@Max – Pen names can work well, but I much prefer it when people use them for professional and ethical reasons, some people use them as a mask to hide behind to attack others which is a shame because it taints the whole practice.

@Max – Pen names can work well, but I much prefer it when people use them for professional and ethical reasons, some people use them as a mask to hide behind to attack others which is a shame because it taints the whole practice.

@Marc – Nicknames are tricky but they can work, look at eMom

@Jen – Thing is once you connect people will follow the trail back to find out more, so you just have to give them good stuff to look up

@Ulla – StumbleUpon is both a way to discover new sites and also to bookmark things you like, you can add friends on there who see what you last stumbled, and there are discussion groups for every subject. So bookmark good stuff, make friends and write reviews

@Julie – For some people silos make more sense, especially if the audiences are not just different but opposed, for others, like myself, one identity works better because being a photography hobbyist, geek and blogger is all compatible and complimentary

@Roger – Yup, then the choice is which to merge and which to keep as satellites

@Crazykinux – Sometimes using a pseudonym or nickname is a necessary self defense mechanism, sometimes it just gets in the way. I find real names, even made up, help form better bonds in early stages, but after the initial impression it is what you say and do that counts. If you have split activities you can just link them up, if you want to reveal who you are you can do it on an about page. Those who are interested will follow the crumbs.

@Easton – Yup, I think just being conscious of it can be a big help

@GemStar38 – Yes common ground doesn’t need to be your deepest secrets

@Steve – It’s important to take things at your own pace and work out what works for you, if we remember these tools are about connecting PEOPLE then you won’t go far wrong

@Adam – I look forward to seeing where you go with it, I do think you have a strong brand

@Joanna – Your purpose and your brand are both a reflection of you, so I think the ideas are compatible. A brand after all is built through how people experience you and what they “know” about you, if you stick to your mission or purpose then that will be their experience

@vimoh – The thing to do is from this day forward, fill the web with good stuff about you

@PharmacistMike – Just make every connection the best it can be, make what people remember and take away the good stuff

@Michael – I love that “color your socks are”, very cool and very true. Empathy and shared ground is important, but we can hold back many of the details!

@amypalko – Being yourself is important, especially if yourself is a nice and genuine person One issue though with being yourself is sometimes there is not enough context when someone comes to view what you put out later, for example through the wayback machine of a 140 character message from a year ago.

@Online Branding Expert – Thanks, I appreciate you saying so

@bbrian017 – I need to look at Entrecard, I have kind of dismissed it up to now as another pyramid traffic thing but people keep telling me about it

@Michael – Yup, good advice Strange thing, with Adam I always think “monk at work”, whereas with you I always think “Michael”. I think the first impression is often the strongest

@Max – Pen names can work well, but I much prefer it when people use them for professional and ethical reasons, some people use them as a mask to hide behind to attack others which is a shame because it taints the whole practice.

@Ming – Just letting it happen can be tricky when you are naturally open and honest, things leak out that might be taken out of context or brought up in the strangest of settings, on the positive side though people can see when someone is genuine so there is a benefit.

@VeraBradley – Do you find that people assume certain things going by that name? I know one person who has a name that is male in his culture but many people take to be female, he often finds people treat him differently depending on what they assume his gender is

@Marc – Nicknames are tricky but they can work, look at eMom

@Jen – Thing is once you connect people will follow the trail back to find out more, so you just have to give them good stuff to look up

@Ulla – StumbleUpon is both a way to discover new sites and also to bookmark things you like, you can add friends on there who see what you last stumbled, and there are discussion groups for every subject. So bookmark good stuff, make friends and write reviews

@Julie – For some people silos make more sense, especially if the audiences are not just different but opposed, for others, like myself, one identity works better because being a photography hobbyist, geek and blogger is all compatible and complimentary

@Roger – Yup, then the choice is which to merge and which to keep as satellites

@Crazykinux – Sometimes using a pseudonym or nickname is a necessary self defense mechanism, sometimes it just gets in the way. I find real names, even made up, help form better bonds in early stages, but after the initial impression it is what you say and do that counts. If you have split activities you can just link them up, if you want to reveal who you are you can do it on an about page. Those who are interested will follow the crumbs.

@Easton – Yup, I think just being conscious of it can be a big help

@GemStar38 – Yes common ground doesn’t need to be your deepest secrets

@Steve – It’s important to take things at your own pace and work out what works for you, if we remember these tools are about connecting PEOPLE then you won’t go far wrong

@Adam – I look forward to seeing where you go with it, I do think you have a strong brand

@Joanna – Your purpose and your brand are both a reflection of you, so I think the ideas are compatible. A brand after all is built through how people experience you and what they “know” about you, if you stick to your mission or purpose then that will be their experience

@vimoh – The thing to do is from this day forward, fill the web with good stuff about you

@PharmacistMike – Just make every connection the best it can be, make what people remember and take away the good stuff

@Michael – I love that “color your socks are”, very cool and very true. Empathy and shared ground is important, but we can hold back many of the details!

@amypalko – Being yourself is important, especially if yourself is a nice and genuine person One issue though with being yourself is sometimes there is not enough context when someone comes to view what you put out later, for example through the wayback machine of a 140 character message from a year ago.

@Online Branding Expert – Thanks, I appreciate you saying so

@bbrian017 – I need to look at Entrecard, I have kind of dismissed it up to now as another pyramid traffic thing but people keep telling me about it

@Michael – Yup, good advice Strange thing, with Adam I always think “monk at work”, whereas with you I always think “Michael”. I think the first impression is often the strongest

@Max – Pen names can work well, but I much prefer it when people use them for professional and ethical reasons, some people use them as a mask to hide behind to attack others which is a shame because it taints the whole practice.

@Ming – Just letting it happen can be tricky when you are naturally open and honest, things leak out that might be taken out of context or brought up in the strangest of settings, on the positive side though people can see when someone is genuine so there is a benefit.

@VeraBradley – Do you find that people assume certain things going by that name? I know one person who has a name that is male in his culture but many people take to be female, he often finds people treat him differently depending on what they assume his gender is

Participating in the social Web as a branded persona is also much more natural…so long as you’re not trying to fool anyone, and I’m not. The “About Us” page explains everything. In some ways it’s like a pseudonym but it’s more. I use Perez Hilton as an example, but it’s not entirely parallel.

So Max Gladwell has a presence on social networks, Twitter, FriendFeed, etc. because (a) it’s good marketing and (b) that’s the nature of what we write about. Social media has to be experienced on the deepest level in order to be understood, utilized, and explained. You can’t write about it from the outside as an observer. That’s one of the great things about it.

Participating in the social Web as a branded persona is also much more natural…so long as you’re not trying to fool anyone, and I’m not. The “About Us” page explains everything. In some ways it’s like a pseudonym but it’s more. I use Perez Hilton as an example, but it’s not entirely parallel.

So Max Gladwell has a presence on social networks, Twitter, FriendFeed, etc. because (a) it’s good marketing and (b) that’s the nature of what we write about. Social media has to be experienced on the deepest level in order to be understood, utilized, and explained. You can’t write about it from the outside as an observer. That’s one of the great things about it.

That diagram is a great illustration of how the pieces relate to each other. I do try to relate my other activities to each other somewhat. Everything is brand-conscious. I don’t always use the Remarkablogger name everywhere, but those are for cases where I purposefully wanted to have distance between an account and myself (StumbleUpon and Digg are examples).

I’m in full agreement with Joanna above. When you’re in business, existing and future clients DO and WILL see what you are saying in social media. NEVER use Twitter as a back channel to talk about someone behind their back. Everything you say becomes a thread in the tapestry that is your online reputation.

That diagram is a great illustration of how the pieces relate to each other. I do try to relate my other activities to each other somewhat. Everything is brand-conscious. I don’t always use the Remarkablogger name everywhere, but those are for cases where I purposefully wanted to have distance between an account and myself (StumbleUpon and Digg are examples).

I’m in full agreement with Joanna above. When you’re in business, existing and future clients DO and WILL see what you are saying in social media. NEVER use Twitter as a back channel to talk about someone behind their back. Everything you say becomes a thread in the tapestry that is your online reputation.

See branding takes time and you must connect the dots back to yourself, hence the brand you’re trying to develop!

I use most of these sites so I guess I’m almost there!

I would also suggest Entrecard it seems pretty cool if you can see past the garbage in there too!

See branding takes time and you must connect the dots back to yourself, hence the brand you’re trying to develop!

I use most of these sites so I guess I’m almost there!

I would also suggest Entrecard it seems pretty cool if you can see past the garbage in there too!

Maria Reyes-McDavis

Maria Reyes-McDavis