This is something I've been meaning to think about for little while. Following Thing 3 instructions, I Googled my name and, apart from being surprised by how many people share my name, I discovered that none of the results on the first three pages were anything to do with me. Now I know that my online brand is invisible, do I want to change this and if so how?
I've been a bit nervous about my identity and name online. First time round blogging with 23 Things I went by the anonymous name of Newbie Blogger for blogging and NewbieCambridge for Twitter as my blog name had already been taken. This meant I could gain confidence in blogging without worrying that everyone knew who I was. However, because I had different blog and Twitter names, I didn't feel I had a consistent online presence. So, after 23 Things, I actually decided to set up a new blog and change my Twitter account so that LibRhi is used for both.
Ned Potter's wikiman blog had a great post on three essential things to do as soon as you join Twitter. This encouraged me to find a picture to put on both my blog and Twitter. I finally took the plunge and put my full name on my Twitter profile, as I think it looks more professional and most of my followers know who I am anyway! I found writing the short bio for Twitter the hardest thing to do, and kept changing my mind about what to write. How to sum up who I am for my Twitter followers in a few characters that says something more interesting than just 'librarian' (especially as this isn't my current job title). I decided to stick with the books background for my blog page as it goes well with my blog name, and changed the design of my Twitter so it is a little more interesting, even though it doesn't match the blog. I've had fun looking at the design of other people's blogs and Twitter profile pages, and what they have written for their bios. There are some creative people out there! I like Cam23 2.0 blogger Murmuration's use of a drawing of herself rather than a photo.
Overall, my personal brand needs more work, but I feel much happier with it now than when I first started. With experience comes confidence, so perhaps my online brand will have developed further by the end of the summer!
Congratulations on becoming visible! When I saw your photo I had second thoughts about using the drawing I have for mine. I think your pic strikes exactly the right balance between personal, friendly snap and professional photograph really well (I think black and white enhances this). I ought to point out that my picture was not drawn by me - my sister asked a friend of hers to draw a picture of me dancing (the complete drawing is a full length one of me doing a pose releve!) as a birthday present!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny! Photo taken by my husband so he'll be pleased at the mention of the word 'professional'! I wanted it black and white although I'm not convinced it fits in with the rest of the blog design. Did you have to pose long for the drawing? It's a great picture, and what a nice birthday present!
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