Every designer knows you can't use twenty different fonts on the same layout, you can't mix different photography styles in the same periodical, and you certainly must use a common color pallet for your brand. These rules also apply to social media. My team worked to keep a consistant look for the Atos Origin Facebook pages, the Atos Origin twitter, the Atos Origin Linkedin groups, and will continue to do so as new social media outlets become available. It's important to keep current, and keep your brand in the forefront. See Chris Brogan's Blog on branding with Social Media

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This got me thinking... how can I link my personal social media accounts all linked? I'm not a company, I'm not a brand. The lines of my personal facebook account are quickly being blurred into my professional life. I want to keep the "personal touch" on my facebook account, yet still keep the same "rachel" brand on my other sites. I don't want to appear to be simply self-preserving... (but aren't us bloggers all kind of ego surfers?)

I took my first step in doing this today! In true ego-surfer fashion, I hired Victoria Lind Photography to take my first ever professional profile pics. While I'm standing in Houston's Uptown Park, trying to keep my hair from flattening, wiping sweat off my face, and pretending that all of this completely normal... I'm thinking (I do this a lot)...Is this normal? Do people really pay this much attention? Will people pay more attention to my tweets if they recognize me? Will branding "Rachel Macik" in turn help to brand my company? Will Atos Origin benefit from a little social pr?

...I guess I'll just have to try this and find out!