My Name Is Not Bob: April Platform Challenge: Day 1

Welcome to the first day of my first ever April Platform Challenge! I'm hoping this will be a helpful (and fun) challenge that we may be able to repeat in the future if all goes well. Click here to check out the basic guidelines.
If you've ever completed a challenge with me before, you probably know that I'm a bit relaxed with how people complete the challenge. I'm more interested in creating a supportive framework that helps writers challenge themselves than sticking to any hard and fast rules. If there's one thing I hope this challenge accomplishes, it's that I hope writers come out of it with a stronger online platform and a better idea of how to continue growing that platform beyond April.

Each day will have a simple task, and I won't be suprised to find that many people have already completed some of these daily tasks. That's OK, though I may have more advanced things for you to check if you've already completed a daily task.

When you've completed a task, just drop?a note in the comments for that specific?task. You can just comment, "Done," or you can share an insight or something that surprised you in the process. Or ask a question. Or share a frustration. Or whatever.

Anyway, blah-blah-blah...let's get started, right?

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For Day 1, define yourself. I don't want you to worry about where you'd like to be or anything in the future. Instead, I want you to take a look at who you are, what you've done,?what you're currently doing, etc. Below is a chart I'm using (with my own answers).
Name (as used in byline): Robert Lee Brewer

Position(s):?Senior Content Editor - Writer's Digest Writing?Community;?Published Poet; Freelance Writer; Blogger;?Event Speaker; Den Leader - Cub Scouts

Skill(s): Editing, creative writing (poetry and fiction), technical writing, copywriting, database management, SEO, blogging, newsletter writing, problem solving, idea generation, public speaking, willingness to try new things, community building.

Social media platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, Tumblr, Blogger.

URLs: http://www.writersmarket.com/; www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides; http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.com/

Accomplishments: Named 2010 Poet Laureate of Blogosphere; spoken at several events, including Writer's Digest Conference, AWP, Austin International Poetry Festival, Houston Poetry Fest, and more; published and sold out of two limited edition poetry chapbooks, ENTER and ESCAPE; edited several editions of Writer's Market and Poet's Market; former GMVC conference champion in the 800-meter run and MVP of WCHS cross country and track teams; undergraduate award-winner in several writing disciplines at University of Cincinnati, including Journalism, Fiction, and Technical Writing; BA in English Literature from University of Cincinnati with certificates in writing for Creative Writing-Fiction and Professional and Technical Writing.

Interests: Writing (all genres), family (being a good husband and father), faith, fitness (especially running and disc golf), fantasy football, reading.

In?one sentence, who am I? Robert Lee Brewer is a married Methodist father of five children (four sons and one daughter) who works as an editor but plays as a?writer, specializing in poetry and blogging.

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Now you can get much more complicated in defining yourself, and I'd love to hear (in the comments) other questions people ask themselves in defining who they are. However, this kind of gets us started.

If you want to share your results below, go for it, but you don't have to. Defining yourself is an important personal task--so that you know who you are before trying to do anything else. Just as you need to be able to define a book in one sentence to sell it, you need to be able to define yourself in one sentence if you want to communicate to the world who you are (and start building your platform).

So get at it, and I'll see you tomorrow for Day 2.

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How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Writing and Yourself

This OnDemand?webinar delivered by successful freelancer I.J. Schecter helps writers figure out what they want to get out of social media, how to establish a personal online brand, how to create a platform and social media tools that feed each other, and so much more.

Click to continue.

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