Whether you’re new to social media or a seasoned user, Sree Sreenivasan’s Social Media Weekend was meant to be a learning experience for everyone. The primary goal behind this event was to share best practices with journalists and media professionals when using social media, and stress the importance of connection. A common thread seen throughout the conference was personal branding. Some savvy social media minds shared their thoughts on social media and its impact on journalism and media; here are some of the key takeaways from that day:

Know who you are.

Never shy away from being you. Pick two to three subjects that define you and demonstrate your niche. Sree Sreenivasan said: “Think about the top 10-15 people following you whenever you tweet. Aim not to bore them.” Regularly update your social media profiles to include the most up-to-date information. It is important to constantly recreate your bio; it is the one place where you can brag about your accomplishments.

Think before you tweet.

Don’t bore or more importantly, misinform your followers. Consider what you’re tweeting to them. Sreenivasan added: “Everyone will miss almost everything you do on social media.” Keep it interesting, find new ways to engage with your community, but remember that your personal brand is an extension of your parent company. Steve Rubel shared a great example – Derek Jeter as an extension of the Yankees baseball brand. Through his own personal pages, Jeter gives the Yankees a humanistic quality and acts as the face behind the brand.

Timing is everything.

Unique content becomes spreadable content when the timing is perfect. We are living in a world of real-time news, where breaking stories are reported instantaneously. There are positives and negatives to this. Reporting breaking stories first can build trust within your community, but rushing and misreporting a story can result in major issues. The false report of Joe Paterno’s death was a great example mentioned during the Sports & Social Media Panel by Richard Deitsch: “As in Paterno’s death, one blogger source was used to break the story. Leading to one blogger embarrassing a major corporation.” Had this corporation verified its sources before releasing the story, this situation may have never happened. While it can be frustrating to wait, ESPN’s Joe Schad added: “I tweet what I know when I know it.”

Who says you can’t take Twitter underwater? My learning at this week’s 140 Characters Conference (#140conf) says otherwise. When I found out that famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau’s grandson, Fabien Cousteau, would be presenting, I felt like a kid again — I used to beg my parents to stay up late to watch his TV specials. Fabien, who along with his father Jean-Michel Cousteau host the PBS show Ocean Adventures, discussed how the emergence of the real-time web and social media has effected how he interacts with his audience.

Check out this clip of Fabien discussing how he uses social media:

Fabien was also joined in the panel John Magennis, a reality TV casting agent and producer who has  been involved with the reality TV shows you love to hate, but can’t stop watching (“The Bachelor”, “Super Nanny”). Watch John and Fabien discuss how they use Twitter and Facebook below.

…and regarding Twitter underwater, watch this clip about the first-ever underwater tweet:

Follow Fabien on Twitter at @FCousteau and John at @MyRealityTV.

Social media maven Stephanie Schwab joins Kaplow in a new role as SVP of K:Drive, Executive Director of Digital Services. With more than 15 years of experience in social media, e-commerce, retail and technology, Stephanie’s skills will strengthen and enhance the agency’s robust digital division.

Before joining Kaplow, Stephanie helped leading business-to-consumer and business-to-business companies navigate emerging communications technologies to connect with consumers. Her teams have been honored with social media industry awards including a WOMMIE award, a PRNews Platinum award, and an OMMA award.

An active participant in social media, Stephanie can be found tweeting at http://twitter.com/stephanies, blogging at her houseblog www.yonked.com and spinning yarns on www.ravelry.com, a knit and crochet community. Stephanie also contributes to Kaplow’s Twitter, Facebook and blog.

Aiming to position Lumene as an authority in the beauty field and to expand the brand’s following on the Web, Kaplow recently launched the “LumeneGal” Twitter campaign.  LumeneGal ‘tweets’ to create conversations with beauty influencers about Lumene technology, product news, discounts but also fun, relevant content about beauty trends.  As Twitter is all about the interaction on the Web, LumeneGal also searches the Twitter-space for beauty-related questions and encourages readers to follow the Twitter feed.