More for me to think on – thanks for the added layers. :)

Folks who know me will tell you my blog and my tweets are pretty much who I am. I take my work seriously, but my social media a little less so. I’m a tad outspoken and an incurable smartass. I like to make people laugh.

But one day someone ask me: What’s up with the hooded avatar? My response: I like being just a little scary. It’s part of the schtick.

So to some degree, I have to admit to orchestrating the persona. I think we all do it – consciously or otherwise. And much of it is likely ego-driven.

@jamie — I am SO GLAD you’re back! I actually referenced your “bartender” piece in a blog comment on ROI today!

I like your wisdom. My problem is I tend to focus on the negative more than the positive when assessing feedback. When somebody says something nice, I tend to say “yeah, yeah …” Plus, I think people are probably overly nice on SM.

@Steve I agree that some people intentially create brands and personas. I am fighting over that with a client right now who has actually created a script for their online “character!” But I haven’t created one for myself. I pretty much am who I am, but it is difficult to know how I come across to people. Who only catch glimpses here and there. Yet, it is so vitally important to social media success! Such an interesting topic.

Perhaps, people are worrying too much about “creating” a brand and not enough time “becoming” one. “Create” has such false connotation to me, especially when discussing personal relationships.

Love the ideas stirred up by this post. So much of social media’s ultimate impact lives outside the realm of “pure business.” The question you pose dives right into the messy midst of this gray area where our professional and personal lives, personalities, and agendas mix together in the often murky waters of social media relationships.

I’m in the same boat as you: a work-in-progress, unclear about which “personal brand” I represent. As a “solopreneur,” I find myself waffling over foundational decisions like whether I should have a single twitter ID or one that’s my name and one that’s my business name. I also work in several sectors (B2B, parenting, non-profit,social media, etc) – should I have a different identity for each one?

The thought of managing all those accounts makes me queasy. And it also feels inauthentic to me. Do I really need to present a different face to each audience, or can I merge my interests and skills into a single, multi-faceted personality? Is personal brand based more on the content, or the presenation of that content? In venues like twitter, do followers want single-track information feeds, or three-dimensional relationships that cross over from one area to another?

In a perfect world, each of us would do work we love … the way we like to do it with the people we enjoy. We wouldn’t have to hide any facet of who we are (except the seriously TMI stuff). We would be operating more as “full” human beings instead of the masks (as your image so beautifully conveys) for each of our personal and professional roles.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

SO, how do you define (or discover) your personal brand? Since I’m still floundering, I’m not the best person to answer, BUT …

You pay attention to what you put out there – not to judge or edit, but just to observe yourself – your patterns, habits, routines. You pay attention to what others say about you – directly, in blog comments, via RTs, etc. You try to correlate what you think you’re projecting against what people notice most about you. Somewhere in the intersection of those two, is the seed of your personal brand.

Mark, what I’m hearing from GenY is they’re a bit fed up with “consistent.” Not saying I agree with the attitude — but I am seeing a lot more tattoos in visible places these days. Maybe there’s a correlation!

On the other hand, my generation had long hair, peace signs and free love. Eventually, we conformed and became “consistent.” It happens when you get a mortgage and a couple of kids.

As to your blog voice, I think you’re dead on. I’m drawn to this site because I see a writer who speaks his mind and doesn’t worry about being admitted to the “club.” That’s authentic.

If I appear more guarded in my writing, I assure you it has nothing to do with my university affiliation. One benefit of tenure. One of these days I’ll work up the nerve to call someone a dipshit. And I know it’ll feel great!

Two thoughts:
1) “authentic” may have a different meaning in a business setting. Perhaps we really mean “consistent.” Act online as you act in business … which is probably stiff and guarded … cover the tattoos … it’s what people expect.

2) So if everyone is “consistent,” those who are truly authentic, like Richard Branson, have an opportunity to significantly differentiate themselves through their personality. Something to consider.

In some ways, this works for me. My “voice” on my blog has been described as “raw.” I tend to be pretty transparent and irreverant. In the past few weeks I have successfully worked the hat-trick of “turd” “dipshit” and “booger” into my blog. A crowning achievement.

By contrast, this might not work for Bill since he is a university faculty member and his blog is an extension of his work. I have my own business and I’m just an adjunct. Nobody seems to give a damn. : )

But I do think this is a reason some people are drawn to my blog. I read many of the top bloggers. They say they’re not P.C., but they are, especially if they work for a company. It’s all VERY “consistent!” A risk and an opportunity for all young people getting into social media. And if you’re getting into business, you’re getting into social media.