DISQUS

.LAG · 9 months ago

Amen to that! Where did this notion of 'personal branding' start anyway? I think I first saw it connected—many years ago—to executive uber-consultant Tom Peters, but of course, if you're in the business of giving $50,000 talks, you are a product. Bloggers, not so much.
.LAG

Patrick Allmond · 9 months ago

Could not disagree more. It heavily depends on the situations.

There are PLENTY of people that are brands. You buy into them just like I do. There are people that you follow or listen to in this world because of who they are and what their message is. You like the package. You like the brand. If you like the message, the look, the voice, and the presentation you like the brand. Call it what you want i.e. "Living your life online". But it is still a brand. I'll leave you with the definition of brand that I just looked up which describes what some bloggers (including you) do.

"A brand is a collection of images and ideas representing an economic producer; more specifically, it refers to the descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and...
"

StevenHodson · 9 months ago

I understand the point you are trying to make and if we are talking about things like GE, Toyota, Budwiser I would agree that they are a brand as there are all kinds of visuals associated with those names. However the CEO of any of those corporations doesn't have a brand and yet they speak for or about their companies.

An individual on the other hand is just that - an individual .. not a collection of visuals or slogans.

Corvida Raven · 9 months ago

I don't think there's anything wrong with being a brand. I feel like I'm a business, therefore I have to be a brand in the same sentence. People can still treat you as a human being. The only people stopping you from being treated like one is the person who refuses to treat you like one and yourself. I'm treated as a brand, business, and a person by many. It's not that hard to do so.

Businesses are for products and people. Why wouldn't a brand be?

I understand your train of thought, but I have to politely disagree with you.

StevenHodson · 9 months ago

I appreciate you disagree but I still think that the moment we take the humanity out of our identity by packaging it up with the idea of a brand we are more about marketing that image/visuals of the brand than we are about talking with our readers.

As I said above to Patrick but using a different example .. the Washington Post is a brand ... The Inquisitr is a brand .. Mashable is a brand but the "people" .. "writers" are not

pb · 9 months ago

Changed your tune on this one recently?

I remember some advice to another blog start up not so long ago about using their personal pic as an avatar to make sure they got their "personal brand" out there, or do I misremember - to paraphrase a washed up ex-president?

digidave · 9 months ago

I tend to agree with Steven on this as well (see my blog post for how it got started).

It really comes down to ethos. Brands can be tied to corporations. I am not saying that corporations are evil or anything like that. But because of this potential connection, thinking of myself as a brand means that I can be a corporation..... which is true. As an independent contractor I am.

But what if I hire people? Are they "Digidave." Do they become part of MY brand? That just seems weird.

The answer is both yes and no. Technically if I hire them - they are part of my brand. But then what about me as a person? Do I no longer have an identity? Do the employees represent my brand as a person or as a corporation?

Screw that. I am a person - and I live my life online. End of story.

I am NOT a brand. Or if I am - that is really just the way people interpret my personality. It is not something that can be transferred and I am more than just an economic producer.

pb · 9 months ago

Sorry, read it again and realised I pretty uch skipped over para 2. I guess that shows that I pay attention to what you say, at least most of the time.

digidave · 9 months ago

That is the idea exactly. I am just as guilty of thinking that "branding" was the most important thing too. And in some sense it is - but I think the word "brand" makes us imagine something plastic and fake.

If thats what brands are - then no. I am not a brand.

What is important to me now is just... living my life... and doing that online is an earnest a way as I can. That is how people know that it is ME. And they can trust Me. So yes... its a brand. but I hate to call it that. It makes me lose sight of what that brand is really about... which is me, just being myself.

Rock on.

Andrée Ng · 8 months ago

Great article Steven! I don't think anyone should feel like they have to put in a lot of effort in order to establish a brand for themselves. As long as you live your life and share your knowledge to others, your brand will develop naturally. People should just do what they do best -- be themselves.

Whether we realize it or not, we're always creating a brand for ourselves, whether it's online (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) or offline (i.e. your career, the people you spend your time with, your hobbies, etc.). No matter what we do, we are constantly displaying/branding ourselves based on how we share the ideas we have, the goals we've accomplished, and our daily actions.

Andrée Ng
http://www.sonewe.com/