Photo credit: Faerie Girl

“Think globally, act locally.” That’s a term that has been used quite often in the past centering mostly on environmental factors and how thinking about the global effect of a community’s actions.  I’d like to turn that phrase into a new direction.  When you’re thinking about your career, your personal brand, and your outlook on business, I’d like you to think about the BIG picture.

The internet and social media have opened doors to an international realm that our parents could have only dreamed of in their day.  This generation’s graduates are already talking to friends and business contacts in China, India, Japan, and Mexico (the list goes much farther than these four examples) through video conferencing technology, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Their personal brand is not only visible to their immediate circle of friends, coworkers and family, it’s also “on” 24/7/365 for the rest of the world to see.

The public and private school systems are also using this technology to utilize resources across the globe in an effort to educate their students about history, culture, science, and more starting with kindergarteners and up!

So, before you post those photos of last week’s frat party, that snarky comment, or attack on another’s character, think about who you’re broadcasting it to. It’s a small world and with the advancement of technology, it gets smaller and smaller each day.

What message are YOU sending?