Last week, I had an interesting conversation where the concept of personal branding came up. I was amused as only recently Lil Sis and I sat laughing at how many of the items listed on the 10 things you need to stop tweeting about list I routinely break. Clearly, branding is not a concept in my forefront. Or is it?
Certainly I am guilty of talking up my workouts in this blog as well as the social media sites I am involved in. This is a running blog after all. In blogging my running adventures, I share both the good and the bad. My intent is to inspire you, but also to ask for encouragement from you. Perhaps it is more about the relationship than running.
While the rest of my blogging (or tweeting), varied as it is, may seem as far off the topic of running it is absolutely related. It is the reason I run: from the more obvious emptiness I am left with in being widowed to waking up to find dog poop on my kitchen floor. Essentially, it is life. As I noted here, my view is that life is a journey where parts “are beautiful and others that are darn right ugly.” It is the same with me.
This blog, as I’ve said many times before, is for me — providing an outlet, much as running does, which exercises my mind instead of my physical body. The relationship that I have with you, my readers, allows me to find my voice.
If I was to describe the personal brand that I have been putting out, be it conscious or not, I would have to describe it as “real life.” Some days I am beautiful, and other times as far from it as possible. I try hard, succumb to apathy, succeed, and fail. I am just me.
If it is perfection what you are seeking, I am not your gal and this is not what you will find here. If you can put up with the varied topics that I write on (perhaps skipping past those that you cannot relate to, or possibly offend you) than I am thrilled to have some company on this journey I am on.
I’ve never really given the idea of personal branding any thought. While I have backed away from sharing my blog with the people I interact with in my non-virtual life, I do try to remain aware that my blog is on the internet. I try not to write anything that would hurt someone’s feelings if they were to stumble upon this site. Even when I write about relationships, I try to write about my feelings rather than sharing the details which simply do not need to be shared. Perhaps, I’ve made a few mistakes or taken a few risks here and there. I suppose, like anything else, it’s a learning experience.
Now, it’s your turn:
- What are your thoughts on personal branding as it relates to blogging and/or social networking?
- What personal brand or message are you are trying to portray?
- What mistakes, if any, have you made?
- Have you developed a set of rules to follow in your writing?
I finally came up with this, and actually posted it on my blog a few months ago:
“I myself have finally come to a sort of strategy for using Twitter, FB and this blog, I think. I tend to think of them as three separate channels for the ramblings from my brain – Twitter I keep to only quick and dirty ORNs, which may or not also qualify for the FB status updates, although most of the status updates there tend to be very random and not workout-related, depending on the kind of day I’m having, and then here is where I do my other deep thinking, as it were. It makes sense for me, although it may end up that I don’t post here as often as I used to because a lot of the little daily blurbs end up on FB.”
As far as the “brand” of TxSkatemom, I know it’s a pretty robust aspect of my persona, but not by any means comprehensive. Not at all.
Interesting questions, all.
I have no interest in the notion of ‘personal branding’. I yam what I yam – love it or leave it!
these are fascinating questions juls! ones that i will indeed ponder, so thanks.
This is a fantastic discussion – and one I think about a lot. My personal brand has changed more than once since startinng my blog four years ago. Whether for better for worse is debatable, I suppose.
Personally, the biggest mistakes I’ve made are something you’ve already touched upon – forgetting that whatever’s on the Internet can potentially be seen by ANYBODY, including people or companies that you may have a relationship with now or in the future. I’ve cut down my snarkiness quite a bit for fear of beinng misunderstood, and I don’t write anything that I wouldn’t be able to say personally to whoever is involved.
Thanks for the thought provoking post.
i went from daily life events to workout exclusive to all boston training all the time to a mix of race recaps and child rearing and now i’m firmly in the middle of random silliness. none of this has really been overt, though. my blogging has followed where my priorities are.
i’ve said some things about people or family members that have come back to haunt me.
my only rule is that i have to remember that my mom reads the blog. if i can’t say it to her, i shouldn’t write it.
Without my blog, I would not be who I am today. It lets me be me with some impunity and freedom. The only rule I have is never talk bad about anybody and never ever say anything remotely negative that is not tongue in cheek about the bug. I live that way pretty much too :-)