We considered the different dimensions of our online identity (I'm still more comfortable with 'identity' than 'brand'...) such as names, pictures, professional/personal split and visual consistency. And with trepidation, we Googled ourselves.
So what? (evaluating)
I am someone who feels 'at home' online to some extent, but this exercise made me think a lot more about how I present myself and why I make the decisions I do - especially regarding anonymity etc. I have rarely used my full/real name in social media contexts (only Facebook which is pretty locked down and not used for work at all), probably due to a fear of inadvertently sharing more than I want to with my bosses and/or somehow presenting my workplace in an inappropriate light. However, I'm starting to think that the time has come to change this practice, especially since social media is such a big part of my professional life now.
What now? (applying)Hm, well I'm not quite ready to relinquish my anonymity altogether, at least not until I've gone back through all my tweets and removed any incriminating content... But I will be moving towards it I think. On Google+ I already use my real (married) name, but it's not the name I use for work. I think using a real photo of myself and being consistent across platforms was therefore the only way for libraryesque people to find me there. And I'm glad they have :)
I've also realised the importance of giving a bit more thought to a visual 'brand', at least in terms of feeling happy with it myself - hence the blog redesign.
Photo by The Trousered Ape on Flickr
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