How on earth can anyone make a mistake with social media? Even young children have social media accounts these days.  

I am of an age where I remember what life was like before mobile phones. 

I remember a world without the internet. 

It was a simpler time. Back in the good old days!

Whilst I appreciate that change is a good thing (look...I'm changing my profession), for many years I fought against the tide of social media. 

I didn't want my whole life to spread out across the ether for all and sundry to see. I am a private person. 

I also didn't want to be seen as someone who went along with the crowd and copied everyone else. I will admit that there were some instances where I missed out on a party or a social gathering, because I didn't have Facebook and as a result didn't receive the invitation. But you see, not having a social media account made me stand out from the crowd. It was my superpower. I stood out as an individual (or so I thought). 

Until now. 

It turns out I was wrong. All this time. 

It occurs to me now that I cannot run a successful business and network with interesting and like-minded people if I do not have an online presence. This is possibly one of the most important factors for running an business, or being employed by a company.  

The thing is, I was 'just a teacher', what on earth would I write about that other people would find interesting to read? 

(I actually have many stories from my time in the classroom that I think you would enjoy. But they are stories for another day). 

So, if you are someone who thinks that keeping away from professional social media is a good thing, I have news for you. There may come a day when someone searches for you to see if you really are who you say you are. 

They will check out your profile to see if you really do have the qualifications, you say you have. They might look to see what other people think of you. 

If you aren't online, they won't give you a silent 'air high-five' and say "Good on you! How brilliant you are. How well you stand out from the crowd. You are truly an individual, someone we can all look up to." 

They'll just put your application form in the bin and move on. 

This explains a lot. 

As such I have now created my own website: www.calsmithcopywriter.co.uk

You can follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calsmithcopywriter

You can check me out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cal-smith-copywriter/

As well as join me for a cuppa and chat on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl-TBJ_5eQZkPF0HwOLansA

I'm getting out there and sharing my story. If you haven't done so already, you should too.