you. I personally have more readers directed to my blog from Twitter then any other single source.

Facebook: This is the ultimate in social networking.  I attended a lecture on Maintaining You Online Persona which spent the entire time focusing on protect your online persona.  It is important to protect what other people know about you, but Facebook offers the opportunity to network on a more casual level than LinkedIn or commenting.  This doesn’t just end at adding others as your friends, but actually making an effort to connect with them. You can also publish your RSS feed via Facebook so all your friends can see when you have a new post!

LinkedIn: While this is a more formal way of networking with people you have to do more than just sign up.  Keep your profile up to date and if you are a member of an organization which has a group join it to meet other people with similar interests

Google: Google your name once at least once a month to find out what there is listed about you on the internet.  Also, sign up for Google Alerts to be notified if your name pops up somewhere

Creating an online persona takes a lot of work and time, but it can all be deleted within weeks if you don’t properly maintain it.

Here are some posts on building an online persona:

Why You May Need An Online Persona

Personal Branding Blog

Creating A Vanity Folder in Google

Every parent who sends their student off to college fears that they may pick up the habit of drinking, especially when they turn 21.  One student froze to death last winter at University of Wisconsin-Madison when they passed out while walking home from the bar after their 21st, and there are always stories of students dieing of alcohol poisoning after attempting to consume 21 shots within the evening.  I believe that the only way to safely imbibe 21 shots is if they are Blue Dolphins (water).

While there are many potentially negative externalities to spending a birthday (not necessarily the 21st) at the bar there are also many benefits which I believe leads it to be an economically sound decision in many cases, not all but all.  Having spent last weekend down town celebrating with my friends I will use it as an example.

Benefits of going out:

• Lower cost/drink ratio.  A majority of bars will offer you a free shot or beverage for your birthday.  According to my calculations I saved around $24 taking advantage of this.  In many instances your friends, and the occasional bar goer who would like to take part in your celebrations, will purchase drinks for you also.  I received a fishbowl (6 drinks in a fishbowl), a few beers, and a few girly drinks saving me a total of $26.  I feel I must also include the free cheese curds I received, $2.50.
• (Side note:  You know you’re from Wisconsin when your friends don’t buy you shots, they buy you a fishbowl and cheese curds)
• It not only provides a reason for you to get together with your friends, it also provides a casual atmosphere where people can come and go.  This is extremly beneficial in instances where some friends don’t get along with others but you would like to see everyone.  Bars tend to be bigger then most people’s living rooms and provide more of a “come and leave when you’d like” atmosphere because there will be more people around.
• You can move the party if it gets lame.  Have you ever tried to leave a party at your own house?  It takes a lot of trickery and lieing, but if you are at a bar and the party becomes stagnant you can easily suggest going to another establishment in an attempt to reviie the festivities, and get more free drinks.
• If you are celebrating on a weekend there is a good chance that you may run into people whom you enjoy spending time with but do not see on a regular basis.  Being social is good for you.
• You also have the opportunity to expand your social network because you never know who you will run into at the bar.  I happened to meet some of the assistant coaches for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Now what about the cost of going out to the bar?

• The biggest part of going out for your birthday is the going out part.  It may take time to organize a sober ride or getting downtown may be a bother for some, especially if the weather is not the best.
• Occasionally your group may pick up an undesirable straggler, like the 50 year old gentleman who claimed his name was six-pack that decided to join our festivities.
• There is an increased chance that there will be people whom you may not want to see, but that can be alieved by moving to another location.
• If you happen to over indulge and pass out on the bathroom floor, or do something embarrassing, there will be more witness’ then if you had done the same thing at home.
• Drinking at a bar tends to be more expensive then drinking at home, and if you are not being comped drinks it can get pricey.
• Beer goggles happen.  As my grandmother advised me before going out, “dating standards tend to dissolve when drunk, so be careful, I met you grandfather at a bar and I’m still stuck with him.”
• No one can deny the existence of decreased productivity the following day(s).

You have to make the decision whether or not going to the bar is a sound decision.

When is it for sure not economically sound to head down to the local watering hole to celebrate your existence? If you do not have a safe ride home from the bar and friends to look after you when you are at the bar incase you become thoroughly inhibriated then stay home and drink.  Or don’t drink.  Just don’t drink and drive, its dumb.