Social networking tools are being used more and more every day. Unfortunately, what people do not realize is that by using these tools, they are creating a personal brand. A personal brand is simply what people think of you when your name is mentioned.

For those that do not realize they are creating a personal brand or worse, think that it does not matter, they are similar to the people who got themselves in debt when credit ratings first came out.

The penalties of not listening I suppose. Anyway, let’s talk about it what is really going on with social media.

Read on to learn the lesson I learned.

I read an article about a guy getting his Mom an iPad. His motives for getting an iPad rubbed me the wrong way. He wants to escape the “oppressive chains” of being the one in the family that can fix computers. This led me to think about disloyalty, lack of appreciation, how selfish people can become and (when asking people their thoughts on the article), how easy it is to hurt someone unintentionally online.

Customer or reader loyalty is something companies strive for. In truth, the true goal is for customers or readers to be loyal to the company brand not the product or service. If the loyalty is to the product or service, if something better comes out, the customer or reader will move on. Loyalty to the company is a stronger emotional bond. Unfortunately, many sites online are inconsistent with their marketing efforts, and this results in them diluting their brand.

Always the debate: does personal brand exist? Let’s take a different look at brands in general.

WCG Ultimate Gamer’s season finale. For many they would say the season ending with an unexpected surprise. I say the season ended exactly as it should have. Perfect actually. If you have not seen it, I suggest watching it first, then come on in….

For every action, there is a consequence. What we do today will determine what happens tomorrow. This can be easy to forget when writing on the internet when the assumption is: you’ll never see the person you are writing about face to face.

Online tools provide an easy way for people to exchange ideas and opinions. A wealth of knowledge is available to us on the internet. The opportunity is there to learn from other people’s experiences, both personal and professional. Distinguishing authoritative advice from inexperienced opinion is not easy.

I’m listening to Brandy’s song “Something’s Missing”. I was drawn to the beat of the song (it is an a cappella song) and it was awhile before I paid attention to the lyrics. Here is a slice from the song (and here’s the YouTube link if you want to listen). Feels like I’m leaving something [...]