To start off my first blog with GCN, I’d like to say that I am thrilled to join a group of respected, expressive individuals that share their thoughts, opinions, and stories in a medium that encourages continuous collaboration.

On that note, I think it is fitting for this first blog to discuss the importance of “posting” and how useful it can be to communicate and put ourselves out there to express our message. I view posting similar to blogging, where we are sharing information from one's own vantage point by expressing ourselves. That is one of the reasons I decided to join GCN in 2024 - I noticed so much social media traffic about events and people within the group posting their connections with GCN. Specifically, I was intrigued because of two individuals, Christopher Tarnok and Stephen Straub, who drew my attention on LinkedIn with their continuous posts, or "blogs", sharing their world, especially their networking event affiliations. I just had to learn more!

To that end, I believe our images are our brands and what we say and do while being seen (and not seen) is what makes us individually recognizable. Sharing our community involvement, networking meet-ups, industry expertise, and personal viewpoints allows us to make a greater impact than we might expect. Who knows who we may be able to help or change with our words and actions with the power of communication.

In what ways are you planning to push your brand forward to engage with those on social media forums? What do you believe is the best approach and topics to express your message? How are you using your voice outside of social media that can be shared with others?

This has been the first iteration of Timpe’s Thoughts.