[Editor's note: The following first appeared in the March 2011 issue of NTEN:Change. Read the complete issue of NTEN's new quarterly journal for nonprofit leaders by subscribing to the journal for free!]

By Farra Trompeter, Big Duck

1. Decide your goals for communicating in social media.

Consider your personal goals and those for the organization you work for. Where do these goals meet and how do they differ? How you use social media can help your contacts connect both to you and the organization, while also demonstrating your understanding about how to use these tools professionally.

2. Draft a personal positioning statement for yourself.

What ‘big idea’ should come to mind when people hear or see your name? What are you passionate about and what makes you unique? Who are you are trying to reach?

Write a personal positioning statement:

I am a <qualifying adjectives> <noun> in <niche topic> for <audience>.

3. Make it easy for peers and friends to find you.

Have you set a vanity URL for your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles? Do you include your organization in your Twitter handle? Do you own your name as a domain? Beyond consistency, it is good to claim your name before someone else does.

4. Be yourself—and let your personality shine.

What adjectives do you hope co-workers and friends would use to describe you? Are you snarky and feisty or deliberate and reserved? Knowing these attributes can help guide the content you write and how frequently you post. And if you are not sure how much time can you spend, enter into new tools lightly. Better to do one or two things well then let your presence lapse.

5. Be honest about your affiliations and connections.

Whether you are the executive director or social media strategist for your nonprofit, know that others will see you as a representative of your organization’s brand. If you are worried about this association, make a disclaimer in your profile or posts. You should also review your organization’s social media guidelines or help create them.

(Note: this was one of the most popular articles in the March Issue of NTEN:Change. We're wondering whether any readers have applied these steps to your own personal branding. Let us know about your success and fail stories with this exercise!)