A post by Mathew Ingram got me thinking. All these social networks. All these separate services that we willingly give our personal data too. Why?
Why can’t they license this data just like they license marketing research data? Why can’t they pay me royalties for my data? Instead we all give them this valuable information.
Hmmm.
There has just got to be a way to do this opposite than the way we have been – giving free information away in a trade for a Facebook applet of questionable value. Our personal info is worth money – is your vampire chump?
I’m sitting here tonight reading some interesting thoughts on all sorts of things. From wondering what the future direction of social networking is, to computer hardware to operating systems. The post over at TechCrunch about gOS has me thinking… are both us Windows and Mac OSX users snobbish over our OS?
They both have a long history and a great rivalry. Could both camps be missing the point? Could a $200 computer from Wal-Mart gain real ground running an unknown OS? Does it matter? It’s simply a Linux PC and is running some great open source software, leverages many great free ‘net services, and could be easy for newbie’s to get started.
Are OSX and Windows the snobby Lexus/Infinity or Land Rover/Hummer of the OS world? If so, what do we get for our premium outlay that makes them better than the open source world?
So it’s a new month and a new header pic. This one was from a trip to Minnesota’s "north shore" last October. About the time we turned west from Lake Superior, it started snowing as we drove through Voyager’s National Park. This is one of the shots while on the road.
If you’re new to my blog, I hope I bring value to your visit here. One of the things that I want to do for you is to help with personal branding questions you may have. While I’m an Information Technology consultant by trade, I’ve been exploring personal branding in a determined fashion for the last two years.
Heck we’ve all been perfecting our brand for years, we used to call it "reputation". The interesting thing is that Reputation 2.0 got a facelift and a new name – hence, Personal Branding. But wait – there’s more!
The twist with Personal Branding, as you may have figured out by now, is that you are no longer limited to just the people you know, work with, or talk to in person. Through the Internet, and specifically social media, you can reach a larger audience. But this also is all old news.
What I propose you think about today, or whenever your ready, is to make personal branding a lifestyle. Don’t just think about how you can promote your brand, get your butt out there and do it. Start a blog and make it your own. Get on Facebook and share. Create a Twitter account converse. Start a podcast and invite your competition for an interview. For sure you should have a LinkedIn profile. Don’t hesitate to share these online destinations with your peers, friends, bosses, and most importantly, your critics & competition. Get these links on your business cards, heck create a new one that doesn’t even mention your industry or company. Promote you, not your employer!
Whatever you do, get started and think about how you bring value to your clients, customers, business, career, and employers. Become the best at what you do and don’t be afraid to help others do the same! That right there is the real secret of Personal Branding – it’s not simply showing what you can do, but showing others how they can do it too. Knowledge only works when you share it, and that is one key component of everything, including Personal Branding.
I’ve got a few things I’m working on over the next few weeks, some that I’ll share with you here on my blog, and some others that I’ll write about in my Social Media Experimentation column in Personal Branding Magazine.
Got a question? Disagree with something I’ve said? Please drop me a line; my contact info is always in my sidebar to the right. Or, simply leave a comment below!
