Blogging the Seth Godin way...
I subscribe to just a few blogs - one of them is Seth Godin's - I've enjoyed most of Seth's many books - and whilst I don't agree with everything he has to say, much of what he says, I concur with. I'm learning a lot about blogging from Seth - not from the advice he provides, but by observing how he blogs. Often it's just short snippets - observational ‘marketing' advice/lessons/views/thoughts.
Being a ‘marketer' out there in the field providing practical advice and working directly with a range of clients - it's difficult to switch the ‘marketing' channel off. And, quite frustratingly in many situations of terrible customer service, or poor promotion, difficult websites and such like, I tend to proffer advice - (whether the recipient wants to hear it or not!). And so, I am going to start building these more everyday occurrences into my blog posts.
It's ok for a post to be just a couple of paragraphs long. I've read that so many times, but it still feels a little light to me. But hey - I'm all up for mixing things up a bit.
Meanwhile - I particularly liked this recent short snippet from Seth's blog. In fact, if you Google my name, Michelle Carvill, you'll see that I am controlling what comes up top - a Bizzbug profile which clearly promotes who I am, what I do - so I am taking control of the ‘candid camera' scenario to a degree. You can too - Bizzbug is free. Any pointers required, give me a shout.
Personal branding in the age of Google
A friend advertised on Craigslist for a housekeeper.
Three interesting resumes came to the top. She googled each person's name.
The first search turned up a MySpace page. There was a picture of the applicant, drinking beer from a funnel. Under hobbies, the first entry was, "binge drinking."
The second search turned up a personal blog (a good one, actually). The most recent entry said something like, "I am applying for some menial jobs that are below me, and I'm annoyed by it. I'll certainly quit the minute I sell a few paintings."
And the third? There were only six matches, and the sixth was from the local police department, indicating that the applicant had been arrested for shoplifting two years earlier.
Three for three.
Google never forgets.
Of course, you don't have to be a drunk, a thief or a bitter failure for this to backfire. Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record. The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you're on Candid Camera, because you are.
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Michelle
Michelle Carvill is owner and Marketing Director at Carvill Creative - a graphic design and marketing services agency based in Maidenhead, Berkshire. The agency covers all aspects of graphic design and marketing - covering social media marketing and website planning and website design.
Personal branding in the age of Google
A friend advertised on Craigslist for a housekeeper.
Three interesting resumes came to the top. She googled each person's name.
The first search turned up a MySpace page. There was a picture of the applicant, drinking beer from a funnel. Under hobbies, the first entry was, "binge drinking."
The second search turned up a personal blog (a good one, actually). The most recent entry said something like, "I am applying for some menial jobs that are below me, and I'm annoyed by it. I'll certainly quit the minute I sell a few paintings."
And the third? There were only six matches, and the sixth was from the local police department, indicating that the applicant had been arrested for shoplifting two years earlier.
Three for three.
Google never forgets.
Of course, you don't have to be a drunk, a thief or a bitter failure for this to backfire. Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record. The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you're on Candid Camera, because you are.