Creating an Online Strategy | Your Web Presence is Your Resume

Virtually everyone (and every business) who works on or uses the internet should consider getting a site or blog to call their own. If you haven’t read my previous post about Social Media Strategy I recommend that you do so after reading this post. In Today’s environment your online presence IS your resume. As the social media strategy post points out, a website can be a home base for your online activities and passions.

Your Website or Blog is a Homebase…and a Resume

The last time I applied for a job (been awhile) they didn’t even really want a resume, they wanted links to sites that I created and marketed. You may not be an Internet Marketer but by being here you are certainly on the Internet (I think…?). Even if you don’t work on the internet a site or blog is a great place to display information for employers to learn more about you. A site or blog is a place to showcase your resume, interests, opinions, humor or lack there of. Likewise having a site or blog is a great addition to a resume to point employers for more information, it can set you a part from your competition.

If you work on or with the Internet you will find that it is necessary to have a base of your own, a place to refer people so that they can find out more about you. It’s one thing to have accounts online and another to have a place that you can customize in a way that shows who you are. A website or blog is a perfect tool to achieve your needs. If you don’t have a website you are missing out on a tremendous opportunity.

Not All Sites & Blogs Are Created Equal

I won’t burden you with details about what makes a good site or blog. Quite frankly there are many other blogs that do that very well already. Just know that site design, look and feel, layout, file structure, coding, functionality, extensibility, and manageability represent the basics foundations of a site. Not to mention the ability of the site to rank well in the search engines for keywords and phrases that are related to your products, services, or interests. Let’s face it, some sites will never rank well because of the the way they were created. Knowing what kind of a site is going to serve you well for all your needs is critical.

The Best Place to Begin Creating Your Web Presence

Many of you don’t know where to begin with getting a great site or blog that can be customized the way that you want it to be. This post is for you. Today’s best tool… that I emphatically recommend… is a self hosted Wordpress site or blog. Previously I worked exclusively with XHTML/CSS & Joomla sites. Not exclusively anymore. I’ve been using using Wordpress & recommending it for a variety of solutions for awhile now, this blog is even based on Wordpress. Self hosted Wordpress sites can be made into both blogs AND actual websites. A lot of people don’t realize the flexibility that Wordpress offers.

Now, there are other great options available. Wordpress is my favorite. After having worked with Wordpress I have a recommendation for you…this recommendation really is me speaking and not my pocket book, but if it matters to you please read the full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

The Best Blogging Theme to Begin Creating Your Online Presence

Understand that “the best” is purely subjective. But…the best theme that I have ever worked with is Thesis, a recent theme developed by Chris Pearson. There is a learning curve when you create a self hosted blogging platform. However it isn’t a large learning curve and it’s something that you can do I don’t care how un-prepared you think you are. When I first started learning about creating and setting up sites I likened it to working on a car. It was really frustrating.

Why am I Advocating the Thesis Theme?

Like I mentioned above, I use Thesis daily. Through using the Theme I have found that it is the highest quality Wordpress blogging theme that I know of…evarrr. It’s expertly coded with html/css/php and has a great forum for support. Thesis contains hooks (which you can learn about in the forum) and allows for a high level of customization. You can customize your theme easily without knowing PHP (there is a great point and click options panel). Likewise if you know some code you can even easily customize it further. As Chris Pearson puts it:

“The difference is in the details. Typography and visual clarity are a much bigger deal than people realize. If you want your audience to take you seriously, then it helps to look the part.”

See for yourself, check out each of the sites below, each one uses Thesis:
http://growingupgreen.com.au/
http://www.mindtweaks.com/wordpress/
http://www.breadtopia.com/
http://www.fuseboxtheatre.com/

As you can see there are a wide range of sites that can be customized using thesis.

Full Disclosure:

My website is created with Thesis, a Wordpress theme created by Chris Pearson. After having used Thesis myself on a few different sites I totally recommend it…without any hesitation. If you follow the link above or click on the thesis image you will be directed to a page that allows you to buy the theme for yourself. Yes I will receive a commission on your purchase. Yes, if you click on this link you to can become an affiliate for the theme too. Finally Yes I will receive a commission if your affiliate program results in a purchase. It’s called affiliate marketing, one of the best ways to make some money without subjecting visitors to popup’s and an excessive amount of annoying advertising…I despise excessive advertising too.

Thanks for visiting Today’s Best Tools. Leave a comment below. Don’t know what to say? Answer this question: What Wordpress plugins and extensions would you recommend to people? I will be doing a post about my favorite plugins soon.