Interesting -- this goes straight to some concerns I had about Zach's whole 'brand' and 'persona' response to the (overblown) controversy on swearing. I agree with most of what Jason says here.
But I still have an issue with the notion of my character and reputation being tied to the language of 'brand'. I think it cedes too much ground to the encroachment of marketing into some of the essential parts of human interaction, reducing what we present and edit of ourselves to mere marketing.
Contrast with _why. Here's a guy who clearly edited himself in a radical way, created a persona, built a following, but it would be hard for me to see _why as a 'brand', because the content of his persona was focused on creativity and his contributions to the community, not his marketability.
I totally get that we're all always editing ourselves to present a certain point of view of who we are, from the profile pics we use on Twitter/FB/LinkedIn, to the style we use in our tweets, speeches, presentations, etc. -- it's impossible to eliminate that from our interactions publicly and online.
But do we have to concede that much ground to the business side of things that we call it "branding"? I hope we have different ways of tying our public selves to a kind of integrity that goes beyond the ethics of commerce, to something deeper.
Commerce is such a powerful force in our everyday lives anyway, can we find a broader language to describe this process than something that tends to reduce us to products?
I used the word "personal branding" mostly because it is the established term that covers what I'm talking about. But I agree with your point in that it sort of turns people into products.
I guess a larger point I should have made in the blog post and that I did in the talk is this:
Your name has a meaning to people, even if you choose to not think about it. Recognizing that what people think / feel when considering "you" is something I want to encourage. Shaping your reputation/brand/name into something positive and making it a useful tool for achieving your goals is, IMO, a worthwhile endeavor.
Zach really doesn't push the envelope with his posts. He's enthusiastic and outspoken, but at the same time very green. I can't hold it against him. Time will temper his views. (Disclosure: He's an alum.)
However, I think someone like Sachin Agarwal would benefit from reading this and taking it to heart. Sachin's recent post, http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3218607, came off as douchey. What I took from that post is that Sachin used his self-proclaimed fanboy relationship with Apple for gain. The tone of the post was slightly cocky and speciously reverent.
Branding is important and it's increasingly difficult to avoid it as our lives become more public through technology. Consciously putting effort into presenting yourself in a good light isn't something that's automatic; it requires practice. If you put too much effort into it, then you might come off as a sleazy used car salesman. Focus on what you do and how you do it and the branding will emerge effortlessly and naturally. You won't be a product that way; you'll be a process (or a platform, as Jason puts it).
It's typically not my style to call out specific individuals and make examples of them. Sachin's post didn't make an explicit reference to his persona, but I thought it was useful for the discussion. Both Zach and Sachin have appeared on the front page several times. I think they can handle the criticism - positive or negative.
So what you're asking for is not to use the emotionally cold language of marketing, and use the warmer language of traditional human interaction instead? Perhaps not a bad idea.
The throwaway paragraph about fashion holds much truth, I have found. I decided a year ago to learn how that stuff works. I can't even begin to list the benefits that come with it - it isn't only women that like you more, but men are more likely to take you seriously if you aren't walking around in jeans and a t shirt.
Lots of good advice, I agree with most of it. A more important step is to head to a high-end clothing store, the type that sticks a salesperson on everyone who walks through the door. Yes, the clothing is expensive, but in conjunction with the professional advice it is very much worth it.
I second that. I've been wanting to start dressing better and this site looks awesome. It's not out of vanity, it's out of necessity and the side effects. It really is true that if you dress well, you feel well, and people just plain take you more seriously.
Very true: "You have to stand up for yourself and sometimes that means being a bit more aggressive than you normally are. This is the way of the world."
I'm not one to lunge personal insults around - but is it bad that when I read the title "Personal Branding Without Being a Douche", the first site I thought of that could use help in this department is the site below?
sebastianmarshall.com
Then again, I did think of it, so maybe they're doing something right.
I'm actually friends with Sebastian. But before we knew each other personally, definitely admired his blog from afar. His style is not for everyone, but I think his content is really really good.
Yeah, it is. So? Why would doing personal experiments to improve yourself be a negative for personal branding?
Some of his experiments may be considered silly by some people, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is working on becoming the best version of himself he can be - an admirable mission everyone should strive to have, but few unfortunately do.
I don't know Jason, but he seems like a really cool guy with a lot of drive, dreams and ambition.
No that's the author of 100-Hour Body (definitely not my opinion of worthwhile literature), right? But I think I understand why you'd have that impression. This kind of "personal branding" definitely has a similar taste to that kind of ethos. Although I don't think it's fair to necessarily opine on this particular blog post, there's nothing abjectly wrong with it, by the same token it does seem a little off for HN. Still, if your goal is to build a brand so that you can sustain yourself, maybe it's not such a bad thing. Approach is definitely important though...
Edit: apologies, the author of this article and the referenced are one in the same, according to the author. My mistake!
"My blog is my public face to the world and if I post something horribly offensive here, my brand goes with it."
Friendly advice: folks might be more inclined to take your advice and your "brand" as something actually post-adolescent if your public face to the world consisted of choices of words other than your odd, repeated use of variants of the word "douche" in your writing and in the headline you self-posted here on HN....not amusing and actually offensive to many women and men.
Thanks for the advice. I recognize that not everyone will jive with my style or choice of words, but similar to Zach Holman's use of swear words, I chose to pick the word that I feel works best.
I think most people are familiar with the term "douche" or "douchebag" and that it's usage is similar to "bastard" -- very far removed from the original meaning. I certainly don't mean to offend anyone but like I mention with the case study of Amit - it's pretty much impossible to please everyone.
[+] [-] davesims|14 years ago|reply
But I still have an issue with the notion of my character and reputation being tied to the language of 'brand'. I think it cedes too much ground to the encroachment of marketing into some of the essential parts of human interaction, reducing what we present and edit of ourselves to mere marketing.
Contrast with _why. Here's a guy who clearly edited himself in a radical way, created a persona, built a following, but it would be hard for me to see _why as a 'brand', because the content of his persona was focused on creativity and his contributions to the community, not his marketability.
I totally get that we're all always editing ourselves to present a certain point of view of who we are, from the profile pics we use on Twitter/FB/LinkedIn, to the style we use in our tweets, speeches, presentations, etc. -- it's impossible to eliminate that from our interactions publicly and online.
But do we have to concede that much ground to the business side of things that we call it "branding"? I hope we have different ways of tying our public selves to a kind of integrity that goes beyond the ethics of commerce, to something deeper.
Commerce is such a powerful force in our everyday lives anyway, can we find a broader language to describe this process than something that tends to reduce us to products?
[+] [-] jasonshen|14 years ago|reply
I used the word "personal branding" mostly because it is the established term that covers what I'm talking about. But I agree with your point in that it sort of turns people into products.
I guess a larger point I should have made in the blog post and that I did in the talk is this:
Your name has a meaning to people, even if you choose to not think about it. Recognizing that what people think / feel when considering "you" is something I want to encourage. Shaping your reputation/brand/name into something positive and making it a useful tool for achieving your goals is, IMO, a worthwhile endeavor.
[+] [-] kd1220|14 years ago|reply
However, I think someone like Sachin Agarwal would benefit from reading this and taking it to heart. Sachin's recent post, http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3218607, came off as douchey. What I took from that post is that Sachin used his self-proclaimed fanboy relationship with Apple for gain. The tone of the post was slightly cocky and speciously reverent.
Branding is important and it's increasingly difficult to avoid it as our lives become more public through technology. Consciously putting effort into presenting yourself in a good light isn't something that's automatic; it requires practice. If you put too much effort into it, then you might come off as a sleazy used car salesman. Focus on what you do and how you do it and the branding will emerge effortlessly and naturally. You won't be a product that way; you'll be a process (or a platform, as Jason puts it).
It's typically not my style to call out specific individuals and make examples of them. Sachin's post didn't make an explicit reference to his persona, but I thought it was useful for the discussion. Both Zach and Sachin have appeared on the front page several times. I think they can handle the criticism - positive or negative.
[+] [-] aristidb|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tycho77|14 years ago|reply
Here's a good site to get started:
http://www.magnificentbastard.com/
Lots of good advice, I agree with most of it. A more important step is to head to a high-end clothing store, the type that sticks a salesperson on everyone who walks through the door. Yes, the clothing is expensive, but in conjunction with the professional advice it is very much worth it.
[+] [-] jasonshen|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] billpatrianakos|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] joelrunyon|14 years ago|reply
"Anytime you hear someone say 'Personal Branding' it means 'I'm going to lie to you and steal all your money'"
I thought it was pretty spot on based on my experiences with all the people that are so gung-ho about the buzzwords. :)
[+] [-] jasonshen|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] njharman|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bmahmood|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gxs|14 years ago|reply
sebastianmarshall.com
Then again, I did think of it, so maybe they're doing something right.
[+] [-] jasonshen|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] klbarry|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] georgieporgie|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kristofferR|14 years ago|reply
Some of his experiments may be considered silly by some people, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is working on becoming the best version of himself he can be - an admirable mission everyone should strive to have, but few unfortunately do.
I don't know Jason, but he seems like a really cool guy with a lot of drive, dreams and ambition.
[+] [-] llambda|14 years ago|reply
Edit: apologies, the author of this article and the referenced are one in the same, according to the author. My mistake!
[+] [-] edash|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jasonshen|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] logjam|14 years ago|reply
Friendly advice: folks might be more inclined to take your advice and your "brand" as something actually post-adolescent if your public face to the world consisted of choices of words other than your odd, repeated use of variants of the word "douche" in your writing and in the headline you self-posted here on HN....not amusing and actually offensive to many women and men.
[+] [-] jasonshen|14 years ago|reply
I think most people are familiar with the term "douche" or "douchebag" and that it's usage is similar to "bastard" -- very far removed from the original meaning. I certainly don't mean to offend anyone but like I mention with the case study of Amit - it's pretty much impossible to please everyone.