It is often said that success for a social media campaign lies in staying closely tied to the mission of the organization. It makes a lot of sense. I look at a lot of organizations online, and try to see how the social media presence relates to the mission statement.

Another popular idea in social media is for people to think about their personal brand. We are all constructing our digital identities. We are building our reputations online. Yet I wonder how often people think about their personal mission statements.

Why are you online anyway? How does being online relate to your hopes and dreams? Do you have a personal mission statement? What is it, and how are your online actions helping, or hindering you from achieving your personal mission?

These thoughts have come to me as I look at a few organizations and their online presence and mission statement and as I think about the Christmas message as well as hopes for the New Years.

Perhaps, working to define personal mission statements and seeking to align online presence with these mission statements is a good goal for 2012.