After taking a look at the profile images on all seven of the Travel Channel Facebook pages, I realized that there was a way for us to improve the look and feel of our pages. Take a look at a few of the profile images that were displayed at the time:

There were a few issues with each profile image:

1. The formatting was inconsistent.
2. The use of Travel Channel's logo and brand style was inconsistent.
3. There was room for the images to look cleaner and more official.

Why is the profile image so important?

A profile image is the most used part of any Facebook page. It is the biggest and most noticeable design element when a fan is viewing your page, and it is also appears in the news stream of every one of your fans. If you have an active fan-base on Facebook (like Travel Channel has), there are tens-of-thousands of fans who see this image everyday.

See how I improved our profile images after the break:

Your profile image can send unintended messages (negative and positive) about your brand. When you are exposing yourself to thousands of people in social media everyday, it is important present yourself in the best way possible (In other words: look official).

I took it upon myself to create a new design and I kept a few goals in mind along the way:

1. Create consistent messaging and formatting.
2. Be consistent with the use of Travel Channel's brand styling.
3. Improve the overall look and feel of the images.

Here is the final result:

In the new design, each profile image uses the Travel Channel logo and brand styling in the exact same way. they help to reduce confusion on the user's part since the new formatting places the same information in the same place on every image. Overall, the new design is also more sleek and much easier on the eyes.

The old profile images may have been sending an unintended negative message about Travel Channel. Now, every time a fan visits one of the pages it looks and feels like an official representation of the Travel Channel brand.

What did we learn in the process?

Every move you make in social media sends both intended and unintended messages to your audience. This applies just as much to the design of your profile as it does to the content you post on your profile.

Social media users have been in the communities longer than you, and they can point out a faker or a new-comer quite easily. You have to prove to this audience that you understand the medium.

First of all, if you are thinking about using Twitter to get your name out there, or tap into this social media stuff, please consider a few things first. People are not going to follow you, or help you achieve any sort of promotional goal, unless you understand how to operate within their realm. They can easily spot fakes and spammers.

If you want to promote something on Twitter, you have to do the ground work. You can start by being a human that knows how to listen, being respectful, and putting others before yourself. Take a look at Qwest's Twitter (@talktoqwest) for a good example.

Out of all of the bad examples I dug up today, one particular account struck me with it's extraordinary misuse. In the nearly two years this account has been up, it has amounted to a whopping 107 followers. They have been kind enough to follow zero of them back. Instead, they thank their followers by pounding them with an outrageous 211,291 tweets.

Here is an example of one of their tweets. I must note that every single one of their 200k+ tweets looks exactly like this (I changed the link to keep the computer Twitterer anonymous):

• www.newestfindings.com update: Zimbabwe parties 'agree timeline' (Mediators say Zimbabwe's rival parties have agreed to share power...)10:05 PM Jan 26th from web

There are a few fundamental things this computer is doing wrong:

1. Every tweet is self-promoting and comes out in the same format.

2. It does not interact or converse with anyone.

3. It is is sending way too many updates for any real Twitter user to ever want to follow.

You are never going to experience any kind of success running your account this way. In fact, it only showcases that you do not belong on Twitter.

Now lets take a look at the way a human uses Twitter:

One of my favorite persons to follow is Mr. Chris Reinhard. Chris' stream comes packed with plenty of humor and down-to-earth friendliness. He responds to people. He communicates with his friends. He shares his thoughts and feelings.

He even took the time to do a favor and let me interview him on his Twitter use:

1. Are you a human or a computer?

I am human. Or am I dancer?

2. Why do you Tweet?

I use Twitter as a news source, a writing and editing aid, and a place where I can make small talk without having to answer any questions about the weather.

3. Do you use Twitter to interact with other humans and physically meet them at some point?

I've only met people from Twitter who came recommended by other friends. Random folk...no thanks, unless it's a job opportunity.

I was able to get Chris to fill out an interview within 3 minutes of sending him a direct message. It demonstrates the kind of connections you can build on Twitter if you just use it in the appropriate way. It can be far more effective than any of the banners or links you see everyday.

I was able to get someone to stop what he was doing, open an email, and fill out an interview by sending him one direct message. The auto-generated account has failed to make a real connection with anyone in two years.

There are no shortcuts, but having a well-run Twitter is valuable and important for any company.