Whether for yourself or on behalf of your company, branding yourself as a subject matter expert can have exponential impact on your professional career. With all the social media tools available, it is easier than ever to promote yourself and your knowledge.

Not sure where to start?
In this  post  “10 Steps to Personal Branding Success”from Joe Pulizzi, Co-Author, Get Content Get Customers and Founder of Junta42 he emphasizes that you don’t have to do it all to be successful, “The most important part is that you pick the steps you can commit to and consistently execute those steps.”

10 Steps to Personal Branding Success
by Joe Pulizzi

1. Update Your Online Profiles Now. LinkedIn, Facebook, and your Google profileare the most important. If you don’t have it already, buy your domain name. As a standard practice, all business cards you collect should be sent invitiations via LinkedIn. Finally, hire a professional to take your picture.
2. Start a Blog/Get Involved in the Conversation. I use WordPress and TypePad for my blogs, and you can be up and running with either in a short period of time. Follow and comment on the top 10 – 20 blogs where your customers are hanging out. Answer questions on LinkedIn Answers and Yahoo! Answers. Follow your name, brands and keywords at Google Alerts. Find and get active in a Google Group that makes sense.

Make sure you read the full post  for the other eight steps.

On April 3, Finance Committee member Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced S. 823, the “Net Operating Loss (NOL) Carryback Act,” which would allow businesses of any size to carryback losses incurred in 2008 and 2009 for five years. Senator Snowe said, “While the recently enacted economic stimulus bill included a modest NOL carryback provision to assist smaller firms, this legislation will help any company that has losses from 2008 or 2009 carry back those losses to offset taxes paid in the previous five years when they were profitable. This will go a long way in helping to keep more workers on payroll and stabilize overall operations.” Snowe was referring to the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which allows qualifying small businesses (whose average annual gross receipts in a test period are $15 million or less) to choose a three- four-or five-year net operating loss (NOL) carryback period for certain losses instead of the usual two-year period.  Snowe had previously attempted to establish such a liberal five year carryback for NOLs in the Senate-passed stimulus bill but the provision was cut back in the House-Senate Conference negotiations and instead capped for businesses with gross receipts of $15 million and less.

The bill would also block companies that receive cash from the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) from utilizing this tax incentive.