Who are you online?

I read the Mashable post “5 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Personal Brand Online” today. And I find it some interesting I wanted to post some comments to it. The five topics they address are:

1. Don’t Ignore Brand Mentions
2. Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
3. Know Your Audience
4. Limit Self-Promotion
5. Be Consistent

I will not describe them in details, because the guys at Mashable did that perfectly, my point is that their advices is about the same as my advice when people ask about their online identity. But always focus on the “do it” “or “don’t do it” part. And when you have decided that you want to be available online – you need to ensure that you do it with some strategy. The strategy doesn’t have to be a goal to become an internet celebrity – but you should avoid building an online brand that will be a problem for you in the future.

Some of my friends will say “but I am not a brand” – and here is the first mistake you do. You are a brand. 

You have to protect your name online as it is a brand. If you don’t care – that is also a choice; and you need to understand that not deciding to do something is also a decision. Staying of the radar is almost impossible. Being online with a twitter-account, a blog or a homepage ensure that the Google Index is filled with content produced by yourself that will be available if people search for you. This makes it possible for you to have some sort of control over your online presence. But don’t be naive – if something about you is available online – some smart search strings will find it.

Mashable say you should spread too thin. This is a good advice. Don’t be available in channels you can’t monitor. Ensure that you have time to be a part of the conversation. The old saying “show me your friends” is valid also online. If you constantly have conversations with people who you don’t want to be identified with – you are harming your online identity. The online persona needs to be available for people, or else it will be remembered as fake, or not genuine.