I have a LinkedIn profile for my photography page. I don’t post much, and that’s fine. Most of the old “personal” profiles that I have since deleted were for coworkers that I didn’t want to necessarily have as Friends on FB. And that’s fine too.

But this latest attempt will be all professional. Why? Because it’s what I need!

You see, I’ll be out of work soon. I didn’t lose my job or anything like that. But I did opt for an early retirement.

Yay me, right!?!?!

Not so fast!

I’m too young to really retire. And too old to start all over again in Corporate America.

So for now, I’m going to take a freelancer approach to my future employment. Maybe virtual assisting? Maybe writing? Maybe customer service? I have a lot of experience and a lot of options. However, I do realize that I will need to turn to Social Media to attract new clients in whatever my endeavors will be.

So first, I will need a solid plan. Redo my resume to reflect everything that I’ve been doing for the past two decades. Join some freelancer sites. Look into working positions that I may not have considered in the past. Take some online refresher courses in Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel. Take some classes in software that I have never used.

And equally important, develop a “brand”…develop a real online presence…create another website…and all other things engaging on the Internet.

Engagement is crucial because it indicates that common users are interested in what you post. It goes beyond just “likes”. It provides a look at what people who interact with you prefer, and insight into their behaviors. High engagement can lead to exciting personal and professional relationships beyond what you’re trying to “sell” or “promote”.